''Permission to Fly'' is the second and final

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American singer-songwriter

Jordan Pruitt Jordan Pruitt Fuente (''née'' Jordan Lynne Pruitt;Photos, Bio and News f ...

. On July 22, 2008, the album was released exclusively to

Limited Too Limited Too is a clothing and lifestyle retailer, and current brand, targeting the tween girl market, formerly owned by Tween Brands, Inc. (formerly known as Limited Too, Inc. and Too, Inc.). Since 2015, the brand has been owned by Bluestar Allia ...

stores, and was given a wider physical release on August 26, 2008. In early September 2008, the album was uploaded on all digital platforms, but at a later date it was removed for all regions solely from the iTunes Store catalog, which to this date still remains the only digital platform not containing this release. Before its release, the worldwide premiere of the album was broadcast over

Radio Disney Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California. The network broadcast music programming ...

on July 19, 2008.

Background

Before the release of ''Permission to Fly'', Pruitt had signed on as the spokesperson for several multi-media national marketing campaigns with brand such as

Kraft Foods Kraft Foods Group, Inc. was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate (company), conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July ...

Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational consumer goods and personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimb ...

Colgate-Palmolive The Colgate-Palmolive Company, commonly known as Colgate-Palmolive, is an American multinational corporation, multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in ...

Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...

and

. When picking songs for the album, Pruitt used her "5-second rule." If the track didn't grab her in five seconds, she didn't record it. Pruitt worked with a team of top songwriter/producers, including

Shelly Peiken Shelly Meg Peiken is an American songwriter who is best known for co-writing the US No. 1 hits " What a Girl Wants" and " Come On Over Baby" by Christina Aguilera the US No. 2 hit " Bitch" by Meredith Brooks, " Almost Doesn't Count" by Brandy, ...

Arnthor Birgisson Arnthor Birgisson (Icelandic: Arnþór Birgisson; born 12 February 1976) is an Icelandic naturalized Swedish songwriter and producer. He moved to Sweden in 1978 (aged two) and has lived in Stockholm since. Information As young Arnþór att ...

, Tim James & Antonina Armato (better known as

Rock Mafia Rock Mafia is an American record production team, consisting of Tim James and Antonina Armato who have been active since the early 2000s. They have written and produced 38 top ten singles, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide. They ...

), and Adam Watts & Andy Dodd. Pruitt also co-wrote many of the songs, and wanted the album to be more mature than her 2007 debut album ''

No Ordinary Girl ''No Ordinary Girl'' is the debut studio album by Jordan Pruitt, released on February 6, 2007, by Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, h ...

''. Speaking on the differences between ''Permission to Fly'' and ''No Ordinary Girl'', Pruitt said "I kind of grew up after the first record was done. I became more of myself. I really found out who I was and what I wanted to be."

Composition

''Permission to Fly'' is mainly a pop album with influences of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and R&B. Several of the songs are about teen romance, with lyrics detailing love at first sight and the ups and downs of relationships. First single "One Love" is a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

-tinged ode to a loyal partner, and second single "My Shoes" is about school crushes. "Boyfriend" is a confident assertion that her boyfriend won't be stolen by a flirtatious rival, and "Simple Things" is a song about how much pain can be caused by the smallest reminder of a former love. Other songs on the album are focused on self-empowerment and positivity. Title track "Permission to Fly" is about finding your own identity, and in "Unconditional" Pruitt sings about how her faith gets her through the toughest of times. The album consists of 11 original compositions with one cover, " The Way You Do the Things You Do" originally performed by

the Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

Singles

"One Love" is the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from ''Permission to Fly''. A snippet of the song was added on Pruitt's

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on June 10, 2008. She performed the song at the opening of the

Disney Channel Games ''Disney Channel Games'' are a '' Battle of the Network Stars''-based annual television series that aired on the Disney Channel during the summer from 2006 to 2008. Phill Lewis was the co-host of the 2006 and 2007 editions and Brian Stepanek h ...

in 2008. It premiered on

on June 14, 2008 and was produced by

. It was made available digitally on July 8, 2008. "One Love" was very successful on Radio Disney, appearing in the top three of Radio Disney's website multiple times. The song failed to attract

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

mainstream radio airplay, and therefore did not chart. "My Shoes" is the second single from the ''Permission to Fly''. Pruitt performed the song at the opening of the

in 2008. It premiered on

on October 3, 2008. The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "My Shoes" was shot in a high school in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

on August 27, 2008. On December 21, 2008 "My Shoes" was released as a single digitally. "My Shoes" also failed to attract mainstream radio airplay and the song did not chart.

Track listing

Critical reception

''Permission to Fly'' received generally positive reviews from critics. ''

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

'' opined "While some of the songs have a bubblegum sound and predictable lyrics, there are some very likeable bright spots on the album, including a sassy remake of the Temptations classic, ''The Way You Do The Things You Do'', and the surprisingly jazzy, syncopated ''Secrets.'' And, not all of the songs on this album are about boy stuff. ''Permission to Fly'' is about finding your own identity; in ''Unconditional,'' Jordan reminds us that she's a girl of faith, and how that gets her through the toughest of times. If nothing else, this teen is versatile." The site gave the album three out of five stars.

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 ...

gave the album a mixed review, saying "On her 2008 sophomore outing, ''Permission To Fly'', young Southern singer Jordan Pruitt presents another assured set of Disney-approved pop. While there are no drastic stylistic departures, Pruitt expands on her straightforward teen-pop sound with the reggae-tinged ''One Love'' (not to be confused with the

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

song of the same name) and the R&B-leaning ''Unconditional.''" "One Love", "Unconditional", and "Simple Things" were listed as the stand-out tracks on the album.

Credits

Credits for ''Permission to Fly'' 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 ...

*Aris Archontis -Audio Production, Mixing *Antonina Armato - Audio Production *Mats Berntoft - Guitars, Member of Attributed Artist *Arnthor Birgisson - Audio Production *David Choi - Programming *Andy Dodd - Audio Production, Drums, Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboards, Mixing, Programming *Dream Lab - Audio Production *Mark Hammond - Audio Production *Steve Hammons - Audio Engineer *Leah Haywood - Vocals *Tal Herzberg - Audio Engineer *Sean Hurley - Bass (Acoustic), Bass Instrument *Angie Irons - Arranger, Vocals *Daniel James - Audio Engineer, Vocals *Tim James - Audio Production *Adam Kagan - Mixing *Devrim "DK" Karaoglu - Audio Production *David Kopatz - Arranger, Audio Production, Guitars, Mixing, Programming *Savan Kotecha - Vocals (Background) *Nigel Lundemo - Audio Engineer *Jeannie Lurie - Audio Production *Chen Neeman - Audio Production *Paul Palmer - Mixing *Tim Pierce - Guitars *Jordan Pruitt - Primary Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background) *Brian Reeves - Audio Engineer, Mixing *Reid Shippen - Mixing *Mounia Tajiou - Vocals (Background) *Phil Tan - Mixing *Windy Wagner - Vocals, Vocals (Background) *Adam Watts - Audio Production, Keyboards, Mixing, Programming

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2008 albums Albums produced by Rock Mafia Hollywood Records albums Jordan Pruitt albums