Something Special

Something Special is the debut album by Canadian R&B singer Jackson Bradshaw, released on June 25, 2012 via Fusion Records. With most of the songs on the album written by Bradshaw himself and his frequent songwriting partner, Stephanie Kesh, Bradshaw worked with various producers such as Rodney Jerkins, The Neptunes, Carl Falk, David Banner, Dot da Genius, and others as well on the album. Beginning work and planning to release his debut album in 2010 under the working title Come Closer and later re-titling it Keep Me Talking for a planned 2011 release, Bradshaw recorded numerous songs for the album that were eventually deleted during those sessions and particular sessions of Something Special began in late 2011 and ended in early 2012. The album also includes collaborations with and guest appearances from Aimee Lyons, Honey, and Hey Lolita.

The album incorporates a R&B and soul sound with it being styled after urban adult contemporary music and urban-influenced pop. Though it is not a concept album, all of the songs on the album deal with themes of love and relationships. The album received generally positive reviews from critics and fans, complimenting the album's musical direction and Bradshaw's vocal range and performance throughout the songs on the album. The album was also commercially successful, reaching #2 on the UK Albums Chart and reaching the top three or top ten in the US, Canada, and Ireland. In the UK, the album has sold more than 800,000 copies and has been certified 2x Platinum by the URAPS (Urapopstar Recording Association Phonographic Society).

To date, the album has spawned three singles: "Missing You", "Cold", and "You Complicate Me", all of which were top ten hits in the UK and international hits as well. An unexpected fourth single, "Above Ground", will be released on May 13, 2013. Bradshaw's singles from his early music career "Daze of Summer", "I Bet That You Don't Love Me", and "Hard To Find" were excluded from the album.

Background
After spending many years as a male model, in 2010, Bradshaw launched his music career and then released his debut single "Daze of Summer". After "Daze of Summer" reached the top ten in the UK, Bradshaw announced that he would be releasing his debut album which was then titled Come Closer. Finished in the autumn of 2010, Come Closer, along with a possible second single titled "Cold", was supposed to be released in December 2010 before it was then pushed back to a January 2011. Bradshaw then confirmed that he had cancelled "Cold" as a single and that he would be re-recording half of his studio album. After the new recording sessions were complete, Bradshaw once again tried to release the album in the early spring of 2011. Problems with his manager, however, began to arise who felt that the album "lacked quality" and the album was shelved entirely soon after and Bradshaw announced that he would be re-recording the album from scratch.

After re-recording the album, Bradshaw then released "Hard To Find" in the summer 2011, which was meant to be the lead single from the so-called "improved" album which he now was calling Keep Me Talking. Shortly before the release of "Hard To Find", Bradshaw was involved in an altercation with his manager which resulted in him getting shot in the leg by said manager. Hospitalized for weeks, Bradshaw was still determined to release his solo album even when "Hard To Find" failed to make the top ten in the UK. Bradshaw eventually fired his manager following the shooting incident and he decided that once he made a full recovery that he would once again re-record the album from scratch. The songs recorded during the Come Closer and Keep Me Talking sessions were deleted, with the exception of one song titled "Cold".

Sessions for Bradshaw's new "improved" album, which for the longest time was untitled, began in late 2011 shortly after he was released from the hospital and after his initial breakup with his girlfriend and pop singer Ruby Stephingham. Bradshaw recorded the sessions in his hometown of Vancouver, as well as in London, Los Angeles, and New York City. All of the songs on the album were completely new and not re-hashed from the previous session eras of the album with exception of one track titled "Cold", which was initially recorded during the Come Closer sessions in 2010. "Cold" has since then been heavily re-worked, re-written, and re-recorded for the Something Special sessions. Production of the album wrapped in the spring of 2012 with Bradshaw confirming the album's completion in an interview with a Canadian radio station.

Writing and composition
All of the songs on the album, with the exception of one ("Thinking of You"), was written by Bradshaw himself and his frequent songwriting partner Stephanie Kesh. "Thinking of You" was not written by Bradshaw nor Kesh and is actually a cover of a Whitney Houston song that was featured on Houston's self-titled debut album in 1985. Bradshaw admitted that he recorded "Thinking of You" before Houston passed in February 2012 but was not going to include it on the album until Houston's death. "Thinking of You" is meant to be Bradshaw's tribute to Whitney Houston.

All of the songs on the album deal thematically with love and relationships, though the album itself is not meant to be a concept album of any sort. Musically, it is a R&B and soul album with it leaning towards a style compared to urban adult contemporary and urban-influenced pop music.

Release
The album was released in the UK and Ireland on June 25, 2012 and in the United States and Canada on June 26, 2012 on CD and digital download.

Singles
The release of the singles go by the order they were released in the UK.


 * "Missing You" was the lead single from the album and was released in May 2012. It reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Bradshaw's highest charting single and his first top three hit. It was also an international hit for the Bradshaw. In the UK, the single was certified Gold by the Urapopstar Recording Association Phonographic Society (URAPS).


 * "Cold" is the second UK single and third international single from the album. (Outside of the UK, the single was released after "You Complicate Me" while in the UK it was released before "You Complicate Me".) It was released in February 2013 with the single mix featuring American rapper L.E.X. and with promotion memorably being handled by the Australian management firm Az, Drake, Paynter, & Coulter. "Cold" proved to be commerically successful reaching the top three or top five in most of the countries it was released in, including the UK where it charted at #3 on the UK Singles Chart. It has been certified Silver by the URAPS.


 * "You Complicate Me" was released as the third UK single while initially being released as the second international single from the album. Internationally, excluding the UK, it was released September 2012. ("You Complicate Me" was released outside of the UK before "Cold" while in the UK it was released after "Cold".) Internationally, the single performed well and in the US it was his first top ten hit and Platinum single. In the UK, it was released in March 2013 and reached #6 on the UK Singles Chart, staying in the top ten for three weeks. It was expected to be the final single from the album before Bradshaw, his management, and Fusion Records announced "Above Ground" as the fourth single from the album.


 * "Above Ground" will the fourth and final overall single in the UK and internationally that will be released on May 13, 2013 (ironically one year after the album's lead single "Missing You" was released). "Above Ground" was initially meant as a digital-only release slated for a late April release date, but Bradshaw, his management, and Fusion Records upgraded it to official single status soon after Bradshaw announced the single's initial digital only release.

"Before You Walk Out" was to be the second single from the album and features Honey, though for the single release she is co-credited alongside with Bradshaw. To be released as a double AA single in the UK with "In Touch", a song that failed to make the album, the single was to be released on August 13, 2012 but was cancelled.

"In Touch" is a song that was to be released on August 13, 2012, but was cancelled as a AA single with "Before You Walk Out". Though planned to be on the album, for reasons unknown (Bradshaw's manager was blamed regardless anyway), it did not make the final version of the LP. Bradshaw confirmed "In Touch" would be on his sophomore album, Win You Over, instead.

Critical reaction
The album managed to receive mixed to positive reviews from critics and fans. Many critics complimented Jackson's vocal performance and his willingness to explore and dabble genres outside of R&B and soul music; for that same reason, however, some felt that the album was "at parts, very random and unlike Jackson. Furthermore, it seems that Jackson tried to mix his individuality with whatever musical trend is popular at the time on some songs." Many critics and fans noted that "You Complicate Me" and "Above Ground" were standout tracks from the album. Critics were ambivalent towards the album's lyrical content but the overall production of the album was praised.

Commercial performance
Something Special debuted at #2 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 80,213 copies in its first week. In the following week, the album dropped to #7 but managed to be certified Silver by the Urapopstar Recording Association Phonographic Selection (URAPS) in the UK. To date, the album has sold 835,971 copies and has been certified 2x Platinum by the URAPS. The album has spent 49 weeks on the UK Albums Chart.

In Ireland, the album debuted at #2 while in Canada, it debuted at #3 and then peaked at #2. In Canada, the album has been certified Gold by Music Canada. In the United States, the album debuted on Billboard 200 at #7 while on Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart at #1, becoming his first number one on the chart. In the United States, the album has sold close to 500,000 copies and has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Personnel

 * Jackson Bradshaw: Writing and vocals.
 * Stephanie Kesh: Writing
 * Aimee Lyons: Vocals on "You Complicate Me"
 * Jared Nevo (as apart of Hey Lolita): Vocals on "It's Whatever You Want" and vocal arrangements.
 * Nyla Harley (as apart of Hey Lolita): Vocals on "It's Whatever You Want"
 * Honey: Vocals on "Before You Walk Out".