A Dangerous Game

"A Dangerous Game" is the third album release by singer/songwriter Jason, released on June 23rd 2014 via Fusion Records. The album was proceeded by the lead single "Eyeliner", which was released on June 9th 2014. A Dangerous Game officially charted at #1 in the United Kingdom and #36 in the United States.

Background
Jason began writing tracks for his third album as soon as his sophomore effort Trouble hit the shelves. "I'm always writing music" he said in an interview with Heat Magazine, "and just because I've released a new album doesn't mean I'm going to kick back and relax! I've already starting writing for the next one". Jason claims that the album is all about love and how love is "a dangerous game" to try and play. It is known that Jason suffers from bipolar affective disorder and this is something he claims gave him inspiration when writing. "Nobody wants to date a guy who's mentally ill", he was quoted saying, "So obviously my love-life has been pretty rough because of that. And a lot of the album focuses on that. How am I supposed to find love if no one will ever love me? It's quite a depressing album lyrically."

Composition
The first song Jason recorded for the album was "Eyeliner", which he recorded in Kent with production team Xenomania. After finding that he had such a good connection with Xenomania, he asked them to produce the entire album. According to the singer, they understood the vision he had for the album and where exactly the people he wanted to craft the songs. A Dangerous Game is mostly an electropop album. Most tracks ignore the typical verse-chorus structure of modern pop songs, something praised in the album's reviews.

Artwork, titling, concept
The album photoshoot was shot by Sophie Muller in April 2014. The album cover was designed in early May 2014 and when asked by Jason chose the particular photo he did, he answered: "Because I look like a zombie in. Like, I actually look emotionally drained and that's exactly what the album sounds like. So it was just perfect". The album was titled A Dangerous Game because it is a loose-concept album based on the disappointment of love.

Release and promotion
In the run up to the album release, Jason appeared on several morning TV shows in the United Kingdom to give interviews and perform the single "Eyeliner". On May 11th 2014, Jason played a one-off gig in London's XOYO club and performed "Eyeliner" and "Amber Leaf" from the album. On June 13th 2014, he appeared on BBC One's The Graham Norton Show to perform "Eyeliner" and give a quick interview.

The album could be purchased digitally and physically. A deluxe edition was released with two extra tracks and four remixes. Fans could purchase a limited edition boxset through Jason's official merchandise store which consisted of the deluxe edition CD, a signed 12" vinyl record of the album, three lithographs and a t-shirt.

Before the release of the album, Jason announced the A Dangerous Game Tour via a press release held in London on June 6th. Jason promised the tour would be a "spectacular show" which would visit theaters and small arenas around the United Kingdom. The tour was eventually expanded and ended up visiting venues in Europe, the United States and Australia and New Zealand.

Critical Response
Upon release, A Dangerous Game received mostly positive reviews. The first review released was from Entertainment Weekly, who called the album "a strong solid electropop effort complete with pounding choruses and infectious hooks. Our trouble? Choosing a favourite track". Online pop music website Popjustice called the album "outstanding" in their review and named tracks "Glowpaint", "Call 911" and "Venom" as highlights. Digital Spy gave the album a mostly positive review, but questioned the inclusion of three cover tracks. The Guardian's Olivia Lancaster described the album as "Jason's strongest and most cohesive effort to date" and cited "Amber Leaf" and being her favourite song.

Singles

 * "Eyeliner" was released as the album's first single on June 9th 2014. The electropop song clocks in at over five minutes long, but never received a radio edit. A music video directed by Sophie Muller premiered in May 2014 and received critical acclaim and a huge positive reception for it's cinematography and dramatic storyline. On June 16th 2014, "Eyeliner" officially charted at #4 in the United Kingdom. It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at #68, Jason's highest charting single in the United States to date.
 * "Amber Leaf" was announced as the album's second official single in early July 2014, for a release on September 8th. The music video was filmed towards the end of June and was directed by Jake Nava.

Promotional Singles

 * "CTRL+ALT+DELETE+U" was released as a promotion iTunes-only single on June 16th 2014. The EP bundle came with a music video directed by Kinga Burza. The track reached #13 on the URAPS Download Charts.

Tracklisting

 * Notes
 * "Everybody Breaks A Glass" is originally performed by LIGHTS.
 * "Call 911" is originally performed by Florrie.
 * "Valentine" is originally performed by Charli XCX.