Time to Win, Vol. 2
Encyclopedia
Time to Win, Vol. 2 is an album by Canadian rap rock
band Down with Webster
. It was released digitally on October 31, 2011 while physical versions of the album were released on November 1, 2011. The album was released through Universal Music Canada. This is the band's first major label full-length album. The album has peaked at #9 on the Canadian Albums Chart
.
which was released in 2009. It was initially supposed to be released in the Spring of 2010. Bucky explained in an interview that the original concept was to release Time to Win in two mini-LP volumes because the band wanted "to get as much music out there as we could constantly, instead of having to wait a whole two to three years before we put another one out."
Cameron "Cam" Hunter explained in an interview in September, 2010 that Time to Win, Volume 2, "probably would have been out a lot sooner, but the first one did a lot better than we expected, and a lot of other people expected and as a result, it gets pushed back as we shoot more videos. As a result, the new one probably won't be out until the New Year, but the original concept was they would be maybe six months apart, but things have taken a different turn." The band later changed their mind and turned Time to Win, Vol. 2 into a full-length record. In an interview with Canada.com, Hunter said the record will "be a lot longer" and will have "12 or 13 songs" on it. The release was delayed until 2011 with the album looking to release in the "end of summer to early fall."
Hunter also talked about some collaborations saying that the band "got to work with some different producers than we used on the first one. We got to work with some other key people, namely Boi-1da
." On working with Boi-1da, Hunter said "we got some wicked stuff out of him, considering he's a straight-up hip-hop guy. The songs we made with him don't sound like anything that he's done. One of them is a track we're going to try to put to rock, alternative-rock radio. The song is called 'Professional'. I'm really pumped about that."
Other producers on the album include Matthew Burnett, Zale Epstein, Stephen Kozmeniuk, Brett Ryan Kruger, Megaman and James Robertson. Robertson has also been a producer on the bands previous album, Time to Win, Vol. 1
and the bands 2007 self-titled self-released album. Far East Movement
collaborated with Down with Webster in one song on the album.
Recording locations of the album include Chille Ville Studios in Toronto, Diamond Factory Studios in Toronto, The Garage and Rumblecone in Toronto while mixing locations include South Beach Studios in Miami, Rumblecone in Toronto, Chille Ville Studios in Toronto and Gimme More Music Studios in Toronto. The albums was mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City.
Tyler Armes told Regina Leader-Post
how the band has been working on the record since December 2010 saying, "We've been in the studio pretty much since December of last year getting our new record done." Armes also compared the writing to the band's previous EP, Time to Win, Vol. 1
saying, "a lot of the songs that we wrote on the last EP, which came out in 2009, some of them were written as far back as 2006 and 2007. This record was primarily written in the last year or two, and it's night and day listening to something we wrote in 2006 or 2007 versus 2010."
about a different sound in the album saying, "Everything just sounds bigger. We spent a lot of time on the guitars and drums on this record. It's definitely a growth in terms of where we've come from." On October 3, 2011, Down with Webster confirmed on their Facebook
page that there will be 13 tracks on the album.
MuchMusic
said that "So Positive," "showcases the dedication and hard work by the boys with their insane guitar, drums, and piano work."
and ended on March 12 in Toronto
. The tour featured 15 concerts across Canada.
A rough demo of a new song called "Staring at the Sun" was posted on SoundCloud
in early 2011. "I Want It All" was used in MuchMusic
s "That Much Closer" for the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards
. The song was recorded with Boi-1da
. In late August 2011, a 2:36 second clip of "Professional" was released by the band onto their Youtube
, Soundcloud and Facebook
pages with the video containing segments from various concerts.
"Go Time" was used in a series of four videos on MuchMusic called Sun Down With Webster by Doritos. The four videos released a week apart from one another in the order: Inspiration, Conception, Execution, and Performance. Although the last video in the series is 'Performance' it is labeled as 'Go Time' on Down With Webster's Youtube page. 'Performance' ends the series by finally playing a 30 second clip of the song "Go Time".
The album was released digitally on October 31, 2011 and physical versions were released on November 1, 2011. November 8, 2011 was the initial release but was later moved up to October 31. The album was made available to pre-order
from October 18, 2011 on iTunes
. Along with the pre-order, the song "Professional" was made available to download on October 18, 2011, on iTunes. Down with Webster performed songs off the album and were interviewed in Live @ Much with Down with Webster
, an hour-long television special on Much Music. A CD release concert was performed on October 30, 2011, at The Mod Club in Toronto.
" was released on May 23, 2011 through digital distribution. It debuted at No. 52 on the Canadian Hot 100
and has since peaked at No. 18.
"Big Wheels
" will be released as the album's second single. A music video for the song was filmed on August 14, 2011. "Big Wheels" was released to radio on September 9, 2011. On September 13, 2011 the song was released through digital distribution. The music video premier for "Big Wheels" was shown on September 19, 2011, on the MuchMusic show, New.Music.Live. The song has peaked at No. 51 on the Canadian Hot 100
.
Professional is the third single from this album.
for the week of November 12, 2011. The album was the sixth bestselling CD at HMV
s across Canada
for the week ending November 5, 2011. The album jumped to #9 on the chart for the week of November 19, 2011, selling 6,000 copies in Canada in that week.
gave the album 7.5 out of 10.
Grace Duffy of Under The Gun Review gave the album nine out of ten stars saying that the album is "fast-paced and exhilarating throughout, but deftly mixes a diverse range of sounds, lyrical themes, and instruments" and also adding that "The mixing of styles is a striking enhancement of its appeal, its variety and accessibility ensuring it should reach the widest audience possible." bestfan.com said that Time to Win, Vol. 2 "won us over from the first to the last song."
Al Kratina of the Montreal Gazette gave the album 2 and a half stars out of five saying "It’s all popped collars, testosterone, and pick-up lines, like someone turned a drag race into open mic night" but also adding that one may begin "appreciating the organic drums, the hand-clap production in Professional and the occasional electronic flourish in Go Time."
Rap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
band Down with Webster
Down with Webster
Down with Webster, or DWW, is a 7-man Canadian rap rock band from The Beaches area of Toronto, Ontario who signed with Universal Motown in April 2009. During live shows the band occasionally uses a 3-piece horn section....
. It was released digitally on October 31, 2011 while physical versions of the album were released on November 1, 2011. The album was released through Universal Music Canada. This is the band's first major label full-length album. The album has peaked at #9 on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
.
Background and recording
Time to Win, Vol. 2 was supposed to be the second of two seven-track mini-albums, following up to the bands debut mini-album, Time to Win, Vol. 1Time to Win, Vol. 1
Time to Win, Vol. 1 is the first official EP from the Canadian band, Down with Webster. It released October 6, 2009 on Universal Motown. The album was successful in Canada, all three singles off the album charted in the top 25 on the Canadian Hot 100 and all three were certified Platinum...
which was released in 2009. It was initially supposed to be released in the Spring of 2010. Bucky explained in an interview that the original concept was to release Time to Win in two mini-LP volumes because the band wanted "to get as much music out there as we could constantly, instead of having to wait a whole two to three years before we put another one out."
Cameron "Cam" Hunter explained in an interview in September, 2010 that Time to Win, Volume 2, "probably would have been out a lot sooner, but the first one did a lot better than we expected, and a lot of other people expected and as a result, it gets pushed back as we shoot more videos. As a result, the new one probably won't be out until the New Year, but the original concept was they would be maybe six months apart, but things have taken a different turn." The band later changed their mind and turned Time to Win, Vol. 2 into a full-length record. In an interview with Canada.com, Hunter said the record will "be a lot longer" and will have "12 or 13 songs" on it. The release was delayed until 2011 with the album looking to release in the "end of summer to early fall."
Hunter also talked about some collaborations saying that the band "got to work with some different producers than we used on the first one. We got to work with some other key people, namely Boi-1da
Boi-1da
Matthew Samuels , better known as Boi-1da , is a Canadian hip-hop producer from Toronto, Ontario. He has produced for artists and groups such as Chip tha Ripper, Kardinal Offishall, Clipse, Drake, Eminem, Saukrates, k-os, G-Unit, and The Diplomats among others...
." On working with Boi-1da, Hunter said "we got some wicked stuff out of him, considering he's a straight-up hip-hop guy. The songs we made with him don't sound like anything that he's done. One of them is a track we're going to try to put to rock, alternative-rock radio. The song is called 'Professional'. I'm really pumped about that."
Other producers on the album include Matthew Burnett, Zale Epstein, Stephen Kozmeniuk, Brett Ryan Kruger, Megaman and James Robertson. Robertson has also been a producer on the bands previous album, Time to Win, Vol. 1
Time to Win, Vol. 1
Time to Win, Vol. 1 is the first official EP from the Canadian band, Down with Webster. It released October 6, 2009 on Universal Motown. The album was successful in Canada, all three singles off the album charted in the top 25 on the Canadian Hot 100 and all three were certified Platinum...
and the bands 2007 self-titled self-released album. Far East Movement
Far east movement
Far East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...
collaborated with Down with Webster in one song on the album.
Recording locations of the album include Chille Ville Studios in Toronto, Diamond Factory Studios in Toronto, The Garage and Rumblecone in Toronto while mixing locations include South Beach Studios in Miami, Rumblecone in Toronto, Chille Ville Studios in Toronto and Gimme More Music Studios in Toronto. The albums was mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City.
Tyler Armes told Regina Leader-Post
Regina Leader-Post
The Regina Leader-Post is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and now a member of the Postmedia Network.The newspaper was first published as The Leader in 1883, by Nicholas Flood Davin...
how the band has been working on the record since December 2010 saying, "We've been in the studio pretty much since December of last year getting our new record done." Armes also compared the writing to the band's previous EP, Time to Win, Vol. 1
Time to Win, Vol. 1
Time to Win, Vol. 1 is the first official EP from the Canadian band, Down with Webster. It released October 6, 2009 on Universal Motown. The album was successful in Canada, all three singles off the album charted in the top 25 on the Canadian Hot 100 and all three were certified Platinum...
saying, "a lot of the songs that we wrote on the last EP, which came out in 2009, some of them were written as far back as 2006 and 2007. This record was primarily written in the last year or two, and it's night and day listening to something we wrote in 2006 or 2007 versus 2010."
Composition
In an interview on Global Toronto, Cameron "Cam" Hunter stated that the album will be "a little bit more grown up" than their previous albums. Tyler Armes also talked to Regina Leader-PostRegina Leader-Post
The Regina Leader-Post is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and now a member of the Postmedia Network.The newspaper was first published as The Leader in 1883, by Nicholas Flood Davin...
about a different sound in the album saying, "Everything just sounds bigger. We spent a lot of time on the guitars and drums on this record. It's definitely a growth in terms of where we've come from." On October 3, 2011, Down with Webster confirmed on their Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page that there will be 13 tracks on the album.
MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
said that "So Positive," "showcases the dedication and hard work by the boys with their insane guitar, drums, and piano work."
Release and promotion
Down with Webster went on a tour in early 2011 to support the album. WINtour 2011 began on February 22 in LethbridgeLethbridge
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
and ended on March 12 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. The tour featured 15 concerts across Canada.
A rough demo of a new song called "Staring at the Sun" was posted on SoundCloud
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform which allows collaboration, promotion and distribution of audio recordings.-History:SoundCloud was originally started in Stockholm, Sweden, but was established in Berlin, Germany in August, 2007 by sound designer Alex Ljung and artist Eric Wahlforss...
in early 2011. "I Want It All" was used in MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
s "That Much Closer" for the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards
2011 MuchMusic Video Awards
The 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at MuchMusic's headquarters on June 19, 2011. The awards were aired on MuchMusic, CP24, E!, MuchHD and Fuse. Along with the MuchMusic VJ's, it was confirmed on the MuchMusic website that Selena Gomez will host the show...
. The song was recorded with Boi-1da
Boi-1da
Matthew Samuels , better known as Boi-1da , is a Canadian hip-hop producer from Toronto, Ontario. He has produced for artists and groups such as Chip tha Ripper, Kardinal Offishall, Clipse, Drake, Eminem, Saukrates, k-os, G-Unit, and The Diplomats among others...
. In late August 2011, a 2:36 second clip of "Professional" was released by the band onto their Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, Soundcloud and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
pages with the video containing segments from various concerts.
"Go Time" was used in a series of four videos on MuchMusic called Sun Down With Webster by Doritos. The four videos released a week apart from one another in the order: Inspiration, Conception, Execution, and Performance. Although the last video in the series is 'Performance' it is labeled as 'Go Time' on Down With Webster's Youtube page. 'Performance' ends the series by finally playing a 30 second clip of the song "Go Time".
The album was released digitally on October 31, 2011 and physical versions were released on November 1, 2011. November 8, 2011 was the initial release but was later moved up to October 31. The album was made available to pre-order
Pre-order
A pre-order is an order placed for an item which has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came when people found it hard to get popular items in stores due to their popularity. Companies were then given the idea to allow people to reserve their own personal copy, before the release, ...
from October 18, 2011 on iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. Along with the pre-order, the song "Professional" was made available to download on October 18, 2011, on iTunes. Down with Webster performed songs off the album and were interviewed in Live @ Much with Down with Webster
Live @ Much
Live at Much, stylized as Live @ Much, is a celebrity interview and/or performance show that is irregularly broadcast on Canadian music television station, MuchMusic. The title used for this kind of show was first used in 2002 and has been since....
, an hour-long television special on Much Music. A CD release concert was performed on October 30, 2011, at The Mod Club in Toronto.
Singles
The first single from the album, "She's DopeShe's Dope
"She's Dope" is a single by Canadian band Down with Webster. It is the first single off their album, Time to Win, Vol. 2. It was released on May 23, 2011...
" was released on May 23, 2011 through digital distribution. It debuted at No. 52 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
and has since peaked at No. 18.
"Big Wheels
Big Wheels (Down with Webster song)
"Big Wheels" is a single by Canadian rap rock band, Down with Webster. It is the second single off their album, Time to Win, Vol. 2. The song was released to radio on September 9, 2011 and released to digital download on September 13, 2011. The song debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at...
" will be released as the album's second single. A music video for the song was filmed on August 14, 2011. "Big Wheels" was released to radio on September 9, 2011. On September 13, 2011 the song was released through digital distribution. The music video premier for "Big Wheels" was shown on September 19, 2011, on the MuchMusic show, New.Music.Live. The song has peaked at No. 51 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
.
Professional is the third single from this album.
Commercial
The album debuted at #62 on the Canadian Albums ChartCanadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
for the week of November 12, 2011. The album was the sixth bestselling CD at HMV
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
s across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for the week ending November 5, 2011. The album jumped to #9 on the chart for the week of November 19, 2011, selling 6,000 copies in Canada in that week.
Critical
Much Music gave the album a 8/10 saying "you can feel the emotions that DWW were trying to project when listening to each song." Much Music also praised the song "Work" saying Down with Webster and Far East Movement "mesh perfectly" and commented on the lyrics saying "However, there was a consistent theme of winning and girls and you can tell that the boys have matured through their dope lyrics." Patrick Langlois of MusiquePlusMusiquePlus
MusiquePlus is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel owned by Astral Media operating from Montreal, Quebec.MusiquePlus is devoted to music and music related programming from various genres including pop, rock, RnB and focuses on a younger demographic than its sister station, MusiMax...
gave the album 7.5 out of 10.
Grace Duffy of Under The Gun Review gave the album nine out of ten stars saying that the album is "fast-paced and exhilarating throughout, but deftly mixes a diverse range of sounds, lyrical themes, and instruments" and also adding that "The mixing of styles is a striking enhancement of its appeal, its variety and accessibility ensuring it should reach the widest audience possible." bestfan.com said that Time to Win, Vol. 2 "won us over from the first to the last song."
Al Kratina of the Montreal Gazette gave the album 2 and a half stars out of five saying "It’s all popped collars, testosterone, and pick-up lines, like someone turned a drag race into open mic night" but also adding that one may begin "appreciating the organic drums, the hand-clap production in Professional and the occasional electronic flourish in Go Time."
Track listing
Personnel
- Down with WebsterDown with WebsterDown with Webster, or DWW, is a 7-man Canadian rap rock band from The Beaches area of Toronto, Ontario who signed with Universal Motown in April 2009. During live shows the band occasionally uses a 3-piece horn section....
- producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Tyler Armes - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Dave "D!ggy" Ferris - DJ
- Patrick "Pat" Gillet - 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...
, vocals - Cameron "Cam" Hunter - rap vocalsRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
- Andrew "Marty" Martino - drums
- Martin "Bucky" Seja - rap vocals
- Tyler Armes - bass guitar
- Erik Alcock - additional guitar, background vocals
- Matt Barnes - photography
- Matthew Burnett - additional production
- Boi-1daBoi-1daMatthew Samuels , better known as Boi-1da , is a Canadian hip-hop producer from Toronto, Ontario. He has produced for artists and groups such as Chip tha Ripper, Kardinal Offishall, Clipse, Drake, Eminem, Saukrates, k-os, G-Unit, and The Diplomats among others...
- producer - Demacio "Demo" Castellon - executive producer, engineering, mixing
- Tom Coyne - mastering
- Sunny Diamonds - engineering, mixing, pre-mixing of vocals, additional vocal mixing
- Zale Epstein - producer, engineering
- Far East MovementFar east movementFar East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...
- rap vocals - Jordan Jacobs and Ryan Armes, SpyBox Media - management
- Stephen Kozmeniuk - producer, engineering, additional guitar
- Brett Ryan Kruger - producer
- Tyson Kuteyi - mixing
- Tom Lord-Alge - mixing
- Megaman - producer, additional production
- Gord Marriott - announcer in "Go Time"
- James Robertson - producer, engineering, mixing
- Liz Rodrigues - vocals
- Kathryn Rose - background vocals
- Conner Sharpe - additional engineering
- Shmu - guitar
Chart Performance
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
9 |