The Script is the Choice Music Prize-nominated self-titled debut album
from Irish band The Script, which was released in the Republic of Ireland on 8
August 2008 and was released in the UK on 11 August 2008 by Phonogenic Records.
Following success in the Republic of Ireland, the album was released
elsewhere in Europe in September 2008. The album topped the UK charts and
peaked at #64 on the US Billboard 200 on 4 March 2010.
Reception The album was met with mixed reviews by
music critics. Timothy Powell of the BBC stated that the album "reveals a band
that is fresh, vital and ferociously good." He went on to say that the Script
are now positioned as "next big thing" and that the album entails "hip-hop, pop
melodiousness, state-of-the-art production and anthemic rock." His
overall summary was that the album is "Intelligent, beautifully crafted and
compelling." Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the album 3/5 stars while saying it
was often "devastatingly effective" and that "A lot of people are going to hate
the Script, a lot of people are going to love the Script." The German WOM magazin
monthly went as far as writing: "Eigenständing und originell ist anders.
The Script bringen die Misere der Musikindustrie auf den Punkt." The album
has mixed reviews in MTV Asia, which has praised "O'Donoghue's vocals are a
pleasurably unique aural experience" though it also comments that, as a
whole, "the album plays across a flat plane, with no big leaps, but no huge
letdowns either." Allmusic's Alexey Eremenko said that the album was "not
reckless or fuzzy enough [to be] power pop"; instead the closest discernible
influence was the rock style of U2. Chart performance
Following the success of "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", The Script entered the
UK Albums Charts at number one with sales of 54,520 copies where it stayed
for two weeks. The album spent eight weeks in the top ten and was the twelfth
best selling album in the UK of 2008. The album also entered the Irish Album
Chart at number one, holding the top spot for five weeks. It had, of January
2009, spent twenty two weeks in the top ten. The Irish office of Sony BMG music
presented the group with their first multi platinum award disc for over
600,000 sales of The Script. On Sunday, 18 January 2009, the album went back up
to #1 in the UK Album Charts, a whole 5 months since it was first released,
mainly because of the £3.95 deal on iTunes. Though released in 2008, the
album was the 198th best-selling album in 2010 in the USA. It has so far spent
over 174 weeks in the UK albums chart. = Singles=
Five singles were released from The Script. The first single that released
from the album was "We Cry". The song peaked at #13 on the UK Singles Chart.
It was followed by the second single, "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", which
peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the Script's highest charting
single. In December 2008, the Script released "Breakeven" as their third
single from the album. It peaked at #21 on the UK chart. The Script then
released "Talk You Down" in 2009, as the fourth single from the album. However,
the single failed to reach the success of the album's first three singles,
missing the UK Top 40 and only peaking at #47. "Breakeven" was released in fall
2009 in the United States and the Script performed it live on The Ellen DeGeneres
Show on 14 October 2009. "Breakeven" then went on to peak at 12 in the US
where it was also certified platinum for shipment of 1,000,000 copies.
"Breakeven" was also released in Australia where it peaked at number 3
and was certified platinum. In May 2009, The Script confirmed that a fifth single
would be released from the album. "Before the Worst" was released on 15
June 2009 in the UK. It peaked at #96 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the
lowest charting single from The Script in the UK. "Before the Worst" was also
released in Australia where it peaked at number 10 and has been certified Gold.
Track listing Charts
Certifications Release history
References