Open Road is the solo debut album by British pop singer Gary Barlow

Gary Barlow

Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...

. It was released by BMG

BMG

Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...

 and RCA Records

RCA Records

RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

 on 26 May 1997 in Europe, and on January 13, 1998 in America.

Album information

Following the break-up of Take That

Take That

Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...

, Barlow went straight into the recording studio and began recording a solo album. On July 5, 1996, the album's lead single, "Forever Love", was released, peaking at #1 on the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

. A second single, "Love Won't Wait", was released in April 1997, also peaking at #1. On May 26, 1997, the album was subsequently released, peaking at #1 on the UK Albums Chart

UK Albums Chart

The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

 on the week of release. The album was certified platinum

Music recording sales certification

Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

. Following the album's release, a further two singles, "So Help Me Girl" and "Open Road" were released, which charted at 11 and 7 respectively with the third single becoming Barlow's first solo material to chart in America. The album has sold over 2 million copies worldwide to date.

International success

Following the success of the album in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Barlow set about releasing the album in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, and signed a record deal with Arista. He soon decided to re-work the album for the American market, and began promotion by releasing a remixed version of "So Help Me Girl" as the lead single, complete with a brand new video, on September 30, 1997. The album was subsequently released on January 13, 1998, and on February 17, one of the new tracks for the American issue, "Superhero", was released as the second single. Although it became widely known for its use as the Yankees main theme, it failed to achieve any commercial success.

Critical reception

The San Diego Vista gave the album a positive review stating that as a "singer and songwriter [Barlow] demonstrates his potential as a successful solo artist on Open Road. The album shows a diversity of musical styles, many acoustic-based tracks, a few haunting ballads and some scintillating up-tempo dance numbers." Rodel goes on to state that "on the title track, "Open Road," Gary's brilliant songwriting abilities are showcased in all its glory. A song that he wrote at the young age of 16, "Open Road" reveals Gary's journey through life [making it] perhaps the best song on Gary's debut album.

Track listing

1. "Love Won't Wait" (Madonna
   Madonna (entertainer)
   Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
   
   , Shep Pettibone) – 4:17
2. "So Help Me Girl" (Howard Perdew, Andy Spooner) – 4:29
3. "My Commitment" (Gary Barlow, Diane Warren
   Diane Warren
   Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
   
   ) – 4:48
4. "Hang On in There, Baby" (Johnny Bristol
   Johnny Bristol
   Johnny Bristol , was an American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
   
   ) – 3:39
5. "Are You Ready Now" (Gary Barlow) – 4:19
6. "Everything I Wanted" (Gary Barlow) – 3:32
7. "I Fall So Deep" (Larry Loftin, Mattias Gustafsson, Amy Powers
   Amy Powers
   Amy Powers is an Emmy Award and Annie Award nominated lyricist, songwriter and producer who creates songs for film, television, theater, animation, pop and country artists, theme parks and children’s brands...
   
   ) – 4:02
8. "Lay Down For Love" (Gary Barlow, Richard Stannard
   Richard Stannard
   Biffco is a music production and songwriting team from Brighton, England, formed by Richard "Biff" Stannard. The group have worked with a number of high-profile artists, including One Direction, Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Will Young and was largely responsible for the rise of the Spice...
   
   , Matt Rowbottom) – 5:33
9. "Forever Love" (Gary Barlow) – 4:55
10. "Never Knew" (Gary Barlow) – 3:50
11. "Open Road" (Gary Barlow) – 4:23
12. "Always" (Gary Barlow) – 3:32

• Japanese Bonus Tracks

13. "The Meaning of Love Song" (Gary Barlow) – 3:37

14. "Cuddly Toy" (Andrew Roachford) – 3:42

• Spanish Bonus Track

13. "Ayudame" (Howard Perdew, Andy Spooner, Nani Mano) – 4:26

• Deluxe Edition Bonus CD-Rom

1. "Forever Love" [Video] (Gary Barlow) – 4:55
2. "Love Won't Wait" [Video] (Madonna, Shep Pettibone) – 4:17
3. "So Help Me Girl" [Video] (Howard Perdew, Andy Spooner) – 4:29

• American Issue

1. "I Fall So Deep" (Larry Loftin, Mattias Gustafsson, Amy Powers
   Amy Powers
   Amy Powers is an Emmy Award and Annie Award nominated lyricist, songwriter and producer who creates songs for film, television, theater, animation, pop and country artists, theme parks and children’s brands...
   
   ) – 4:02
2. "Open Road" (Rose & Foster Mix) (Gary Barlow) – 4:24
3. "Superhero" (Gary Barlow, Max Martin, Joylon Skinner, Kristian Lundin) – 3:35
4. "My Commitment" (Gary Barlow, Diane Warren) – 4:48
5. "Love Won't Wait" (Junior Vasquez Radio Mix) (Madonna, Shep Pettibone) – 4:21
6. "So Help Me Girl" (US Edit) (Howard Perdew, Andy Spooner) – 4:38
7. "Everything I Wanted" (Gary Barlow) – 3:32
8. "Hang On In There, Baby" (Duet With Rosie Gaines) (Johnny Bristol) – 3:39
9. "Lay Down For Love" (Gary Barlow, Richie Stannard, Matt Rowbottom) – 5:33
10. "Never Knew" (Gary Barlow) – 3:50
11. "Forever Love" (Gary Barlow) – 4:55
12. "Back For Good" [Live] (Gary Barlow) – 4:03

Charts

Chart (1997)	Peak Position
Australian Albums Chart (ARIA 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... )	30
Austrian Albums Chart (Ö3 Austria Top 75)	13
Belgian (Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization...  Vlaanderen) Albums Chart	7
Belgian (Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization...  Wallonie) Albums Chart	20
Dutch Albums Chart (Top 100 Top 100 Top 100 may refer to:*Billboard Hot 100, the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine... )	13
Finnish Albums Chart (SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... )	29
German Albums Chart (Media Control AG Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... )	10
Hungarian Albums Chart (Rádiós Top 40 Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... )	33
Irish Albums Chart (IRMA IRMA IRMA may refer to:* Institute of Rural Management, Anand, a management school for rural development in the state of Gujarat, India* International Recording Media Association*International Rectal Microbicide Advocates... )	1
New Zealand Albums Chart (RIANZ 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... )	43
Norwegian Albums Chart (VG-lista VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... )	34
Swedish Albums Chart (Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... )	25
Swiss Albums Chart (Schweizer Hitparade)	6
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)	1