Cartel (Cartel album)

Cartel is the second studio album American rock band Cartel. It released in stores on August 21, 2007, despite being announced by the band's lead singer as coming out on July 24, 2007. It was officially completed at sometime around 8:00 p.m. on June 10, 2007, and features "Lose It" as the first single.

Cartel
Studio album by Cartel
Released	August 21, 2007
Recorded	May–June 2007
Genre	Power pop[1]
Length	52:55
Label	Epic
Producer	Zack Odom Kenneth Mount Wyclef Jean Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis
Cartel chronology
Live Dudes (2006) Cartel (2007) Cycles (2009)
Singles from Cartel
"Lose It" Released: June 12, 2007

Background

Prior to the release of their debut album, Cartel were attracting major label attention.[2] In September 2005, Chroma was released through independent label The Militia Group.[3] Within a year, the group signed to major label Epic,[4] and their debut album had sold over 100,000 copies.[5] Sometime in 2006, Mediaedge:cia and True Entertainment contacted Dr Pepper with the concept of placing a band inside a bubble to record an album.[6] In January 2007, Dr Pepper approached the band asking if they would like to participate.[7]

Around this time, a radio campaign was set up for potential second single "Say Anything (Else)". The group's label, however, said "We gotta do this (the bubble)." They went on further to explain, "If we take this momentum now and then dump a new record on top of it, we could probably blow it out." Vocalist/guitarist Will Pugh pondered "the timing [with a second single] wasn't going to work out with the bubble. ... But they screwed the pooch with that record. Like, how could we not work more than one single? This is insane."[8]

Recording

On May 24, 2007, Cartel entered a giant glass bubble at Hudson River Park in New York.[9] The bubble featured a modern recording studio, as well as a living area.[10] On June 12, the group left the bubble and performed a 45-minute set outside it.[6] This event, dubbed Band in a Bubble,[9] lasted for 20 days and was filmed in its entirety.[6] The band's progress was viewable via a four-episode series that aired on MTV, also called Band in a Bubble.[10] The event was live streamed[9] through a website via the use of 23 webcams.[10] At the time, Pugh called the experience "the best thing to ever happen to us. A platform this big can show the world that real bands still exist. There's no outside producer, no hidden magic, just us writing and recording. It beats the heck out of being in college."[10] However, he later admitted that the event was a marketing stunt.[9]

Release

On June 12, 2007, "Lose It" was released as a single.[11] The group performed several gigs in July and August 2007, before going on tour with Nightmare of You and Weatherbox from August to October.[12] Prior to it, Nightmare of You had to drop off the tour due to a medical emergency and were replaced by The Honorary Title.[13] A music video was released for "Lose It" on August 9.[14] Cartel was initially planned for release on July 24,[10] before being released on August 21 through Epic.[12] It was made available for streaming via PureVolume two days later.[15] The Best Buy edition included three live-in-the-studio versions of "No Subject (Come with Me)", "This Is Who We Are" and "The Fortunate",[7] while the iTunes version included "Get Away" as a bonus track.[16]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[17]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[1]
Melodic	[18]
Punknews.org	[19]

The album received mixed reviews by critics.

Prior to the album's release, Epic Records' digital media marketing Vice President Doug McVehil said the label "absolutely benefited from Dr Pepper's commitment to market our band alongside their soda".[10] Following its release, the album debuted at number 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 28,000 copies in its first week.[20] By October 2009 the album had sold less than 100,000 copies since its release.[21] idobi Radio included the album on their best of 2007 list.[22]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Will Pugh, all music written by Cartel.[7]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Best"	1:46
2.	"Tonight"	3:04
3.	"Lose It"	2:30
4.	"No Subject (Come with Me)"	2:33
5.	"This Is Who We Are"	3:06
6.	"I Will Hide Myself Away/I Will Follow"	6:19
7.	"Wasted"	4:23
8.	"The Fortunate"	2:53
9.	"Georgia"	3:54
10.	"If You Do, If You Don't"	3:19
11.	"Lonely One"	5:33
12.	"If I Were to Write the Song/Get Through This"	9:39
13.	"Wasted" (remix feat. Wyclef Jean)	3:49

iTunes bonus track

No.	Title	Length
14.	"Get Away"	3:50

Best Buy bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
14.	"No Subject (Come with Me)" (live in studio)
15.	"This Is Who We Are" (live in studio)
16.	"The Fortunate" (live in studio)

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[7]

Cartel Will Pugh – vocals, guitar Joseph Pepper – guitar Kevin Sanders – drums Nic Hudson – guitar Jeff Lett – bass Additional musicians Platinum Horns: Mike "Nyte" DeSalvo – trumpet ("Wasted" remix) Dave Clauss – trombone ("Wasted" remix) Adam Wheeler – saxophone ("Wasted" remix) Juliet Simms – guest vocals (track 3) Benjamin Ickies, Jr. – accordion (track 12) Billy Jay Stein – keyboards (track 12) Dennis Gruenling – additional harmonica The Boys & Girls Choir of Harlem Alumni Association Ensemble: Tyneisha Hili, Almira Session, Keera Powell, Micheele Huart – sopranos (tracks 7 and 10) Lakeith-sha Williams, Melissa Martinez, Charlene Wynn, Christina Harris, Shrod Hill – altos (tracks 7 and 10) Darnel Watts, Antoine Dolberry, Jamal Womack, Ernesto Elcantara – tenors (tracks 7 and 10) David Vann, Rafael Clark, Sheldon Henry – basses (tracks 7 and 10) Roger Holland – arranger (tracks 7 and 10)

Additional musicians (continued) Drumline: Bryan Kanieski, Chris Dial – quints (track 7) Chris Arthurs, Corey Scienza – snare (track 7) Brandon Dyer – 1st bass (track 7) Kenneth Wilson – 2nd bass (track 7) Andres Guerrero – 3rd bass (track 7) Ryan Amos – 4th bass (track 7) Caitlin White – cymbals (track 7) David Wiebers – director (track 7) Kevin Mavis – assistant director (track 7) Strings & Horns: Kerren Berz – arranger, violin (tracks 7 and 10) Shawn Pagliarini, Amy Chang, Rafael Veytsblum – violin (tracks 7 and 10) Marylin Seelman – viola (tracks 7 and 10) Annie Camp – violincello (tracks 7 and 10) Jay Hanselman, Jeffrey Cook – French horn (tracks 7 and 10) Lee King, Gregory Coile – trumpet (tracks 7 and 10) Kedrick Merwin – trombone (tracks 7 and 10) Eric Ferguson – strings and horns contractor (tracks 7 and 10)

Production

• Zack Odom, Kenneth Mount – producer, recording, mixing
• Ted Jensen – mastering
• Mack Woodward, Nuwan Piyasena, Kevin Porter – assistant engineers
• Wes Duvall, Jason Gnewikow – art direction, design
• Frank W. Ockenfells III – photography
• Wyclef Jean, Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis – producer ("Wasted" remix)
• Serge "Sergical" Tsai, Zack Odom, Kenneth Mount – recording ("Wasted" remix)
• Mike "Nyte DeSalvo, Elvis Aponte – assistant engineers ("Wasted" remix)

References

1. Sinclair, Tom (August 24, 2007). "Cartel - Cartel". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 9, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
2. Kohli, Rohan (August 25, 2005). "Cartel Interview - 8.25.2005 - Interview". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
3. Tate, Jason (November 20, 2005). "Cartel - Chroma". absolutepunk.net. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
4. Kohli, Rohan (March 6, 2006). "Cartel Signs To Epic". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
5. Kohli, Rohan (August 30, 2006). "Soundscan Results: Week Ending August 27th, 2006". absolutepunk.net. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
6. Tan, Emily (June 14, 2007). "Dr Pepper Puts a Band in a Bubble". Advertising Age. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
7. Cartel (Booklet). Cartel. Epic. 2007. 88697 13746 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
8. McGuire, Colin (May 25, 2015). "Will Pugh of Cartel looks back on 10 years of 'Chroma,' "Honestly" going Gold". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
9. "Band in a Bubble: Cartel Pulls a David Blaine". PopSugar. May 2, 2007. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
10. Gundersen, Edna (April 22, 2007). "Cartel bursts the marketing bubble". USA Today. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
11. "Lose It (2007) | Cartel". 7digital. Archived from the original on 2016-09-14. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
12. "Cartel announce tour with Nightmare Of You, Weatherbox". Alternative Press. June 27, 2007. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
13. "The Honorary Title to replace Nightmare of You on Cartel tour". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. August 10, 2007. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
14. "Cartel post "Lose It" music video". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. August 9, 2007. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
15. "Full album stream from Cartel". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. August 23, 2007. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
16. "Cartel (Bonus Track Version) by Cartel". iTunes. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
17. "Cartel - Cartel, Cartel - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
18. Roth, Kaj (August 25, 2007). "Cartel - s/t". Melodic. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
19. Billy (October 19, 2007). "Cartel - Cartel". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
20. Katie Hasty, "'High School Musical 2' Hangs On Atop Billboard 200" Archived 2008-01-21 at the Wayback Machine, Billboard.com, August 29, 2007.
21. Jones, Evan C. (October 5, 2009). "Cartel Mounts Comeback After 'Bubble' Bust". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
22. "idobi Radio's Best Of 2007: Albums you should've picked up in 2007". idobi. idobi Network LLC. January 1, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2017.

External links

• Cartel at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
• Cartel on Band in a Bubble at MTV