Rise and Shine is the third EP by American singer and songwriter Cassadee Pope, released on August 7, 2020 through Awake Music. Pope co-wrote all eight of the tracks and also co-produced the record with Todd Lombardo, both firsts in her solo career.[1][2]

Rise and Shine
EP by
ReleasedAugust 7, 2020 (2020-08-07)
GenreCountry pop
Length27:12
LabelAwake Music
Producer
  • Todd Lombardo
  • Cassadee Pope
Cassadee Pope chronology
Stages
(2019)
Rise and Shine
(2020)
Thrive
(2021)

Recording edit

Rise and Shine includes a cover of "Hangover", originally recorded by Pope's band Hey Monday on their 2010 extended play, Beneath It All.[1] The other seven songs were written in 2017 but were not recorded in full until 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Pope's boyfriend, actor and musician Sam Palladio, is featured as a backing vocalist on "California Dreaming".[1] The album is recorded acoustically to showcase the song's messages. "I wanted people to hear these in their purest form so I went with a more stripped back sound that really lets the lyrics stand out," Pope told MusicRow.[2]

Promotion edit

Pope announced the release of the album on June 22, 2020.[2] "Let Me Go" and "Built This House" were released to online music stores and music streaming services on June 26.[4] Two more songs - "Hoodie" and "Counting on the Weather" - were then released July 17, 2020.[5] Pope hosted virtual release parties for the lyric video of "Let Me Go" and "Hoodie", respectively, on June 25 and July 16.[5] A lyric video for the title track premiered August 6, 2020 one day ahead of the album's release.[6]

Critical reception edit

Rianna Turner of Forbes wrote that the acoustic format "puts [Pope's] flexible voice front-and-center," and that Pope's vocal performance is "marked by its clarity."[3] Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal gave the song an "A" rating and wrote that Pope's "voice is crystalline and heavenly on this organic record."[7]

Track listing edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let Me Go"
3:26
2."Hoodie"
  • Pope
  • Johan Fransson
  • Emily Weisband
3:01
3."California Dreaming" (featuring Sam Palladio)
3:39
4."Counting on the Weather"
  • Pope
  • Bobby Huff
  • Blair Daly
3:30
5."Hangover"3:09
6."Rise and Shine"
3:40
7."Sand Paper"
  • Pope
  • Kline
  • Stevens
3:33
8."Built This House"
  • Pope
  • Forest Glen Whitehead
  • Kelly Archer
3:14
Total length:27:12

Chart performance edit

Chart (2020) Peak
position
UK Country Albums (OCC)[8] 13
US Current Album Sales (Billboard)[9] 82

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Leimkuehler, Matthew (August 6, 2020). "'Rise and Shine' with a pandemic-produced acoustic album from Cassadee Pope". The Tennessean. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Hollabaugh, Lorie (June 22, 2020). "Cassadee Pope Announces New Acoustic Album 'Rise And Shine'". MusicRow. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Turner, Rianna (August 6, 2020). "Time For An Acoustic Album: How Cassadee Pope's 'Rise And Shine' Is A Product Of the Pandemic". Forbes. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  4. ^ CMT.com Staff (June 26, 2020). "Cassadee Pope Greets a New Day With Rise and Shine". CMT. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Cassadee Pope Releases Two Additional Tracks From Her Upcoming Acoustic Album Rise and Shine" (Press Release). The Country Note. July 17, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Mauch, Ally (August 6, 2020). "Cassadee Pope Urges Fans to 'Push Through Whatever They're Facing' with New Song 'Rise and Shine'". People. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  7. ^ Papadatos, Markos (August 7, 2020). "Review: Cassadee Pope releases amazing acoustic album 'Rise and Shine'". Digital Journal. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  9. ^ "Cassadee Pope Chart History – Current Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2020.