Play On (Carrie Underwood album)

Background and recording

During the recording of Play On, Underwood continued her collaboration with producer Mark Bright, who had also produced her previous album Carnival Ride (2007) and several tracks from her debut Some Hearts (2005). Bright later recalled that the sessions allowed for more time to be devoted to arrangements, during which Underwood experimented "more than ever" with vocal textures, an approach he felt ultimately led to a result that "got it right". During this period, Underwood also collaborated with outside writers, including R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo, with whom she co-wrote material that was considered for the album, though not all of it ultimately aligned with the record's overall direction. In addition, one of the album's tracks "Look at Me" featuring Vince Gill singing background vocals, was previously recorded by country singer Alan Jackson for the Billy: The Early Years (2008) soundtrack.

The writing process for Play On marked a shift in Underwood's collaborative approach. Whereas her earlier work had largely involved a stable group of Nashville songwriters such as Hillary Lindsey, Luke Laird, and Brett James, she expanded her circle for this album, seeking out collaborators beyond her usual Music Row network. This included working with American Idol judge and BMI's 2007 Pop Songwriter of the Year Kara DioGuardi, as well as producer and songwriter Mike Elizondo, whose background lay outside traditional country music. Laird recalled that Underwood had set aside roughly three months for the album's writing process and was intensely productive during that time, ultimately working on more than 60 songs. He noted that the session which yielded the title track marked the first collaboration between Underwood and Natalie Hemby, describing Underwood as an artist who arrives at writing sessions ready to work "all day", an approach that shaped the album's development.

Underwood's manager Simon Fuller, the chief executive of 19 Entertainment and the creator of the Idol franchise, also expressed strong confidence in Play On during its development. He suggested that the album was expected to surpass the commercial performance of its predecessor, pointing to its increased depth and stylistic variety, and described the lead single as "a complete smash", which reflects the high expectations held by her management at the time.

Music

Play On is a pop album that adopts a broadly communicative approach, particularly on tracks such as "Unapologize" and "Temporary Home". It moves between being "in love, out of love, light-hearted and playful", and it shows "small but encouraging signs" of artistic growth, even as the album leaves some issues unresolved from Some Hearts (2005) and Carnival Ride (2007). In the album, individual songs draw on specific stylistic cues, including a vague '70s pop-rock feel on "Someday When I Stop Loving You", a pop-driven framework on "This Time", a rocker approach on "Undo It", and a dance hall–tinged rhythmic palette on "Cowboy Casanova", shaped in part by Mike Elizondo's production influence.

Promotion

Release

In early October 2009, Underwood's promotional campaign for Play On expanded across multiple digital platforms. Around this time, her official website was relaunched with enhanced fan-oriented features, including updated news sections, blogs, photo galleries, official videos, tour dates, and an integrated online music store which offeres previews and lyrics from her previous albums. The site also served as the exclusive outlet for a limited Play On bundle, which included the album alongside a numbered collectible print from the album's photo shoot, with a portion of the prints personally signed by Underwood.

As part of the album's promotional rollout, Sony Music Nashville coordinated a digital release strategy in partnership with iTunes. According to the label's vice president of digital business, Heather McBee, individual tracks from the album were scheduled to be released weekly beginning October 3, 2009 as retailer exclusives, which culminates in a "Complete My Album" promotion upon the album's full release on November 3. The campaign was designed to gradually introduce new material while encouraging advance engagement with the record through digital platforms. In support of the campaign, each weekly release was preceded by a 48-hour preview hosted on Billboard, while Underwood was also featured in both the website and the October 16 print cover of Billboard. Fans who completed the album purchase through iTunes additionally received an exclusive bonus track, Underwood's recording of "O Holy Night", as part of the promotion.

On June 10, 2011, a deluxe edition of the album, which includes additional six tracks as well as Underwood's version of Mötley Crüe's song "Home Sweet Home", was released.

Live performances

On October 16, 2009, Underwood performed in Singapore to promote the album to the Asian media. She also performed in Late Show with David Letterman on November 2, and a day later, she performed special outdoor concert at Lincoln Center on Good Morning America. On November 5, Underwood rounded out her week with a visit to Live with Regis and Kelly. She further debuted several of her singles at the 43rd Country Music Association Awards with Brad Paisley. Underwood also appeared on several shows to promote her album, including Good Morning America on November 10 and Grand Ole Opry on November 14. On November 16, she performed the song "Temporary Home" in an episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. She also performed in The Ellen DeGeneres Show on November 18, Jimmy Kimmel Live! on a day later, American Music Awards on November 22, and CNN International on November 26.

Singles and sales

"Cowboy Casanova", co-written by Underwood, Mike Elizondo and Brett James, served as the lead single for Play On on September 14, 2009. 12 days before its official release, on September 2, the song was leaked via YouTube. The music video for the song was released in October. "Cowboy Casanova" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at number 26, marking then-highest debut by a female artist on the chart. It also debuted at number 96 on Billboard Hot 100, and later jumped to 11 in its second week, becoming one of the biggest single-week upwards on the chart of all time. At the 45th ACM Awards, the song received a nomination for Song of the Year, where Underwood was also nominated as an artist and a composer. The song has sold 2,300,000 copies in the United States and has been certified 2× Platinum by RIAA.

Prior to the release of the album, three promotional singles were released exclusively on iTunes Store. Billboard also posted a 60-second clip of each song. "Mama's Song" was released on October 13, as the first promotional single from the album. On October 20, "Temporary Home" was released as the second promotional single. It received multiple forms of promotion, including performances on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, the television special A Home for the Holidays, Underwood's personal CMT Invitation Only event and her Christmas variety show, Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special. Underwood also performed the song at the 2010 ACM Awards and on her Play On Tour. On October 27, "Undo It" was released as the third and final promotional single off the album.

"Temporary Home" was first sent to country radio starting the week of December 14, 2009, becoming the second single from the album. The accompanying music video was released in February 2010, and it won Inspirational Video of the Year at the Inspirational Country Music Awards. The song topped on the Hot Country Songs chart, being her ninth number one song in the process. It also peaked at number 41 on the Hot 100. Underwood won Best Live Performance at the 2010 CMT Awards for her performance during her personal CMT Invitation Only. In addition, the song received a nomination at the 53rd Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal performance. "Temporary Home" sold 1,093,000 copies and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

On May 24, 2010, "Undo It" was officially released, as the third single from the album. Underwood performed the song on the season finale of American Idol and at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. The song peaked at number 23 on the Hot 100, giving Underwood her eleventh Top 40 single. It also reached number one on Hot Country Songs chart, being her tenth number 1 song in it. "Undo It" was nominated for the 2010 Teen Choice Award for Choice Country Song. Additionally, it has sold 1,600,000 copies, making it a certified Platinum single.

"Mama's Song" was released to radio on September 13, as the fourth and final official single from the album. The music video was filmed in August, and premiered at Vevo on September 24. "Mama's Song" eventually reached the number two position on the Hot Country Songs charts, and sold more than 31,000 copies in its debut week. It has been certified Platinum by RIAA, selling 443,000 copies overall. At the 54th Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.

Promotional singles

After Underwood performed the track "Change" during the 2010 Idol Gives Back, the song received a 2,001% gain in sales, selling 9,000 to a total of 53,000 digital downloads. "Look at Me", a cover of a song originally by Alan Jackson, debuted at No. 22 on Country Digital Songs in 2014 after it appeared in a viral video, and sold 18,000 copies for the week for a total of 80,000 sold.

Tour

Underwood announced her third headlining tour, Play On Tour, on December 10, 2009. Her opening acts and guest performers for the spring tour were Craig Morgan and Sons of Sylvia. The second leg included Sons of Sylvia and country singer Billy Currington. The first leg began in Reading, Pennsylvania on March 11, and concluded in Saint Paul, Minnesota at the Minnesota State Fair on August 31. The second leg began on September 25, in Portland, Oregon, and concluded on December 19, in Calgary, Canada. The tour was ranked at number 2 on Billboards Hot Tours in October 2010.

In December 2010, the tour ranked at number 19 for the largest North American tours of 2010, and again at number 31 for the largest tours worldwide for the 2010 touring year. The tour made a collective total of $38,300,000 and reached to over one million fans. On May 16, 2011, it was announced that Underwood would travel to Australia in June 2011, to promote her Play On album for her first international headline tour.

Critical reception

Play On received generally mixed reviews from music critics, achieving a score of 54 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "mixed or average reviews".

Billboard described the album as her strongest release to date, writing that Underwood appeared "comfortable in her own skin" on a "wide-ranging album" that moves between love, heartbreak, and lighthearted moments. Entertainment Weekly viewed the albumms approach as highly formulaic but effective, arguing that Underwood had perfected "one of the most well-honed formulas in the business", which balances assertive breakup anthems with sweeping ballads, a strategy that has "served her well". Reviewing the album for The Boston Globe, critics emphasized Underwood's technical control and songwriting maturity, noting that she "sings the hell out of" all 13 tracks with "cool efficiency". The review highlighted her comfort within a dual framework of sassy rockers and reverent ballads and observed that the former were "unsurprisingly, a lot more fun". The New York Times offered a more measured assessment, suggesting that Underwood's consistency came at the expense of innovation. While praising her technical execution, they argued that her familiar personas resulted in songs that felt "musically and emotionally complacent", citing tracks such as "Look at Me" and "Undo It" as examples of strong structure that ultimately "never quite sizzle". Slant Magazine argued that Play On showed "small but encouraging signs" of artistic growth, even if it remained "a good long way from being great". While the review noted that Underwood still lacked the grit and intuitive phrasing of country music's strongest vocalists, they suggested that the album's better moments hinted she could become "more than a technically proficient cipher", though overzealous production and uneven material ultimately limited that potential.

AllMusic noted that while Underwood remained "nominally a country artist", Play On largely functioned as "crossover pop pure and simple", citing the Shania Twain–styled drive of "Cowboy Casanova" and the album's emphasis on power ballads. The review acknowledged the album's "slick pleasures", particularly on "Quitter" and "This Time", praising their solid melodies and Underwood's enduring "small-town charm", even as it criticized attempts to frame her primarily as a diva. Paste characterized the album as "more public than personal" and argued that its broad, message-driven approach resulted in a "scattershot collection". While praising tracks such as "Songs Like This", "This Time", and the restrained "Look at Me", the review contended that the record too often "mistakes bombast for sincerity" and sentimentality for emotional depth. PopMatters described Play On as an album that adhered "slavishly" to a proven formula, which made it difficult to distinguish strong material from weaker tracks. While acknowledging moments that were "half-way listenable", the review dismissed the ballads as emotionally shallow, and concluded that the album was "definitely not good" and lacked a defining single on the level of "Before He Cheats" (2005).

Accolades

Commercial performance

Play On debuted at number one on the Billboard's Top Country Albums chart as well as the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 318,000 copies. It rated as then-highest first week sales for a female artist in 2009. In its second week, the album slipped to number three with sales of 128,000. Play On spent four consecutive weeks at number one in Top Country Albums Chart.{{Efn|Attributed to:

• }} By October 2015, the album had sold 2,300,000 copies in the US, and it was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA on October 24, 2016. The album has also charted in other countries; in United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 93 on the UK Albums Chart. In Canada, the album debuted at number two with 15,000 sales. In Australia, it peaked at number 14, certificating Gold status and being her first album to do so. Play On has since sold over three million copies worldwide.

Play On charted on two Billboards Year-End Charts, Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums, at number seventy three and number 15 in 2009. In December 2010, the album landed at number four for Country Albums and number twelve for Billboard 200. The following year, it charted at number 37 for Country Albums and number 176 for Billboard 200.

Track listing

All tracks were produced by Mark Bright; "Quitter" co-produced by Max Martin and Shellback.

Notes

• The compact disc version of the deluxe edition is a two-disc package.
• The track numbers on disc 2 are numbered 1–7, which corresponds to numbers 14–20 listed above.

Personnel

Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes and Tidal.

Locations

• Maratone Studios (Stockholm)

Vocals

• Ashley Clark – lead vocals (12)
• Lisa Cochran – backing vocals (3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13)
• Perry Coleman – backing vocals (3, 5, 9, 11)
• Vince Gill – backing vocals(10)
• Wes Hightower – backing vocals(4, 6, 7, 13)
• Hillary Lindsey – backing vocals (6, 8)
• Sons of Sylvia – backing vocals (12)
• Carrie Underwood – lead vocals, backing vocals

Musicians

• Beth Beeson – French horn (4)
• Tom Bukovac – electric guitar (3, 5, 7, 8, 10–13)
• Ashley Clark – acoustic guitar (12)
• Adam Clark – mandolin (12)
• Austin Clark – lap steel guitar (12)
• Eric Darken – percussion (3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13)
• Shannon Forrest – drums (3, 4, 6, 8–13)
• Jon Graboff – guitar (2), steel guitar (2)
• Carl Gorodetzky – string contractor (4)
• Kenny Greenberg – electric guitar (1, 5–8)
• Aubrey Haynie – fiddle (1, 5, 10)
• Mike Johnson – steel guitar (1, 3, 6–10, 13)
• Charles Judge – keyboards (3, 4, 5, 7–13), string arrangements and composer (4)
• Jennifer Kummer – French horn (4)
• Lee Levine – clarinet (4)
• Sam Levine – flute (4)
• Max Martin – keyboards (2)
• Chris McHugh – drums (1, 5, 7)
• Jerry McPherson – electric guitar (4, 9)
• Gordon Mote – acoustic piano (3, 8)
• Jimmy Nichols – keyboards (4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11), acoustic piano (5, 13)
• Eberhard Ramm – music copyist (4)
• Shellback – guitar (2)
• Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar (1, 3–9, 12, 13)
• Christopher Stevens – keyboards (1), programming (1, 2)
• Ilya Toshinsky – acoustic guitar (3–13)
• Jonathan Yudkin – cello (3), viola (3), violin (3, 8), string arrangements and composer (3)

The Nashville String Machine (4)

• Anthony LaMarchina, Carole Rabinowitz and Julie Tanner – cello
• Jack Jezioro and Craig Nelson – string bass
• Monisa Angell, Bruce Christensen, Jim Grosjean, Betsy Lamb and Kristin Wilkinson – viola
• David Angell, Janet Darnall, David Davidson, Conni Ellisor, Carl Gorodetzky, Stefan Petrescu, Pamela Sixfin, Alan Umstead, Catherine Umstead, Mary K. Vanosdale, Bruce Wethey and Karen Winkelmann – violin

Group vocals (1)

• Chris Ashburn
• Tristin Brock-Jones
• Shawn Daughtery
• Nathan Dickinson
• Kerri P. Edwards
• Josh Fulmer
• Kerrie Hardwick
• Wes Hightower
• Tim Hunze
• Brett James
• Aaron Kasdorf
• Kelly King
• Kristen Wines

Production

• Chris Ashburn – assistant recording (1–13), mix assistant (1, 3–13), additional recording (2)
• Adam Ayan – mastering
• Tracy Baskett Fleaner – packaging
• Derek Bason – recording (1, 3–13), mixing (1, 3–13), additional recording (2)
• Mark Bright – producer (1, 3–13)
• Tristin Brock-Jones – additional and assistant recording (1, 3–13)
• Shawn Daughtery – additional and assistant recording (1, 3–13)
• Nathan Dickinson – digital editing
• Judy Forde Blair – creative director, liner notes
• Mike "Frog" Griffith – production coordinator
• Tammie Harris Cleek – imaging production
• Scott McDaniel – creative director, cover design
• Max Martin – producer (2), recording (2)
• Julie Matos – styling
• Matthew Rolston – photography
• Shellback – producer (2), recording (2)
• Christopher Stevens – additional recording (1, 3–13)
• Todd Tidwell – additional recording (1, 3–13)
• Francesca Tolot – make-up
• Robert Vetica – hair
• Kristen Wines – production assistant

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Notes

References

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