| Changed | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Rascal Flatts |
| Cover: | Changed_by_Rascal_Flatts_Album_Cover.jpg |
| Border: | yes |
| Genre: | Country |
| Length: | 44:08 (Standard Edition) 58:08 (Deluxe Edition) |
| Label: | Big Machine |
| Producer: | Dann Huff Rascal Flatts |
| Prev Title: | The Best of Rascal Flatts Live |
| Prev Year: | 2011 |
| Next Title: | Rewind |
| Next Year: | 2014 |
Changed is the eighth studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It is their second studio album release after signing with Big Machine Records, and was released on April 3, 2012. The band released the album's debut single, "Banjo", on January 16, 2012.[1] The album's second single "Come Wake Me Up" released to country radio on May 21, 2012. The album's third single, "Changed", released to country radio on December 17, 2012, AC and Christian AC on January 22, 2013. On June 28, 2013, Rascal Flatts released "Sunrise" as their first official single in the UK.[2] This is the first album from the group to not have a Top 40 hit on the pop chart. This is the group's first album not to go platinum and last to go gold.
Gary LeVox explains the title, "Actually there's a song on the album called "Changed" and it's a really, really special song. And we thought that title of that song really captures what this new season of our career is because everything in our professional career has changed...(we) thought the title was appropriate." Rascal Flatts worked with long-time producer Dann Huff on their new album but also produced a few of the tracks on their own.
The Limited Deluxe Edition 'ZinePak includes the 15-song Changed Deluxe CD, an exclusive 72-page magazine, and a set of four Rascal Flatts guitar picks. The magazine includes exclusive interviews with Gary, Jay and Joe Don, rare photographs, lyrics, commentary on the band's career and much more. Only 40,000 copies are available. The Limited Deluxe Edition version was exclusively available at Wal-Mart stores.
In the weeks leading up to the album's release, three promotional singles were released for music download; the title track was released on March 13, 2012, "Hot In Here" on March 20, 2012, and "She's Leaving" on March 27, 2012.
In the United States, the album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 130,000 copies.[3] It also was the trio's seventh consecutive album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, making them only the fourth act in Nielsen Soundscan history to attain this goal.[4] As of April 3, 2013, the album has sold 502,000 copies in the US.[5]
In Australia, Changed made its debut on the ARIA albums at No. 51 and peaked at No. 2, the band's highest position on the ARIA country chart to date.[6] On January 11, 2013, Changed debuted on the Swedish Albums Chart at No. 14. It is the band's first appearance and highest position on the Swedish Albums Chart to date.[7] In the United Kingdom, "Changed" debuted on the Official UK Albums Top 100 chart at No. 87 and No. 1 on the Country Artist Albums Top 20 chart.[8]
As of April 2014, the album has sold 560,000 copies in the United States.[9]
Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the album four stars out of five, saying that it was true that Changed is the most country project they've released in 10 years, and there are some new approaches on tracks like "Sunrise" and "Let It Hurt", on which he notes, "The second verse of this dark, brooding ballad is brilliant, and LeVox goes somewhere deep to bring it to life."[10] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave it four stars out of five, saying, "Changed represents the continuation of a new chapter for the trio in their career and while the songs on the album don't represent the "change" some critics and some fans may have hoped for, what they have done is provide their loyal set of fans and other country fans a strong, consistent album of radio-ready material and something that can compete with the bands chompin' at their feet to take their place as the #1 band in country music.""[11] Jessica Nicholson of Country Weekly gave the release three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that "the album lacks some of the energy and freshness of 2010's Nothing Like This, but introspective tunes such as "A Little Home," "Sunrise" and "Come Wake Me Up" add even more depth to the trio's sound."[12] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars, saying the album "errs on the side of caution" and "toned down the brightness" from their prior release, but praised the consistency of the songs and the "cool assured adult contemporary pulse of "Hot in Here.""[13] Michael McCall of the Associated Press gave the album a positive review, saying that they sound wiser and more grounded, balancing grown-up, light country-rockers with ballads grounded in real life and the album proves they have moved forward in the most important of ways — with their music.[14] Grace Duffy of the Under The Gun Review gave the album seven out of ten stars, saying that the album is an open and natural addition to Rascal Flatts’ repertoire.[15] Meena Iyer of Musicperk gave the album eight-and-a-half out of ten stars, saying "the album is a mixture of soulful music which can melt your heart and few fun upbeat tracks to make you dance."[16] Brian Mansfield of USA Today gave the album three out of five stars, saying "the trio has streamlined its mix of pop and country in Changed."[17] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times gave the album a positive review, saying "on this album has largely taken to heart."[18] Robert Silva of About.com gave the album three out of five stars, saying "the new record puts the trio in more rootsy territory than their previous effort, Nothing Like This."[19] Sarah Gibson of ukCOUNTRYmusic.NET gave the album nine out of ten stars, saying "this album reflects the style we know and love from the group and not a "changed" style as the title suggests, and the album is reflective of their true country roots."[20]
Rascal Flatts started their Changed Tour on October 26, 2012 and their Live and Loud Tour on May 31, 2013.
The following set list is representative of the show in Camden that Took Place at Susquehanna Bank Center. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.
| Tour dates[21] [22] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| Leg 1 – North America 2012 | |||
| June 15, 2012 | Hartford | United States | Comcast Theatre |
| June 23, 2012 | Bristow | Jiffy Lube Live | |
| June 24, 2012 | Virginia Beach | Farm Bureau Live | |
| June 29, 2012 | Cuyahoga Falls | Blossom Music Center | |
| June 30, 2012 | Darien Lake | Darien Lake Performing Arts Center | |
| October 6, 2012 | Grand Rapids | Van Andel Arena | |
| October 26, 2012 | Tampa | Live Nation Amphitheatre | |
| October 27, 2012 | West Palm Beach | Cruzan Amphitheater | |
| October 29, 2012 | Battle Creek | FireKeepers Casino Hotel | |
| Leg 2 – North America 2013 | |||
| January 10, 2013 | Green Bay | United States | Resch Center |
| January 11, 2013 | Moline | iWireless Center | |
| January 12, 2013 | Springfield | JQH Arena | |
| January 17, 2013 | Sioux City | Tyson Events Center | |
| January 18, 2013 | Tulsa | BOK Center | |
| January 19, 2013 | Wichita | INTRUST Bank Arena | |
| January 24, 2013 | Spokane | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | |
| January 25, 2013 | Missoula | Adams Center | |
| January 26, 2013 | Billing | Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark | |
| February 2, 2013 | New Orleans | New Orleans Sugar Mill (CMT Crossroads with Journey) | |
| February 7, 2013 | Terre Haute | ISU Hulman Center | |
| February 8, 2013 | Lexington | Rupp Arena | |
| February 9, 2013 | Columbus | Nationwide Arena | |
| February 14, 2013 | North Charleston | North Charleston Coliseum | |
| February 15, 2013 | Greensboro | Greensboro Coliseum | |
| February 16, 2013 | Charlottesville | John Paul Jones Arena | |
| February 21, 2013 | Wilkes-Barre | Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza | |
| February 22, 2013 | Youngstown | Covelli Centre | |
| February 23, 2013 | Pickeville | Eastern Kentucky Expo Center | |
| February 28, 2013 | Topeka | Landon Arena | |
| March 1, 2013 | Jonesboro | ASU Convocation Center | |
| March 2, 2013 | Tupelo | BancorpSouth Arena | |
| Leg 3 – Australia 2013 | |||
| March 13, 2013 | South Bank | Australia | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre |
| March 15, 2013 | Melbourne | Palais Theatre | |
| March 17, 2013 | Hunter Valley | Hope Estate Winery | |
| Venue | City | Tickets sold / Available | Gross revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| I wireless Center | Moline | 7,867 / 10,228 (76%) | $332,159[23] |
| Comcast Center | Mansfield | 12,987 / 14,000 (93%) | $536,442 |
| Comcast Theatre | Hartford | 24,003 / 24,003 (100%) | $890,557 |
| Saratoga Performing Arts Center | Saratoga Springs | 12,988 / 20,000 (72%) | $539,552 |
| Chart (2012) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[25] | 68 | |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[26] | 17 | |
| Chart (2013) | Position | |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[27] | 40 |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Country Airplay | US Christian | US Christian AC | US | CAN Country [28] | CAN | ||
| 2012 | "Banjo" | 1 | — | — | — | 51 | — | 57 |
| "Come Wake Me Up" | 8 | 4 | — | — | 52 | — | 99 | |
| "Changed" | 25 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 73 | 43 | 54 | |
| 2013 | "Sunrise" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||
The following musicians are credited on the booklet.
| Country | Date | Edition(s) | Label | Format(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States[29] | April 3, 2012 | Standard, Deluxe | Big Machine Records | CD, Digital download |
| Canada[30] | Universal Music | |||
| Australia[31] | April 6, 2012 | |||
| New Zealand | ||||
| Sweden[32] | January 2, 2013 | Deluxe | Lionheart Music Group | |
| Netherlands[33] | January 4, 2013 | Universal Music | ||
| Brunei Darussalam | January 7, 2013 | Big Machine Records | Digital download | |
| Belarus | ||||
| Belgium[34] | ||||
| Bulgaria | ||||
| Cyprus | ||||
| Czech Republic | ||||
| Denmark[35] | ||||
| Spain[36] | ||||
| Estonia | ||||
| Finland[37] | ||||
| France[38] | ||||
| Greece | ||||
| Hungary | ||||
| Italy[39] | ||||
| Latvia | ||||
| Lithuania | ||||
| Luxembourg | ||||
| Malta | ||||
| Moldova | ||||
| Norway[40] | ||||
| Poland | ||||
| Portugal[41] | ||||
| Romania | ||||
| Switzerland[42] | ||||
| Slovakia | ||||
| Turkey | ||||
| Ukraine | ||||
| Russia | ||||
| Armenia | ||||
| Azerbaijan | ||||
| Botswana | ||||
| Burkina Faso | ||||
| Cape Verde | ||||
| Gambia | ||||
| Ghana | ||||
| Guinea-Bissau | ||||
| India | ||||
| Israel | ||||
| Kenya | ||||
| Mauritius | ||||
| Mozambique | ||||
| Namibia | ||||
| Niger | ||||
| Nigeria | ||||
| South Africa | ||||
| Swaziland | ||||
| Uganda | ||||
| Zimbabwe | ||||
| Cambodia | ||||
| Fiji | ||||
| Indonesia | ||||
| Kazakhstan | ||||
| Kyrgyzstana | ||||
| Lao, People's Democratic Republic | ||||
| Malaysia | ||||
| Federated States of Micronesia | ||||
| Mongolia | ||||
| Nepal | ||||
| Papua New Guinea | ||||
| Philippines | ||||
| Sri Lanka | ||||
| Tajikistan | ||||
| Thailand | ||||
| Turkmenistan | ||||
| Uzbekistan | ||||
| Vietnam | ||||
| Singapore[43] | ||||
| Macao | ||||
| Hong Kong[44] | ||||
| Anguilla | ||||
| Antigua and Barbuda | ||||
| Argentina | ||||
| Bahamas | ||||
| Barbados | ||||
| Bermuda | ||||
| Bolivia | ||||
| Brasil[45] | ||||
| British Virgin Islands | ||||
| Cayman Islands | ||||
| Chile | ||||
| Colombia | ||||
| Costa Rica | ||||
| Dominica | ||||
| Dominican Republic | ||||
| Ecuador | ||||
| El Salvador | ||||
| Grenada | ||||
| Guatemala | ||||
| Honduras | ||||
| Nicaragua | ||||
| Panama | ||||
| Paraguay | ||||
| Peru | ||||
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | ||||
| Trinidad and Tobago | ||||
| Venezuela | ||||
| Germany[46] | January 22, 2013 | Universal Music | CD, Digital download | |
| Austria[47] | ||||
| Slovenia[48] | ||||
| Taiwan[49] | February 1, 2013 | |||
| Japan[50] | February 13, 2013 | |||
| Ireland[51] | July 5, 2013 | |||
| United Kingdom[52] | July 8, 2013 | Decca Records |