This Life is the debut album by Irish acoustic hip-hop group the Original Rudeboys (now O.R.B.), released on 23 March 2012 in Ireland[6] and 12 April 2012 in the UK through Gotta Run Records.[2] It came in at number 1 on The Independent Charts and number 3 on the Irish Album Chart.[7] It has been certified Multi Platinum in Ireland by the IRMA.[8][9] It was met with generally mixed reviews from music critics.
| This Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 March 2012 (Ireland)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2011–2012 in Surrey, England[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:31 | |||
| Label | Gotta Run Records[2] | |||
| Producer | Jake Gosling[1] | |||
| The Original Rudeboys chronology | ||||
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| Singles from This Life | ||||
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The album was recorded in the UK with Jake Gosling, best known for producing Ed Sheeran's multi-platinum debut album.[2]
The first single, "Stars in My Eyes", was released on 14 October 2011 and peaked at No. 18 on the Irish Singles Chart.[10][11] The second single, "Travelling Man", released on 9 March 2012 was met with similar success and peaked at No. 23 on the Irish Singles Chart.[12][13] The third single, Written songs was released 20 June 2012 and mirrored the success of the first two singles by reaching No. 39 on the Irish Singles Chart.[14] The fourth and final single, "Blue Eyes", was released 9 November 2012 after being re-recorded and remixed by Ash Howes who has previously worked with The Saturdays, One Direction and Ellie Goulding.[15]
Reception edit
Critical opinion for This Life was mixed. Jackie Hayden of Hot Press called it "passionate rap with an Irish passport" and praised the contrast between the two vocalists.[16] Niall Swan of Irish music website "Golden Plec" said "Burch's vocals are reminiscent of Jason Mraz or Jack Johnson in their prime and it is the contrast between the accents of the two vocalists which make The Original Rudeboys be exactly what they claim to be, original."[17] While The Irish Times critisied the blending of Burch and Arkins vocals stating they created "odd Frankensteins of songs".[18] John Meagher of the Irish Independent was also critical of the two vocalists calling Burchs' voice "bland" and stating Arkins' "Dublinese rapping" would not have any impact internationally.[19]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Sean "Neddy" Arkins, Robert Burch, Sean Walsh
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stars in My Eyes" | 2:59 |
| 2. | "Travelling Man" (co-written with Jake Gosling[10]) | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Sunny Days" | 3:47 |
| 4. | "Me and My Mind" | 3:59 |
| 5. | "Live Your Life" | 3:55 |
| 6. | "Bringing Me Down" | 2:58 |
| 7. | "Blue Eyes" | 3:57 |
| 8. | "Complicated" | 3:52 |
| 9. | "In Too Deep" | 3:18 |
| 10. | "Written Songs" | 4:10 |
Charts edit
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[22] | 3 |
| Irish Independent Albums Chart[23] | 1 |
References edit
- ^ a b c d "The Original Rudeboys confirm album release date". Meg.ie. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ a b c "The Original Rudeboys – Gotta Run". Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Stars in My Eyes – Single by The Original Rudeboys". iTunes. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Written Songs (Feeling Good) – EP by The Original Rudeboys". iTunes. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "iTunes – Music – Blue Eyes – Single by The Original Rudeboys". iTunes. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- ^ "Our Debut Album "This Life"". Theoriginalrudeboys.com. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "10 things you (probably) didn't know about The Original Rudeboys". Theoriginalrudeboys.com. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "The Original Rudeboys add second date to Olympia Theatre date due to demand". Archived from the original on 5 March 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ ""This Life" goes GOLD". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Whelan's Blog Archive – The Original Rudeboys". Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "Original Rudeboys – Stars in My Eyes – Music Charts". αCharts. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "The Original Rudeboys Announce Two Christmas Shows at the Academy". Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "Original Rudeboys – Travelling Man – Music Charts". αCharts. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "Original Rudeboys – Written Songs – Music Charts". αCharts. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "The Original Rudeboys to release new single". Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ "This Life". Hotpress.com. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "Review: The Original Rudeboys – This Life". 22 March 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "The Original Rudeboys". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "Life story too nice for inner-city Rudeboys". Independent.ie. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "ITunes - Music - This Life (Deluxe Edition) by the Original Rudeboys". iTunes. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ^ "This Life – The Original Rudeboys: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: Allmusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Original Rudeboys". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ "Top 10 Independent Artist Albums, Week Ending 29 March 2012". Chart-Track. GfK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2013.