Permission to Fly
Permission to Fly is the second and final studio album by American singer-songwriter Jordan Pruitt. On July 22, 2008, the album was released to all Limited Too stores only and in September the album was released on iTunes. On August 26, 2008 the album was given a physical release. The worldwide premiere of the album was broadcast over Radio Disney on July 19, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time and 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The encore also aired on July 21, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time and 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.[1] For unknown reasons, the album was removed from the iTunes Store on September 19, 2008.
| Permission to Fly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 22, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2007–2008 | |||
| Genre | Pop, teen pop, dance-pop, urban pop | |||
| Length | 39:26 | |||
| Label | Hollywood | |||
| Jordan Pruitt chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Permission to Fly | ||||
Background
Before the release of "Permission to Fly," Pruitt had signed on as the spokesperson for several multi-media national marketing campaigns with Kraft Foods, Kimberly-Clark, Colgate-Palmolive, Samsung and the Limited Too brands. When picking songs for the album, Pruitt used her "5-second rule." If the track didn't grab her in five seconds, she didn't record it. Pruitt worked with a team of top songwriter/producers - including Shelly Peiken (Christina Aguilera, Michelle Branch, Keith Urban), Arnthor Birgisson (Enrique Iglesias, Celine Dion), Tim James & Antonina Armato (Miley Cyrus, Aly & AJ, Vanessa Hudgens), and Adam Watts & Andy Dodd (Jesse McCartney). Pruitt also co-wrote many of the songs. Jordan wanted the album to be more mature than her previous album, "I kind of grew up after the first record was done," she says. "I became more of myself. I really found out who I was and what I wanted to be."
Composition
The album's main genre is pop music, but it features roots of jazz, R&B, and reggae, which is very apparent in the first single, "One Love."[2] Almost all the songs are about teen romance, from crushes and love at first sight, to breakups and broken hearts. "My Shoes" is about school crushes, "Boyfriend" is a confident assertion that her boyfriend won't be stolen by a flirtatious rival, and "Simple Things" is a song about how much pain can be caused by the smallest reminder of a former love. However, not all of the songs on this album are about love. "Permission to Fly" is about finding your own identity, and in "Unconditional" Pruitt sings about how unconditional love gets her through the toughest of times.[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Love" | Leah Haywood, Daniel James, Shelly Peiken | 2:59 |
| 2. | "My Shoes" | Arnthor Birgisson, Savan Kotecha | 3:26 |
| 3. | "In Love for a Day" | Antonina Armato, Tim James, Jordan Pruitt | 2:48 |
| 4. | "Boyfriend" | Armato, James, Pruitt | 3:32 |
| 5. | "Unconditional" | David Kopatz, Ben Dunk, Angie Irons | 3:43 |
| 6. | "I'm Gone" | Adam Watts, Andy Dodd, Pruitt | 2:38 |
| 7. | "Simple Things" | Haywood, James | 2:45 |
| 8. | "Permission to Fly" | Aris Archontis, Jeannie Lurie, Chen Neeman | 3:13 |
| 9. | "The Way You Do the Things You Do" | Smokey Robinson, Robert Rogers | 2:54 |
| 10. | "Secrets" | Armato, James, Pruitt | 4:11 |
| 11. | "I Wanna Go Back" | Watts, Dodd, Pruitt | 3:18 |
| 12. | "Always" | Armato, James, Pruitt, Sean Hurley | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 39:26 | ||
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Common Sense Media[3] |   |
| AllMusic[4] | Mixed |
| Pop Reviews Now[5] | |
The reviews for the album have been mostly positive.
Common Sense Media said "While some of the songs have a bubblegum sound and predictable lyrics, there are some very likeable bright spots on the album, including a sassy remake of the Temptations classic, The Way You Do The Things You Do, and the surprisingly jazzy, syncopated Secrets. And, not all of the songs on this album are about boy stuff. Permission to Fly is about finding your own identity; in Unconditional, Jordan reminds us that she's a girl of faith, and how that gets her through the toughest of times. If nothing else, this teen is versatile." They gave the album three out of five stars.
AllMusic gave the album a mixed review saying, "On her 2008 sophomore outing, Permission To Fly, young Southern singer Jordan Pruitt presents another assured set of Disney-approved pop. While there are no drastic stylistic departures, Pruitt expands on her straightforward teen-pop sound with the reggae-tinged One Love (not to be confused with the Bob Marley song of the same name) and the R&B-leaning Unconditional." They put "One Love", "Unconditional", and "Simple Things" as the stand-out tracks on the album.
Pop Reviews Now gave the album five stars, saying "When I heard the first few tracks on the album, my first reaction was finally, Disney got something right." "Pruitt's first album was good, it showed off her range and what she could do but it was a bit juvenile. This album on the other hand, is more grown up, but not in the radical or confused way. Her music was and still is very well-defined, it's like a breath of fresh air after a few disasters and it's put Disney back in my good books." "Of course, there are a few tracks which I'm not a big fan of but I just have to say that the production team and everyone involved in the album very clearly gave every single track an enormous amount of attention." They also stated that they didn't like Pruitt's cover of "The Way You Do The Things You Do", and "Permission To Fly." They put "In Love For A Day", "Simple Things", "I'm Gone" and "Unconditional", as the best tracks. They also added the album on their list of "Top Albums of 2008" at number eight.
Credits
Credits for Permission To Fly adapted from Allmusic[6]
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Singles
"One Love"
Released: June 10, 2008 (MySpace), June 14, 2008 (Radio Disney), July 8, 2008 (iTunes)
Length: 3:02
Genre: Dance-pop, reggae
Label: Hollywood
Writers: Leah Haywood, Daniel James, Shelly Peiken
"One Love" is the lead single from Permission to Fly. A snippet of the song was added on Pruitt's MySpace on June 10, 2008. She performed the song at the opening of the Disney Channel Games in 2008. It premiered on Radio Disney on June 14, 2008 and was produced by Shelly Peiken. It was available on iTunes on July 8, 2008. "One Love" was very successful on Radio Disney, appearing in the top three of Radio Disney's website multiple times. The song failed to attract Top 40 mainstream radio airplay, and therefore did not chart.
"My Shoes"
Released: October 3, 2008 (Radio Disney), October 7, 2008 (MySpace), December 21, 2008 (iTunes)
Length: 3:04
Genre: Dance-pop, R&B
Label: Hollywood
Writers: Arnthor Birgisson, Savan Kotecha
"My Shoes" is the second single from the Permission to Fly. Pruitt performed the song at the opening of the Disney Channel Games in 2008. It premiered on Radio Disney on October 3, 2008. The music video for "My Shoes" was shot in a high school in Los Angeles, California on August 27, 2008. On December 21, 2008 "My Shoes" was released to iTunes.
In March 2008, Pruitt started to discuss a second single from Permission to Fly with her record label. She and her record label went right for "My Shoes" so it was ready to be the second single. It was released on October 7, 2008. It was shown on the Disney Channel Games 2008. Like Pruitt's lead single from this album, "My Shoes" also failed to attract mainstream radio airplay and the song did not chart.
Release history
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| United States | July 22, 2008 (Limited Too release) |
| August 26, 2008 (Amazon.com release) |
References
- Planet Premiere of "Permission to Fly" on Radio Disney. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2009-07-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link). Retrieved on July 20, 2008.
- https://www.amazon.com/Permission-To-Fly-Jordan-Pruitt/dp/B001C0JRII
- "Permission to Fly - Music Review". 20 August 2008.
- "Permission to Fly - Jordan Pruitt | Songs, Reviews, Credits".
- "Jordan Pruitt - Permission to Fly | Pop Reviews Now".
- "Permission to Fly - Jordan Pruitt | Credits".
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