Hot Mess
Encyclopedia
Hot Mess is the third studio album
by American dance rock band Cobra Starship
, released through Fueled by Ramen
and Decaydance Records
on August 11, 2009. The album is the follow-up to 2007's ¡Viva la Cobra!
. The album debut at #4 on the Billboard 200
albums chart on sales of more than 42,000, by far their best chart performance ever.
The first single from the album, "Good Girls Go Bad
", features actress Leighton Meester
and was released on May 11, 2009. The song peaked in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100
and at number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart
.
stated this was their most brilliant album. Michael Menachem of Billboard
fell in favor of the album, saying "If you don't finish this party record a hot mess, then you probably didn't have a good time." Tim Sendra of Allmusic called Hot Mess "a complete success and shows that the band could possibly grow past the comedy and become something else entirely." Daniel Brockman of The Phoenix
gave a generally positive review, stating, "Only a music fan obsessed with the rules of authenticity and the requirements for lyrical profundity could find fault with the 11 odes to overload that make up Hot Mess." Mikael Wood of Spin
raved that "Hot Mess is flush with other stupid-smart highlights, including 'Pete Wentz Is the Only Reason We're Famous." Rolling Stone
s Christian Hoard said that "Sometimes the former Midtown singer's snark falls flat, as with the title 'Pete Wentz Is the Only Reason We're Famous' or the part where the singer brags about his ass. But Saporta does have some pop gifts, apparent on the disco 'Living in the Sky with Diamonds.'"
Bill Lamb of About.com
gave the album 4/5 stars, using a comparison to praise; "You went digging around in your parents closet of old vinyl LP's from the 80's, found one with candy-coated colors on the cover, played it on their old turntable and discovered it really wasn't bad. Then a few days later after listening to it for the 15th time you realized you had fallen in love with the goofy, fun, sarcastic music. It's quite possible it sounded a lot like Cobra Starship's Hot Mess."
All songs written and performed by Cobra Starship
Additional musicians
Album artwork
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American dance rock band Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York...
, released through Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen is an American record label which operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida, is based in New York City...
and Decaydance Records
Decaydance Records
Decaydance Records is a record label based in New York City. Originally founded as an imprint of Fueled by Ramen, it is now an independent record label owned by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and partners. The first band Wentz signed to the label was Panic! at the Disco...
on August 11, 2009. The album is the follow-up to 2007's ¡Viva la Cobra!
¡Viva la Cobra!
¡Viva la Cobra! is the second studio album by alternative dance band Cobra Starship. The album was released October 23, 2007. It was produced by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump.- Background :...
. The album debut at #4 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart on sales of more than 42,000, by far their best chart performance ever.
The first single from the album, "Good Girls Go Bad
Good Girls Go Bad
"Good Girls Go Bad" is a song recorded by American pop punk band Cobra Starship with guest vocals by Leighton Meester. It was the first single released from their third studio album, Hot Mess. The song was released digitally through iTunes on May 11, 2009...
", features actress Leighton Meester
Leighton Meester
Leighton Marissa Meester is an American actress and singer. Meester first garnered attention for playing Blair Waldorf in the CW television series Gossip Girl...
and was released on May 11, 2009. The song peaked in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and at number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
.
Reception
An advance review by James Montgomery of MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
stated this was their most brilliant album. Michael Menachem of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
fell in favor of the album, saying "If you don't finish this party record a hot mess, then you probably didn't have a good time." Tim Sendra of Allmusic called Hot Mess "a complete success and shows that the band could possibly grow past the comedy and become something else entirely." Daniel Brockman of The Phoenix
The Phoenix (newspaper)
The Phoenix is the name of several alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts including the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix, the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Worcester Phoenix...
gave a generally positive review, stating, "Only a music fan obsessed with the rules of authenticity and the requirements for lyrical profundity could find fault with the 11 odes to overload that make up Hot Mess." Mikael Wood of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
raved that "Hot Mess is flush with other stupid-smart highlights, including 'Pete Wentz Is the Only Reason We're Famous." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s Christian Hoard said that "Sometimes the former Midtown singer's snark falls flat, as with the title 'Pete Wentz Is the Only Reason We're Famous' or the part where the singer brags about his ass. But Saporta does have some pop gifts, apparent on the disco 'Living in the Sky with Diamonds.'"
Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
gave the album 4/5 stars, using a comparison to praise; "You went digging around in your parents closet of old vinyl LP's from the 80's, found one with candy-coated colors on the cover, played it on their old turntable and discovered it really wasn't bad. Then a few days later after listening to it for the 15th time you realized you had fallen in love with the goofy, fun, sarcastic music. It's quite possible it sounded a lot like Cobra Starship's Hot Mess."
Track listing
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
51 | – |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
18 | – |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
4 | 83,514+ |
Personnel
Cobra Starship- Gabe SaportaGabe SaportaGabriel Eduardo "Gabe" Saporta is the lead singer and primary creative force behind the synthpop band Cobra Starship. He was previously the lead singer, bassist, and lyricist for the pop punk band Midtown....
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the... - Ryland BlackintonRyland BlackintonRyland Blackinton is the lead guitarist for the band Cobra Starship. He is from Wilmington MA, but was born in South Kingstown Rhode Island on March 31, 1982. Before joining Cobra Starship, Ryland, along with high school best friend Alex Suarez formed the folk/pop duo This Is Ivy League...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
and synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - Alex SuarezAlex SuarezAlex Suarez is the bass player and additional keyboardist and vocalist for Cobra Starship as well as co-founder of This is Ivy League, a band created with fellow Cobra Starship member and high school best friend Ryland Blackinton.-Early life:...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and backing vocals - Nate Navarro – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Victoria AsherVictoria AsherVictoria Jane Asher , is known to Cobra Starship fans as Vicky-T, and can be seen in some of the music videos produced by the band, which she is the keytarist for. She is the daughter of producer/manager/musician Peter Asher of the hit band Peter & Gordon, who were part of the British Invasion...
– keytarKeytarA keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands...
and backing vocals
All songs written and performed by Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York...
- Produced by Cobra StarshipCobra StarshipCobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York...
except:- Track 3 produced by Kevin RudolfKevin RudolfKevin Rudolf is an American singer-songwriter and record producer signed to Cash Money Records. Rudolf is mostly known for singing and producing rock/pop music...
. - Tracks 6 and 7 produced by Mike CarenMike CarenMike Caren is an American Record Producer, Executive Vice President of A&R for Atlantic Records and Co-President of Elektra Records. After completing jobs with SRC/Loud Records and Ruthless Records, he started his career at Atlantic in 1995 at the age of seventeen as Manager of Rap Marketing for...
and Oligee and co-produced by Kevin RudolfKevin RudolfKevin Rudolf is an American singer-songwriter and record producer signed to Cash Money Records. Rudolf is mostly known for singing and producing rock/pop music...
. - Tracks 10 and 11 co-produced by Jason DeZuzio.
- Track 3 produced by Kevin Rudolf
Additional musicians
- The Goodie Two Shoes Gang: Lori Hernberg, Cody Tompkins, Bim Fernandez, Janice Cruz, Christine J. Schmidt, Emily Everding and Jaime Boulter – "Nice Guys Finish Last"
- Leighton MeesterLeighton MeesterLeighton Marissa Meester is an American actress and singer. Meester first garnered attention for playing Blair Waldorf in the CW television series Gossip Girl...
– "Good Girls Go BadGood Girls Go Bad"Good Girls Go Bad" is a song recorded by American pop punk band Cobra Starship with guest vocals by Leighton Meester. It was the first single released from their third studio album, Hot Mess. The song was released digitally through iTunes on May 11, 2009...
" - Patrick StumpPatrick StumpPatrick Vaughn Stump is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He is the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is also a solo artist...
, Cassadee PopeCassadee PopeCassadee Blake Pope is an American singer-songwriter and musician and the lead vocalist of the pop punk band Hey Monday. With the band she has released a studio album, Hold On Tight and two extended plays.-Biography:...
, The Fuck City Singers: Pete Wentz, Matt Bro and Dre – "You're Not in on the Joke" - Christine J. Schmidt – "Move Like You Gonna Die"
- B.o.B.B.O.B.B.O.B. is a video game that was released in 1993. It is a side-scrolling game developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Foley Hi-Tech Systems, and published by Electronic Arts. It is both a 2D shooter and a platform game, and is available for both the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega...
– "The World Will Never Do"
Album artwork
- Art direction and design: Mike Yardley / Skull with Hair
- Photos: Matthew Salacuse
- Live photo: Jack Edinger
- Cover girl: Bim Fernandez
- Tattoo by: James Kelly for Red Rocket Tattoo NYC
- Art manager: Kristie Borgmann
- Packaging manager: Michelle Piza
- Inspiration for title Hot Mess – L.O. 43.