Changed (album)

Changed is the eighth studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It is their second studio album released on Big Machine Records, and was released on April 3, 2012. The band released the album's debut single, "Banjo", on January 16, 2012. The album's second single "Come Wake Me Up" released to country radio on May 21, 2012. The album's third single, "Changed", released to country radio on December 17, 2012, AC and Christian AC on January 22, 2013. On June 28, 2013, Rascal Flatts released "Sunrise" as their first official single in the UK. This is the first album from the group to not have a Top 40 hit on the pop chart. This is the group's first album not to go platinum and last to go gold.

Changed
Studio album by Rascal Flatts
Released	April 3, 2012 (2012-04-03)
Genre	Country
Length	44:08 (Standard Edition) 58:08 (Deluxe Edition)
Label	Big Machine
Producer	Dann Huff Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts chronology
The Best of Rascal Flatts Live (2011) Changed (2012) Rewind (2014)
Singles from Changed
"Banjo" Released: January 16, 2012 "Come Wake Me Up" Released: May 21, 2012 "Changed" Released: December 17, 2012 "Sunrise" Released: June 28, 2013

Content

Gary LeVox explains the title, "Actually there's a song on the album called "Changed" and it's a really, really special song. And we thought that title of that song really captures what this new season of our career is because everything in our professional career has changed...(we) thought the title was appropriate." Rascal Flatts worked with long-time producer Dann Huff on their new album but also produced a few of the tracks on their own.

The Limited Deluxe Edition 'ZinePak includes the 15-song Changed Deluxe CD, an exclusive 72-page magazine, and a set of four Rascal Flatts guitar picks. The magazine includes exclusive interviews with Gary, Jay and Joe Don, rare photographs, lyrics, commentary on the band's career and much more. Only 40,000 copies are available. The Limited Deluxe Edition version was exclusively available at Wal-Mart stores.

In the weeks leading up to the album's release, three promotional singles were released for music download; the title track was released on March 13, 2012, "Hot In Here" on March 20, 2012, and "She's Leaving" on March 27, 2012.

Commercial performance

In the United States, the album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 130,000 copies. It also was the trio's seventh consecutive album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, making them only the fourth act in Nielsen Soundscan history to attain this goal. As of April 3, 2013, the album has sold 502,000 copies in the US.

In Australia, Changed made its debut on the ARIA albums at No. 51 and peaked at No. 2, the band's highest position on the ARIA country chart to date. On January 11, 2013, Changed debuted on the Swedish Albums Chart at No. 14. It is the band's first appearance and highest position on the Swedish Albums Chart to date. In the United Kingdom, "Changed" debuted on the Official UK Albums Top 100 chart at No. 87 and No. 1 on the Country Artist Albums Top 20 chart.

As of April 2014, the album has sold 560,000 copies in the United States.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Associated Press	(positive)
Country Weekly
Roughstock
Taste of Country
Under The Gun Review	7/10
USA Today
The New York Times	(positive)
About.com
ukCOUNTRYmusic.NET

Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the album four stars out of five, saying that it was true that Changed is the most country project they've released in 10 years, and there are some new approaches on tracks like "Sunrise" and "Let It Hurt", on which he notes, "The second verse of this dark, brooding ballad is brilliant, and LeVox goes somewhere deep to bring it to life." Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave it four stars out of five, saying, "Changed represents the continuation of a new chapter for the trio in their career and while the songs on the album don't represent the "change" some critics and some fans may have hoped for, what they have done is provide their loyal set of fans and other country fans a strong, consistent album of radio-ready material and something that can compete with the bands chompin' at their feet to take their place as the #1 band in country music."" Jessica Nicholson of Country Weekly gave the release three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that "the album lacks some of the energy and freshness of 2010's Nothing Like This, but introspective tunes such as "A Little Home," "Sunrise" and "Come Wake Me Up" add even more depth to the trio's sound." AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album three out of five stars, saying the album "errs on the side of caution" and "toned down the brightness" from their prior release, but praised the consistency of the songs and the "cool assured adult contemporary pulse of "Hot in Here."" Michael McCall of the Associated Press gave the album a positive review, saying that they sound wiser and more grounded, balancing grown-up, light country-rockers with ballads grounded in real life and the album proves they have moved forward in the most important of ways — with their music. Grace Duffy of the Under The Gun Review gave the album seven out of ten stars, saying that the album is an open and natural addition to Rascal Flatts’ repertoire. Meena Iyer of Musicperk gave the album eight-and-a-half out of ten stars, saying "the album is a mixture of soulful music which can melt your heart and few fun upbeat tracks to make you dance." Brian Mansfield of USA Today gave the album three out of five stars, saying "the trio has streamlined its mix of pop and country in Changed." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times gave the album a positive review, saying "on this album has largely taken to heart." Robert Silva of About.com gave the album three out of five stars, saying "the new record puts the trio in more rootsy territory than their previous effort, Nothing Like This." Sarah Gibson of ukCOUNTRYmusic.NET gave the album nine out of ten stars, saying "this album reflects the style we know and love from the group and not a "changed" style as the title suggests, and the album is reflective of their true country roots."

Tours

Rascal Flatts started their Changed Tour on October 26, 2012 and their Live and Loud Tour on May 31, 2013.

Set list

The following set list is representative of the show in Camden that Took Place at Susquehanna Bank Center. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

Camden

1. "Changed"
2. "Banjo"
3. "Summer Nights
4. "Fan Choice"
5. "Fan Choice"
6. "Fan Choice"
7. "Stand"
8. "Come Wake Me Up"
9. "Hot in Here"
10. "Bless The Broken Road"
11. "Fast Cars and Freedom"
12. "Me and My Gang"
13. "What Hurts The Most
14. "Life Is a Highway" (Tom Cochrane cover)

Encore

1. "We're an American Band" (Grand Funk Railroad cover) (with all three openers)

Tour dates

Tour dates
Date	City	Country	Venue
Leg 1 – North America 2012
June 15, 2012	Hartford	United States	Comcast Theatre
June 23, 2012	Bristow		Jiffy Lube Live
June 24, 2012	Virginia Beach		Farm Bureau Live
June 29, 2012	Cuyahoga Falls		Blossom Music Center
June 30, 2012	Darien Lake		Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
October 6, 2012	Grand Rapids		Van Andel Arena
October 26, 2012	Tampa		Live Nation Amphitheatre
October 27, 2012	West Palm Beach		Cruzan Amphitheater
October 29, 2012	Battle Creek		FireKeepers Casino Hotel
Leg 2 – North America 2013
January 10, 2013	Green Bay	United States	Resch Center
January 11, 2013	Moline		iWireless Center
January 12, 2013	Springfield		JQH Arena
January 17, 2013	Sioux City		Tyson Events Center
January 18, 2013	Tulsa		BOK Center
January 19, 2013	Wichita		INTRUST Bank Arena
January 24, 2013	Spokane		Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
January 25, 2013	Missoula		Adams Center
January 26, 2013	Billing		Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark
February 2, 2013	New Orleans		New Orleans Sugar Mill (CMT Crossroads with Journey)
February 7, 2013	Terre Haute		ISU Hulman Center
February 8, 2013	Lexington		Rupp Arena
February 9, 2013	Columbus		Nationwide Arena
February 14, 2013	North Charleston		North Charleston Coliseum
February 15, 2013	Greensboro		Greensboro Coliseum
February 16, 2013	Charlottesville		John Paul Jones Arena
February 21, 2013	Wilkes-Barre		Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
February 22, 2013	Youngstown		Covelli Centre
February 23, 2013	Pickeville		Eastern Kentucky Expo Center
February 28, 2013	Topeka		Landon Arena
March 1, 2013	Jonesboro		ASU Convocation Center
March 2, 2013	Tupelo		BancorpSouth Arena
Leg 3 – Australia 2013
March 13, 2013	South Bank	Australia	Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
March 15, 2013	Melbourne		Palais Theatre
March 17, 2013	Hunter Valley		Hope Estate Winery

Box office score data

Venue	City	Tickets sold / Available	Gross revenue
I wireless Center	Moline	7,867 / 10,228 (76%)	$332,159
Comcast Center	Mansfield	12,987 / 14,000 (93%)	$536,442
Comcast Theatre	Hartford	24,003 / 24,003 (100%)	$890,557
Saratoga Performing Arts Center	Saratoga Springs	12,988 / 20,000 (72%)	$539,552

Track listing

Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Changed"	Gary LeVox, Wendell Mobley, Neil Thrasher	4:22
2.	"Banjo"	Tony Martin, Mobley, Thrasher	4:16
3.	"Hot in Here"	Dallas Davidson, Ashley Gorley, Kelley Lovelace	3:51
4.	"Come Wake Me Up"	Johan Fransson, Tim Larsson, Tobias Lundgren, Sean McConnell	4:23
5.	"She's Leaving"	Tom Hambridge, Jeffrey Steele	3:16
6.	"Let It Hurt"	Jay DeMarcus, Gordie Sampson, Caitlyn Smith	3:53
7.	"Lovin' Me"	Tom Shapiro, Thrasher, Jimmy Yeary	3:25
8.	"Hurry Baby"	Paul Jenkins, Jason Sellers, Shapiro	3:55
9.	"Sunrise"	Nathan Chapman, Joe Don Rooney	5:06
10.	"Great Big Love"	LeVox, Kara DioGuardi, Marti Frederiksen, Sampson	3:23
11.	"A Little Home"	Gorley, Lovelace, Thrasher	4:01
Total length:			44:08

Deluxe Edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Friday"	Ira Dean, Jeffrey Steele	2:56
13.	"Fall Here"	Lee Thomas Miller, Neil Thrasher, Tom Shapiro	3:28
14.	"Right One Time"	Wendell Mobley, Jimmy Yeary, Tony Martin	3:24
15.	"Next to You, Next to Me"	Robert Ellis Orrall, Curtis Wright	4:08
Total length:			58:08

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (2012)	Peak position
Australian Country Albums (ARIA)	2
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	10
Scottish Albums (OCC)	70
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	14
UK Albums (OCC)	87
UK Country Albums (OCC)	1
US Billboard 200	3
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2012)	Position
US Billboard 200	68
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)	17
Chart (2013)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)	40

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		US Country	US Country Airplay	US Christian	US Christian AC	US	CAN Country	CAN
2012	"Banjo"	1	—	—	—	51	—	57
	"Come Wake Me Up"	8	4	—	—	52	—	99
	"Changed"	25	20	21	23	73	43	54
2013	"Sunrise"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Certifications

Region	Certification
United States (RIAA)	Gold

Personnel

The following musicians are credited on the booklet.

Rascal Flatts

• Jay DeMarcus – bass guitar, backing vocals, electric guitar (10, 13), bouzouki (13), mandolin (13), lead vocals (10)
• Gary LeVox – lead vocals
• Joe Don Rooney – electric guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar (14), lead vocals (10)

Additional Musicians

• Charlie Judge – Hammond B3 organ (1, 2, 3, 9), synthesizers (1, 3, 4, 6, 9), keyboards (2, 5, 7, 8, 10-15), synth strings (4, 6), programming (8, 10, 12, 13, 15)
• Robbie Buchanan – Wurlitzer electric piano (2), acoustic piano (3, 4, 6, 7, 8)
• Gordon Mote – acoustic piano (6, 11, 14)
• David Huff – programming (10, 13)
• Sean Neff – programming (10)
• Tom Bukovac – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (11, 14, 15)
• Dann Huff – electric guitar (1, 2, 4-9, 11, 14), acoustic guitar (1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 14), 12-string acoustic guitar (2), bouzouki (2, 4, 14), mandolin (2, 4, 7, 9, 14), B-Bender guitar (3), ganjo (4), banjo (9), sitar (9), programming (13)
• Ilya Toshinsky – acoustic guitar (1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10-15), banjo (2, 5), fiddle (2), dobro (5), bouzouki (6), mandolin (7, 10, 11, 12), octomandolin (7)
• Paul Franklin – steel guitar (3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 14)
• Travis Toy – banjo (7), steel guitar (10, 12, 13), dobro (15)
• Dorian Crozier – drums (1-4, 7, 8)
• Chris McHugh – drums (5, 6, 9, 11, 14)
• Shannon Forrest – drums (10, 12, 13, 15), cowbell (10)
• Eric Darken – percussion (1-9, 11, 14)
• Jonathan Yudkin – fiddle (2, 5), accordion (3), mandolin (3), viola (3, 5, 11), cello (5, 11), violin (5, 11)
• Jenee Fleener – fiddle (10, 12, 15), viola (13), violin (13)
• Jill Johnson – lead vocals (4)

Production

• Dann Huff – producer (1-9, 11, 14)
• Rascal Flatts – producers
• Darrell Franklin – A&R
• Allison Jones – A&R
• Kelly King – A&R
• Drew Bollman – recording (1-9, 11, 14), recording assistant (1-9, 11, 14), mix assistant (1-9, 11, 14)
• Mark Hagen – recording (1-9, 11, 14), digital editing (1-9, 11, 14)
• Sean Neff – recording, digital editing, mixing (10, 12, 13, 15)
• Justin Niebank – recording (1-9, 11, 14), mixing (1-9, 11, 14)
• Amir Aly – vocal recording for Jill Johnson (4)
• Taylor Nyquist – recording assistant
• Seth Morton – mix assistant (1-9, 11, 14)
• Nathan Yarborough – mix assistant (1-9, 11, 14)
• Adam Ayan – mastering
• Big Machine Creative – art direction
• Becky Reiser – design
• Randee St. Nicholas – photography
• Spalding Entertainment – management

Studios

• Recorded at Blackbird Studio and The Grip Recording Studio (Nashville, Tennessee); Pop Planet Studios (Johannesburg, South Africa).
• Mixed at Blackbird Studio and The Grip Recording Studio.
• Mastered at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine).

Release history

Country	Date	Edition(s)	Label	Format(s)
United States	April 3, 2012	Standard, Deluxe	Big Machine Records	CD, Digital download
Canada			Universal Music
Australia	April 6, 2012
New Zealand
Sweden	January 2, 2013	Deluxe	Lionheart Music Group
Netherlands	January 4, 2013		Universal Music
Brunei Darussalam	January 7, 2013		Big Machine Records	Digital download
Belarus
Belgium
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Spain
Estonia
Finland
France
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Moldova
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Switzerland
Slovakia
Turkey
Ukraine
Russia
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Cape Verde
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea-Bissau
India
Israel
Kenya
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
South Africa
Swaziland
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Cambodia
Fiji
Indonesia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstana
Lao, People's Democratic Republic
Malaysia
Federated States of Micronesia
Mongolia
Nepal
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Tajikistan
Thailand
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Singapore
Macao
Hong Kong
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Bermuda
Bolivia
Brasil
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Trinidad and Tobago
Venezuela
Germany	January 22, 2013	Universal Music	CD, Digital download
Austria
Slovenia
Taiwan	February 1, 2013
Japan	February 13, 2013
Ireland	July 5, 2013
United Kingdom	July 8, 2013	Decca Records