In a follow up to my previous post,
5 Flop Albums From Big Name Acts, I now present 5 Flop albums that should not have flopped:
1. Mariah Carey - Glitter (2001)![]()
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Glitter is the ill-fated and often mocked soundtrack to Carey's 2001 film of the same name (the soundtrack was released September 11, 2001).
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Glitter was a disco-influenced album (something everyone now wants from Gaga).
-While it is not Mariah's worst performing album, it was considered such a critical and commercial failure at the time that it led to her being dropped from Virgin Records.
-The infamous TRL incident, the appearance of strange messages on her website, and subsequent hospitalization also preceded the release of
Glitter. -"Loverboy", the album's first single, was to feature a sample by the Yellow Magic Orchestra, which J.Lo eventually ended up using on her track "I'm Real". Despite the fact that Carey had licensed usage for the sample first, J.Lo's album was released earlier, forcing Mariah to change "Loverboy" last minute.
Why it deserved better:-The album is far from flawless and certainly has some tracks that need to be skipped ("If We" is a mess of a track and the vocals on "Want You" are not her best). However, the ballads are beautiful and the throwback disco sound works well in tracks like "All My Life", "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On", and "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life".
2. Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion (2015)![]()
-One of ONTD's fave flop albums (
buy Emotions on iTunes!), Carly Rae's follow up to her breakout smash hit "Call Me Maybe" was a critical success but a commercial flop (outside of Japan, where it went Gold).
-In it's first week it sold a little over 16 000 copies in the states and just 2 600 in Canada (because Canadians are apathetic af).
Why it deserved better:Because it's a great pop record with very little filler (I only ever skip "LA Hallucinations").
Kelly Rowland - Talk A Good Game (2013)![]()
-While the album made it into the top 10, it has gone on to sell about 215 000 copies worldwide (Rowland's lowest performing solo album) and nobody talks about it anymore.
Why it deserved better:-If you listen to the album today, it holds up well. It's cohesive, melodic, and honest. Rowland addresses personal issues like domestic violence and her jealousy towards Beyonce on the emotionally raw track "Dirty Laundry". The entire album is filled with pop bops and smooth R&B jams. Do yourself a favour and revisit it.
4. Christina Aguilera - Bionic (2010)![]()
-Christina released 2 back to back flops - 2010's
Bionic and 2012's
Lotus - and while
Lotus sounds dated today,
Bionic not only holds up well, but it might have been ahead of its time.
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Bionic had critics divided (making both worst-of and best-of year end lists) and commercially it failed to live up to expectations.
Why it deserved better:-Aguilera embraces female empowerment and celebrates sexual desire throughout the album (like on tracks "Prima Donna", "Sex For Breakfast", and "Woohoo").
-Her vocals are great (with very little of the over-singing she's famously mocked for).
-The album is cohesive yet diverse sonically and is still listenable 7 years after it's release.
-"Birds of Prey" is a smooth and haunting track that is undeservedly overlooked (and features a great subtle vocal performance from Aguilera).
Britney Spears - Glory (2016)![]()
-The album did well critically and is not her worst performing album, however it failed to really make an impact with none of the singles breaking into the top 10 ("Slumber Party" debuted at number 86).
Why it deserved better:-
Glory is fun, catchy, fits in with the music trends of 2016, and features much better vocals and production than her previous album,
Britney Jean. It's a major step in the right direction for Spears.
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