''Time to Win, Vol. 1'' is the first official EP from the Canadian band,

Down with Webster Down with Webster is a Canadian rap rock band from The Beaches area of Toronto who signed with Universal Motown in April 2009. The band first achieved commercial success with the release of the 2009 EP, '' Time to Win, Vol. I'' which consisted ...

. It released October 6, 2009, on

Universal Motown Universal Motown Records was an American record label that operated as a division of Universal Motown Republic Group. It was the contemporary incarnation of the legendary Motown Records label, and the " urban" half of the Universal Records ...

. The album was successful in Canada, all three singles off the album charted in the top 25 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

and all three were certified Platinum. The album has sold over 40,000 copies in Canada and was certified Gold in December 2010.

Background and recording

The band said the reason to release "Time to Win" in two separate volumes was because: "There is no point in releasing music the way band's used to: the album is dead. 'Time to Win' is a new type of album. We're contently writing new songs and the idea of not being able to put them out seems absurd, so we've been able to work out a system with our label where we are able to put out smaller amounts of songs for less money." The majority of ''Time to Win, Vol. 1'' was recorded at Chill Ville Studios,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Additional recording happened at The Hit Factory Criteria, Miami. The album was mixed at various locations such as The Orange Lounge,

and South Beach Studios, Miami. ''Time to Win, Vol. 1'' was mastered at Sterling Sound, New York City. The album mainly has new songs except for "Miracle Mile", which was also on the band's self-released album and included on

s insistence. James Robertson, Demacio Castellon and Down with Webster produced all of the tracks. Down with Webster had worked with Robertson previously on their self released debut studio album in 2007.

Release and promotion

"Back of My Hand" was released digitally on July 7, 2009, as the first promotional single from the album. "Time to Win" was released later that year as the second promotional single from the album. ''Time to Win, Vol. 1'' was released on October 6, 2009. A CD release concert was performed in October, 2009 at the

Phoenix Concert Theatre The Phoenix Concert Theatre is a concert venue located at 410 Sherbourne Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is large and encompasses three distinct environments. The "Main Room" features one of the city's largest dance floors, leading edge ...

in Toronto. 'WINtour 2010' was Down with Webster's first headlining tour. It took place from January to February 2010 and supported ''Time to Win, Vol. 1''. Down with Webster also opened for

Forever the Sickest Kids Forever the Sickest Kids (sometimes abbreviated as ''FTSK'') is an American pop punk band from Dallas, Texas. The band first signed with Universal Motown Records and released its debut album, ''Underdog Alma Mater'', on April 29, 2008. The band' ...

(in the ''Cheap Date Tour''),

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...

(in the

Shock Value II Tour The Shock Value II Tour was a 2010 concert tour by American rapper/producer, Timbaland to support his third studio album, ''Shock Value II'' (2009). The tour lasted from January 15, 2010 to February 3, 2010. Set list #"Timothy Where You Been" ...

) and

3OH!3 3OH!3 (pronounced "three oh three") is an American music duo from Boulder, Colorado, consisting of American vocalists Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me", which was the lead single from their ...

(in the Streets of Gold tour) to support the album.

Commercial performance

The album's lead single, " Rich Girl$" was released in October 6, 2009, and peaked at No. 21 on the

. It was also certified Platinum in Canada in April, 2010. In the United States it was added over 20 times in one week and was played on over 60

Contemporary Hit Radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

stations. " Your Man" was released as the second single and is the most successful single to date. It was released in January 2010, and peaked at No. 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 and was also certified Platinum in Canada in April, 2010. "

Whoa Is Me "Whoa Is Me" is the third single by Down with Webster from the band's debut EP, '' Time to Win, Vol. I'', released on June 15, 2010. The song became successful in Canada, debuting at number 74 on the Canadian Hot 100 and peaking at number 13. The ...

" was released as the album's third single on June 15, 2010. It peaked at No. 13 on the Canadian Hot 100. It was certified Platinum in Canada in January 2011. The album sold over the 40,000 copies in Canada and certified Gold. All three singles ("Your Man", "Rich Girl$", and "Whoa Is Me") have been certified platinum singles in Canada, with "Your Man" and "Rich Girl$" having over 40,000 digital downloads and "Whoa Is Me" having over 80,000 digital downloads.

Reception

''Time to Win, Vol. I'' was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Ben Packard of Rock Wire called the EP "one of the most solid records of the year," praising the group's beats and vocals as "something you just can't ignore." The first track "Time to Win" was described as the "perfect opening for the album" with its "incredibly catchy" production. He approved of "Whoa Is Me"s "incredible mix of beats and guitar shredding", and vocal transitions between the band members on "Your Man". Packard opined that "Parade Music" is the most "'hip hop' type of song" on the album and complimented the guitar solo. However, he found "Miracle Mile" to be strange and monotonous . "Rich Girl$" was described by Aryeh Carni of eatsleepbreathemusic.com as having a "cheesy 80′s sound like

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Money ( Mahoney; March 21, 1949September 13, 2019) was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Paradise", " Think I'm in Love", " Shakin' ...

and it's got that guilty pleasure hook to go along

ith it The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is im ...

. On "Back of my Hand", she compared it to

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

’s " Stan" due to the sound of "rainstorms and keys" being heard in the intro. She commended the band for showcasing their sense of humour and nonchalant attitude in their music. In addition, Carni noted their use of "beats and samples, heavy guitars and clever lyrical games" on the album. The EP was nominated for Pop Album of the Year at the

Juno Awards of 2011 The Juno Awards of 2011 honoured Canadian music industry achievements in the latter part of 2009 and in most of 2010. The awards were presented in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, during the weekend of 26 and 27 March 2011. A week of related events bega ...

which took place on March 27, 2011.

Track listing

All of the songs were produced by

and James Robertson except where noted. Sample credits *"Your Man" contains a sample of "Girl It Ain't Easy" performed by

Honey Cone Honey Cone is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul music, soul girl group. Originally formed by lead singer Edna Wright (sister of Darlene Love) with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark in 1968. They are known for their List of Billboard Hot ...

and written by Ronald Dunbar and Edyth Wayne *"Rich Girl$" contains elements of " Rich Girl" performed by

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall & John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1970. Daryl Hall was generally the lead vocalist, while John Oates primarily supplied electric guitar and ba ...

and written by Daryl Hall *"Miracle Mile" contains a sample of "Broadway Melody 1929" performed by Rubino Orchestra, and written by

Arthur Freed Arthur Freed (September 9, 1894 – April 12, 1973) was an American lyricist and a Hollywood film producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice, in 1951 for ''An American in Paris'' and in 1958 for '' Gigi''. Both films were musicals ...

and

Nacio Herb Brown Ignacio Herbert "Nacio Herb" Brown (February 22, 1896 – September 28, 1964) was an American composer of popular songs, movie scores and Broadway theatre music in the 1920s through the early 1950s. Amongst his most enduring work is the sc ...

Personnel

Credits for ''Time to Win, Vol. 1'' adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. Down with Webster * Tyler Armes – bass guitar, keyboards, composer * Kyle "Kap" Fairlie –

hype man A hype man, typically in hip hop music, is a backing vocalist who supports the primary performer with exclamations, interjections, or ad-libs in an attempt to increase an audience's excitement or engagement. Origins Early hype men included Keef C ...

* Dave "Diggy" Ferris – DJ * Patrick "Pat" Gillett – vocals, guitar, composer * Cameron "Cam" Hunter – vocals, composer * Andrew "Marty" Martino – drums, composer * Martin "Bucky" Seja – vocals, composer Production * Down with Webster – producer * Matt Barnes – photography * Demacio "Demo" Castellon –

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

, producer, mixing * Chris Corless – A&R (Canada) * Tom Coyne – mastering * Jason "Metal" Donkersgoed – mixing assistant * Chris Gehringer – mastering * Chris Godbey – Pro Tools editing * Shep Goodman – A&R * Femio Hernandez – assistant * Rob Hitt – A&R * Jordan Jacobs and Ryan Armes (SPYBOX) – management * Brandon Jones – recording assistant * Lisa Linder – product manager * Tom Lord-Alge – mixing * Steve Nightingale – product manager (Canada) * James Robertson – producer, recording, mixing * Fareed Salamah – additional recording * Julian Vasquez – additional recording * Dan Warner – additional guitar

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2009 EPs Down with Webster albums