Underdog (Audio Adrenaline Album)
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''Underdog'' is the fifth full-length album released by
Audio Adrenaline Audio Adrenaline was an American Christian rock band that formed in 1986 at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. The band gained recognition during the 1990s and received two Grammy Awards and multiple Dove Awards. Audio Adren ...
. The album's lyrics are a slight departure from ''
Some Kind of Zombie ''Some Kind of Zombie'' is the fourth studio album released by Audio Adrenaline. Concept According to Audio Adrenaline, the album concept and its title song are based on the Scripture, specifically Colossians, Chapter 3, where it talks about "giv ...
'', as they focus more on missions and the word of God being spread, as shown in "Hands and Feet" and "Jesus Movement"; a theme that would reappear in ''
Worldwide Worldwide may refer to: * Pertaining to the entire world * Worldwide (rapper) (born 1986), American rapper * Pitbull (rapper) (born 1981), also known as Mr. Worldwide, American rapper * ''Worldwide'' (Audio Adrenaline album), 2003 * ''Worldwide' ...
''. Other songs, such as "Get Down" and "Good Life", reflect on God's influence in a Christian life. The album also contains a more upbeat rerecording of "DC-10" (which had originally appeared on the band's debut album), a
cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...
of "
Let My Love Open the Door "Let My Love Open the Door" is a song written and performed by Pete Townshend from his 1980 album '' Empty Glass''. That year, it reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It peaked at number five on ''RPMs Top 100 singles chart. Bac ...
" by
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...
, and a recording of " It Is Well With My Soul", the only recording of a traditional worship song on any of the band's albums.


Concept and development

According to guitarist/songwriter
Bob Herdman Robert Vaughn Herdman (born March 8, 1966) is a Christian musician, songwriter and producer more known for being a member of the band Audio Adrenaline. Life and career Herdman grew up in Lynchburg, a rural town in the southwest part of Ohio. At ...
, the idea for the album was to "have more fun — not take this music so seriously — and just make songs that people like". The title of the album comes from the belief that Christians are usually seen as "
underdogs An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...
" or "weak . . . but we're not. We're just the opposite. God's empowered us because we've become less for Him," says Herdman. The album includes two unoriginal songs and a new version of a song previously recorded by the band. The song "
Let My Love Open the Door "Let My Love Open the Door" is a song written and performed by Pete Townshend from his 1980 album '' Empty Glass''. That year, it reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It peaked at number five on ''RPMs Top 100 singles chart. Bac ...
" was written and recorded by
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...
in 1980. The album also features the band's version of the popular hymn " It Is Well with My Soul", which features the guest vocals of
Jennifer Knapp Jennifer Lynn Knapp (born April 12, 1974) is an American-Australian folk rock, and contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album, ''Kansas'' (1998), and the song "A Little More" from her ...
. The band also decided to record a new version of one of their first songs, "DC-10". The song, which was featured on the band's debut album, was a live staple of the band and is considered one of their most popular songs. According to Herdman, they "wanted to do something that kinda touched back with our roots, our very beginning. We were gonna do it like the
Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
— more modern stuff … we were just goofin' around and the swing thing came around. Swing's such a big thing and we thought we would just make a joke of it. And do our song swing." One of the songs, "The Houseplant Song", features guitarist/keyboardist
Bob Herdman Robert Vaughn Herdman (born March 8, 1966) is a Christian musician, songwriter and producer more known for being a member of the band Audio Adrenaline. Life and career Herdman grew up in Lynchburg, a rural town in the southwest part of Ohio. At ...
on the lead vocals. The lyrics were inspired by a story Herdman read on the
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about the effects of music on plants. It features a number of pop culture references, including a line that says "the second one you play that
Petra Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to t ...
or that
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", and the closing line which says "we listen to Audio Adrenaline, cranked to eleven", in reference to a line from the film ''
This Is Spinal Tap ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (also known as ''This Is Spınal Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi'') is a 1984 American mockumentary film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Christopher Guest, M ...
''.Get Down with the Underdog
on Jesus Freak Hideout (8/20/99)


Recording

The album was recorded on several studios in
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
: Tejas Studios, Dark Horse Studio, The Battery, 16 Ave Sound, and The House of Insomnia. Most of the recording was handled by Aaron Swihart at Tejas. However, recording at Dark Horse was handled by Shane D. Wilson and Richie Biggs, while recording at The House of Insomnia was handled by F. Reid Shippen and Todd Collins. Strings were also recorded by Swihart at Sound Stage Studio, in Nashville, and mixed at Castle Recordings. Most of the mastering was done by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound Studio, while digital edition was done by Paul Angelli. Mixing was done at East Iris Studio, Castle Recording Studios, and Masterphonics in Nashville. Shippen, Collins, and David Leonard where in charge of mixing.


Promotion

Audio Adrenaline performed songs from ''Underdog'' during the Underdog Tour, the Diverse City Worldwide Tour, the Until My Heart Caves In Tour and the Kings & Queens Tours.


Critical reception

''Underdog'' was generally well received by critics. Steve Huey, of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, gave the album 3 stars out of 5, writing that overall, the album would please especially fans of the band. However, he writes that "the funk riffs still sometimes feel grafted onto the songs, which are melodic AOR at heart, and there are a few musically awkward moments here and there". John DiBiase, of Jesus Freak Hideout, gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, and claimed it was the best album from the band since ''
Don't Censor Me ''Don't Censor Me'' is the second studio album by Audio Adrenaline, released on ForeFront Records on October 1, 1993. The album features the track " Big House", which is considered the band's most popular song. Background and concept According t ...
''. He also wrote that ''Underdog'' surpasses "each album in talent, song craftmanship, tightness, bold message, and overall greatness." Both "Get Down" and "Hands and Feet" were later featured in ''
WOW 2000 ''WOW 2000'' is a compilation album of 30 contemporary Christian music hits and four bonus tracks that was released on October 26, 1999. The album hit No. 29 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in 1999, and No. 1 on the Top Contemporary Christian c ...
'' and ''
WOW Hits 2001 ''WOW Hits 2001'' is a compilation album of thirty Contemporary Christian music hits and three bonus tracks that was released on October 24, 2000. It included some music video content accessible with a CD-ROM drive. The album reached No. 36 on ...
'' respectively, which features chart-topping and/or critically acclaimed Christian songs. Also, "Mighty Good Leader" was sampled by rapper
Aceyalone Edwin Maximilian "Eddie" Hayes, Jr. (born September 30, 1970), better known by his stage name Aceyalone, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California, United States. He is a member of Freestyle Fellowship, Haiku D'Etat and The A-Team. He is ...
for his song "Superstar", which was featured heavily in the 2004
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.


Commercial performance

''Underdog'' peaked at No. 76 on ''Billboard'' 200.


Music videos

Music videos were made for the songs "Get Down" and "Hands and Feet". The video for "Hands and Feet" was recorded in the Darién Jungle in
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
with some local native tribes.


Track listing

Notes * appears on ''
Hit Parade A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined either by sales or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; ''Billboard'' magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936 ...
'' * appears on '' Adios: The Greatest Hits''


Personnel

Audio Adrenaline * Mark Stuart – lead vocals, backing vocals, harp (7) *
Bob Herdman Robert Vaughn Herdman (born March 8, 1966) is a Christian musician, songwriter and producer more known for being a member of the band Audio Adrenaline. Life and career Herdman grew up in Lynchburg, a rural town in the southwest part of Ohio. At ...
– keyboards, guitars, backing vocals, acoustic guitar (12), lead vocals (12) * Tyler Burkum – lead guitars, guitar (7, 9), backing vocals * Will McGinniss – bass, backing vocals * Ben Cissell – drums, drum overdubs (7) Additional musicians * Greg Herrington – programming (1, 11) *
Eddie DeGarmo Eddie DeGarmo (born October 3, 1954) is an American contemporary Christian music recording artist, keyboardist, producer and singer. He became best friends with guitarist/lead vocalist Dana Key in first grade, and co-founded the Christian rock ...
Moog synthesizer The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 20 ...
(2) * Mike Owsley – acoustic piano (3, 12), organ (5), backing vocals (12) * DJ Maj – scratches (3) * Tony Miracle – programming (4, 6), synthesizers (4, 6) * Mark Nicholas –
accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
(7) * Todd Collins – all other instruments (7, 9), programming (7, 9), additional bass (7), backing vocals (9) * F. Reid Shippen – all other instruments (7, 9), programming (7, 9) * Dan Spencer (of
The O.C. Supertones The Orange County Supertones (a.k.a. The O.C. Supertones, or simply The Supertones) were a Christian ska band from Orange County, California. The band was signed to Tooth & Nail Records and its imprint, BEC Recordings, before becoming an indepen ...
) – trombone (7) * Darren Mettler (of The O.C. Supertones) – trumpet (7) * David Davidson – strings arrangements (9, 10) *
The Nashville String Machine Nashville String Machine is a musical collective comprising session musicians, based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Members of the group have been credited on records dating from 1972 to the present, although the group was formally formed ...
– strings (9, 10) * Chris Williamson – preacher (2) *
Charlie Peacock Charles William Ashworth (born August 10, 1956), known professionally as Charlie Peacock, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer, and author. His albums include ''Love Press Ex-Curio'', ''Arc of the Circle'' and ''No Man's L ...
– additional vocals (4, 6), arrangements (4, 6) * Claudia Tapia – Spanish vocals (7) *
Jennifer Knapp Jennifer Lynn Knapp (born April 12, 1974) is an American-Australian folk rock, and contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album, ''Kansas'' (1998), and the song "A Little More" from her ...
– lead vocals (9) Production * Audio Adrenaline – producers (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12) * Charlie Peacock – producer (4, 6) * Todd Collins (for the
Gotee Brothers The Gotee Brothers was a Contemporary Christian music trio formed of the three founders of the Gotee Records label: Toby McKeehan (tobyMac), Joey Elwood Joey Elwood is one of the co-founders of Gotee Records, along with the other Gotee Brothers, To ...
) – producer (7, 9), recording (7, 9), mixing (7, 9) * Eddie DeGarmo – executive producer * Dan R. Brock – executive producer * Aaron Swihart – recording (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12), mixing (8, 12), strings recording (9, 10) * Richie Biggs – recording (4, 6) * Shane D. Wilson – recording (4, 6) * F. Reid Shippen – mixing (1, 7, 9, 11) * David Leonard – mixing (2–6, 10) * Charlie Brocco – mix assistant (4, 6) * Dan Shike – mix assistant (7, 9) * Paul Angelli – digital editing (1, 2, 3, 5, 7–12) * Gil Gowing – digital editing (4, 6) *
Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...
– mastering * Mark Nicholas – A&R * Mandy Galyean – A&R administration * Molly Nicholas – project administration (4, 6) * Susannah Parrish – creative coordinator * Kerri McKeehan-Stuart – art direction, design, photography * David Maxwell – photography Additional studios * East Iris Studios, Nashville, Tennessee – mixing location * Masterfonics, Nashville, Tennessee – mixing location * The Castle, Franklin, Tennessee – mixing location * Sterling Sound, New York City – mastering location


References


External links


"Get Down" music video

"Hands and Feet" music video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Underdog (Audio Adrenaline Album) 1999 albums Audio Adrenaline albums ForeFront Records albums