The Blessed Unrest

Background

On February 26, 2013, Bareilles posted a video on YouTube stating that she was "Making a Record" and to "stay tuned for more updates." Following this, a video series began with featuring six 2-minute installments showing Bareilles recording her album. On July 9, a week before the release, Bareilles made the album available for free streaming on iTunes.

Songs on this album are reflections of Bareilles' experiences, like going through a break-up.

Recording

The Blessed Unrest was recorded in New York City and Los Angeles in early 2013 with co-producers John O'Mahony and Kurt Uenala. Electric Lady Studios was used to record the tracks in New York City.

Promotion

On March 27, Bareilles announced the Brave Enough Tour, an 18 city US tour ahead of the album's release. Tickets to the solo acoustic tour sold out in just three minutes. In June, Bareilles also announced a co-headlining tour with OneRepublic, setting to begin on August 29.

Sara performed "Brave" and "I Choose You" on Live! with Kelly and Michael on July 17, 2013. She performed "Brave" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on July 19, 2013, appeared on the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown on July 20, 2013, and on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on July 22, 2013.

Singles

"Brave" was released on April 23, 2013 as the lead single from the album. It was co-written by Jack Antonoff from the band Fun. An official lyric video was premiered on April 17, 2013. The song debuted and initially peaked at #15 at the US Billboard Hot 100, and #20 on its Hot Digital Songs chart. Following widespread comparisons to Katy Perry's "Roar", "Brave" re-entered the Hot 100 and eventually reached a peak of #5 on the billboards. The song has received positive reviews, many deeming it as one of her most "anthemic" singles to date.

"I Choose You" was announced on January 17, 2014 as the second single through Bareilles's Twitter's account. The song reached #81 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on Billboard's Adult Pop Songs chart. Bareilles released the accompanying video on her YouTube channel on May 5, 2014.

Music and lyrics

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic told that the music is "moody and textured, rolling out at a deliberate pace and colored in blues and greys, skillfully skirting the edges of alienation". At Billboard, Jason Lipshutz felt that the album is "exciting when viewed in its larger context as a transitional album; the 12-song collection has its share of light fare that could earn spins on adult contemporary radio, but it's also more lyrically daring and serious-sounding". Elysa Garnder of USA Today stated that the release's "lingering traces of preciousness are mitigated by her sinewy hooks and thoughtful, tasteful delivery." At Entertainment Weekly, they said Bareilles is "channeling Fiona Apple and Florence Welch".

At Rolling Stone, Stacey Anderson touched on that "The Blessed Unrest is full of broad, exposition-heavy vignettes of heartache and resiliency; the songs feel groomed for rom-com soundtracks." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times felt that "vocally, Ms. Bareilles sounds bright, too, and comfortable [...] doing her familiar trick of making the melancholy chirp."

Critical reception

The Blessed Unrest received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, they assign a weighted average score based on reviews and ratings from selected mainstream critics, and the Metascore is a 68, based on seven reviews.

At AbsolutePunk, Craig Manning felt that Bareilles built "the sort of stunning and nuanced arrangements that elevate her songs beyond traditional singer/songwriter fare." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that "its melancholy is warm and inviting." At Billboard, Jason Lipshutz evoked that the "new album was the result of unrest, but as its title suggests, she has positively embraced her dissatisfaction and subsequently grown as an artist." Elysa Gardner of USA Today called this Bareilles' "most mature and satisfying to date, with fewer of the twee touches that marred her previous fare." At Entertainment Weekly, they said the album is " a lovely collection of confessional sketches."

However, Stacey Anderson at Rolling Stone highlighted that the release "hints at more adventurous paths left unexplored in its abstract piano and slightly distorted harmonies [...] odd, intriguing tools she could use for a second-act career twist, if she indulges them." Because of this, Anderson noted that Bareilles was "just too diplomatic." At The New York Times, Jon Caramanica was mixed on the album, when he alluded to how "Ms. Bareilles is hiding behind styles that aren’t her own." Brett Faulkner of PopMatters wrote that the release is a "well conceived effort, but not sans flaws."

Commercial performance

In the United States, the album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on its first week of release, with around 68,000 copies sold that week. It was ranked No. 134 on the 2013 Year End Billboard 200 chart. As of June 2016, the album has sold 500,000 copies in the US.

Track listing

The track listing was confirmed via iTunes on May 14.

Personnel