''#3'' is the third studio album released by Irish

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

trio,

The Script The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, consisting of lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprin ...

. The album was released in Ireland on 7 September 2012, in the United Kingdom on 10 September and in the United States on 9 October. The album was preceded by the release of the single "

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", a duet with will.i.am, who was, at the time, lead singer

Danny O'Donoghue Daniel John Mark Luke O'Donoghue (born 3 October 1980) is an Irish singer-songwriter best known for being the frontman of the Irish rock band The Script and as a coach on the first two series of the television singing talent show ''The Voice ...

's co-judge on ''

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''. The album reached number one in Ireland, number two in the UK, and number 13 in the US, but received generally unfavourable reviews.

Background

The band announced via their official

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account on 2 June 2012 that recording of their third studio album was complete, and that the title of the album would be ''#3''. They also stated that the album was due for release on 17 September 2012; however, a later announcement brought the release date forward by a week to 10 September. O'Donoghue revealed on 8 July that the title of the lead single would be "

", and that the track would debut on radio on 23 July and would be available for digital download on 19 August. He also stated that the track was recorded in

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and features vocals from O'Donoghue's close friend and fellow ''

'' coach will.i.am. The band recorded most of the album in London's Sphere Studios, working once again with longtime collaborators Andrew Frampton and

Steve Kipner Stephen Alan Kipner (born 1950) is an American-born Australian songwriter and record producer, with hits spanning a 40-year period, including chart-topping songs such as Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words", an ...

. The album's track listing was confirmed by ''

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'' on 8 August 2012. The deluxe edition of the album contains a bonus disc, containing two previously unreleased tracks, four live tracks and two alternative versions of "Hall of Fame", the second of which is a hidden track. ''Digital Spy'' also revealed the album's artwork on the same date.

Critical reception

''#3'' received generally negative reviews from critics. At

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, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 38, based on six reviews, which indicates "generally unfavorable reviews". ''

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''s Caroline Sullivan found the album bland and was not impressed with O'Donoghue's rapping on some of the tracks.

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was slightly more generous giving the album three stars out of five and saying that the slickly produced album "should appeal to the Script's longtime fans, as well as any casual listener of heartfelt mainstream music". All reviewers, however, complimented Donoghue's lyric-writing abilities, referring to him as an "emotional storyteller" and to the lyrics as relatable and poignant, especially on 'If You Could See Me Now', which addresses both Donoghue's and guitarist and songwriter Mark Sheehan's grief following the death of their parents.

Singles

* "

" was released as the album's lead single on 17 August 2012, in Ireland. The track features vocals from American rapper, singer and songwriter will.i.am. The track received its first radio play on 23 July 2012, and a lyric video for the track was released the same day. The song also became the band's first

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number-one single on 16 September 2012. The single was backed with a remix created by song co-writer Jimbo Barry. The single was physically released in Germany on 11 January 2013. * " Six Degrees of Separation" was released as the album's second single released on 26 November 2012. The music video for the track premiered on 10 November and the band promoted the single through a performance on '' BBC's Children in Need''. However, the single was not released as a stand-alone release on the

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, wasn't backed with any B-sides or remixes, and thus, only peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the band's lowest performing singles to date. * " If You Could See Me Now" was released as the album's third single and has so far peaked at number #13 on the UK Singles Chart; it is about Danny and Mark's experiences losing their parents and questioning whether they would be proud of what they've achieved. * "Millionaires" was the fourth single from the album. It had already received decent airplay before it was released, joining

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's playlist and the band performed it live at

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on 26 May 2013. It was shown in the highlights of the concert on

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Background

Critical reception

Singles

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References