''Illuminations'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...
, produced by
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popula ...
. Similar to his previous albums, ''Illuminations'' contains songs sung in a variety of languages, including his first take on a Portuguese song, "Você Existe Em Mim", which Groban co-wrote with
Lester Mendez and
Carlinhos Brown
Antônio Carlos Santos de Freitas, known professionally as Carlinhos Brown (Brazilian Portuguese: /kaʁˈlĩɲus bɾaw̃, -iɲuʃ/, 23 November 1962), is a Brazilian singer, percussionist, and record producer from Salvador, Bahia. His musical ...
. The album was released on November 15, 2010.
Album information
The official title and cover art for ''Illuminations'' was revealed in September 2010.
In addition to the regular release, a special fan edition of the album is available for purchase on Groban's website that contains the original CD, a "making-of" DVD, a 48-page color photo book filled with lyrics and pictures, and two bonus tracks (to be delivered digitally).
The first single from the album, "
Hidden Away", was released on September 13, and was also available to download for free on Groban's website and Facebook from September 8–13.
Leading up to the album's release,
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
released songs periodically from the album to download, which began on October 12 with the release of the album's Portuguese song "Você Existe Em Mim". A third song, "
Higher Window
"Higher Window" is singer-songwriter Josh Groban's third single for his fifth studio album ''Illuminations.''
Background
Josh released three singles for his new album. The first single was " Hidden Away," the second single was his first Portugue ...
", was released on October 25. A fourth and final song, "L'Ora Dell'Addio", was released on November 9.
Beginning May 12, 2011, Groban embarked on a worldwide tour entitled the
Straight to You Tour
The Straight to You Tour is the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Josh Groban. Visiting North America, Europe and Africa, the tour will support Groban's fifth studio album, ''Illuminations''.
Background
The tour was announced by R ...
to promote the album.
Reception
Critical reception
''Illuminations'' received mostly positive reviews from music critics.
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Commercial reception
The album debuted at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 190,000 copies in its first week and was certified platinum by the RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
for shipping over a million copies.Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Oce ...
and was certified platinum for shipping over 80,000 copies.
Track listing
The following is the track listing for the regular album:
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Illuminations (Josh Groban Album)
2010 albums
Josh Groban albums
Albums produced by Rick Rubin
143 Records albums
Reprise Records albums
Albums recorded at Shangri-La (recording studio)