Lonely Road (The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus album)

In March 2008, Alternative Press reported that the band were currently in the studio.{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/index.php/news/entry/archive_3594|title=The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus announce acoustic East Coast tour|work=Alternative Press|publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc|date=March 6, 2008|accessdate=July 9, 2017}}

"You Better Pray" was posted on the band's Myspace profile on November 7, 2008, before being released to radio on November 18, 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.allaccess.com/mail/archive/eweekly/alternative/2008-11-11.html|title=AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly|work=AllAccess|date=November 11, 2008|accessdate=July 2, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.punknews.org/article/31170/media-the-red-jumpsuit-apparatus-you-better-pray|title=The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: 'You Better Pray'|publisher=Punknews.org|author=Paul, Aubin|date=November 7, 2008|access-date=June 19, 2022}} On November 22, 2008, it was announced that the group's next album, Lonely Road, would be released in three months' time. In the same announcement, the album's track listing was revealed.{{cite web|url=https://www.punknews.org/article/31371/the-red-jumpsuit-apparatus-detail-new-album|title=The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus detail new album|publisher=Punknews.org|author=Paul, Aubin|date=November 22, 2008|access-date=June 20, 2022}} On December 5, 2008, "Pen & Paper" was released as a free download. Shortly afterwards, the band toured throughout the remainder of the month. On December 15, a music video for "You Better Pray" premiered on MTV2's Unleashed programme.{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/index.php/news/entry/archive_5335|title=The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to premiere video on MTV2|work=Alternative Press|publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc|date=December 11, 2008|accessdate=July 30, 2017}} A day later, it was revealed that guitarist Elias Reidy had left the band back two months prior. In addition, the album's cover art was posted.{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/index.php/news/entry/archive_5386|title=Red Jumpsuit Apparatus guitarist departs, reveal album cover|work=Alternative Press|publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc|date=December 16, 2008|accessdate=July 30, 2017}} Following this, the band started touring again in early January, running into early February.{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/index.php/news/entry/archive_5266|title=The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus announce U.S. tour dates|work=Alternative Press|publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc|date=December 5, 2008|accessdate=July 28, 2017}} On January 14, 2009, "Pull Me Back" and "Represent" were posted on te band's Myspace.{{cite web|url=https://www.punknews.org/article/31935/media-the-red-jumpsuit-apparatus-pull-me-back-represent|title=The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: 'Pull Me Back,' 'Represent'|publisher=Punknews.org|author=Paul, Aubin|date=January 14, 2009|access-date=October 2, 2022}} On January 28, the band's show in Toronto was cancelled due to a snow storm.{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/index.php/news/entry/archive_5790|title=The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus cancel Toronto show|work=Alternative Press|publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc|date=January 28, 2009|accessdate=July 31, 2017}}

Three weeks before the debut of the album, the songs "Represent", "Pull Me Back" and "Believe" were made available for free streaming from their website.{{cite web|url=http://www.redjumpsuitalliance.com/ |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-01-11 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090118110633/http://redjumpsuitalliance.com/ |archivedate=2009-01-18 }} On January 23, the album was made available for streaming through the band's Myspace.{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/index.php/news/entry/archive_5740|title=The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus post full stream of Lonely Road|work=Alternative Press|publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc|date=January 23, 2009|accessdate=July 31, 2017}} Lonely Road was released on February 3 through major label Virgin Records.{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/index.php/news/entry/archive_5237|title=The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Announce Japan Tour and Album|work=Alternative Press|publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc|date=December 3, 2008|accessdate=July 28, 2017}} The vinyl version of the album featured different artwork and included the album on the CD.{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/index.php/news/entry/archive_5465|title=Red Jumpsuit Apparatus to release vinyl for Lonely Road|work=Alternative Press|publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc|date=December 23, 2008|accessdate=July 30, 2017}} The band went on tour in Asia later in February, followed by an appearance at Soundwave festival in Australia in February and March.{{cite web|url=http://fasterlouder.junkee.com/soundwave-line-up-2009/795762|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730130629/http://fasterlouder.junkee.com/soundwave-line-up-2009/795762|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 30, 2017|title=Soundwave Line-up 2009|work=FasterLouder|publisher=Junkee Media|author=Hutton, Sarah|date=September 23, 2008|accessdate=July 13, 2017}} "Pen & Paper" impacted radio on March 3.{{cite web|url=http://www.allaccess.com/mail/archive/eweekly/alternative/2009-2-24.html|title=AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly|work=AllAccess|date=February 24, 2009|accessdate=July 2, 2016}} In April, the band went on a tour of the US with Secondhand Serenade.{{cite web|url=http://www.altpress.com/index.php/news/entry/archive_6433|title=The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus touring with Secondhand Serenade|work=Alternative Press|publisher=Alternative Press Magazine, Inc|date=April 3, 2009|accessdate=August 8, 2017}} On August 19, 2009, a music video was released for "Pen & Paper".{{cite web|url=https://www.punknews.org/article/34859/videos-red-jumpsuit-apparatus-pen-and-paper|title=Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: 'Pen & Paper'|publisher=Punknews.org|author=Paul, Aubin|date=August 19, 2009|access-date=October 10, 2022}}

{{Album ratings

| MC = 54/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/lonely-road|title=Reviews for Lonely Road by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus|work=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=May 5, 2018}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|1.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lonely-road-mw0000807764|title=Lonely Road - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus|last=Leahey|first=Andrew|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=December 15, 2011}}

| rev2 = Alternative Addiction

| rev2score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/Review/1068|title=Album Review of Lonely Road by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus|publisher=Alternative Addiction|accessdate=May 5, 2018}}

| rev3 = Alternative Press

| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}

| rev4 = Rock on Request

| rev4score = (favorable) {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20111009182201/http://www.rockonrequest.com/id230.html link]}}

| rev5 = Rolling Stone

| rev5score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/25574863/review/25597109/lonely_road|title=Lonely Road : The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus|last=Hoard|first=Christian|magazine=Rolling Stone|author-link=Christian Hoard|publisher=Wenner Media|date=January 23, 2009|accessdate=May 5, 2018|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130071255/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/25574863/review/25597109/lonely_road|archivedate=January 30, 2009|url-status=dead}}

}}

Lonely Road garnered mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 54, based on 5 reviews. A writer from Alternative Addiction wrote that the band "expanded outside their pop punk sound", saying that "No Spell" and the title track contain "a heavy dose of pop" and both "You Better Pray" and "Pleads and Postcards" "blend[s] into the rock territory," saying they've "added on some new things that they couldn’t or didn’t do with the last album and they built on the things they did well." Rolling Stone{{'}}s Christian Hoard said about the record, "The band skips between emo pop and orchestral pomp while applying plenty of major-label gloss. The result: Much of the time the Jumpsuits end up sounding like a lesser version of Hawthorne Heights." AllMusic writer Andrew Leahey panned the album for overreaching on tracks that either contain "symphonic string schmaltz and fist-pumping guitars ("Represent")" or get excessive by adding "an honest-to-God gospel during the title track," and criticized Ronnie Winter's vocal delivery of "acrobatic flips around every melody, oversinging the songs within an inch of their lives." He concluded that "Don't You Fake It may have suffered from a lack of variety, but Lonely Road is plagued by different diseases: misguided ambition, outlandish excess, and a bad case of the ol' sophomore slump."

The album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, selling 26,000 copies in its first week. It outperformed their debut effort Don't You Fake It, which placed at number 25 and sold 1,000 fewer copies.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/269428/the-fray-topples-springsteen-on-billboard-200|title=The Fray Topples Springsteen On Billboard 200|last=Hasty|first=Katie|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Eldridge Industries|date=February 11, 2009|accessdate=May 5, 2018}}

All lyrics written by Ronnie Winter, all music written by Ronnie Winter, Elias Reidy, and Duke Kitchens.

{{Track listing

| title1 = You Better Pray

| length1 = 3:35

| title2 = No Spell

| length2 = 3:03

| title3 = Pen & Paper

| length3 = 3:24

| title4 = Represent

| length4 = 3:24

| title5 = Pull Me Back

| length5 = 3:10

| title6 = Step Right Up

| length6 = 3:47

| title7 = Believe

| length7 = 4:14

| title8 = Pleads and Postcards

| length8 = 3:28

| title9 = Lonely Road

| length9 = 4:14

| title10 = Senioritis

| length10 = 2:20

| title11 = Godspeed

| length11 = 5:37

}}

• Ronnie Winter – lead vocals, keyboard
• Elias Reidy – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Duke Kitchens – rhythm guitar
• Joey Westwood – bass guitar
• Jon Wilkes – drums, percussion

{{reflist}}

{{The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus}}

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Category:2009 albums

Category:The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus albums

Category:Albums produced by Howard Benson