Closer to the Truth | ||||
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Studio album by Cher | ||||
Released | September 20, 2013 | |||
Recorded | July 2011 – April 2013 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:15 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer |
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Cher chronology | ||||
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Singles from Closer to the Truth | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 61/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
About.com | |
AllMusic | |
The Guardian | |
Idolator | |
The Montreal Gazette | |
Newsday | B+ |
New York Daily News | |
PopMatters | 7/10 |
Slant Magazine | |
USA Today |
Closer to the Truth is the twenty-fifth studio album by American singer-actress Cher. It was released on September 20, 2013 by Warner Bros. Records. Opting to re-establish her music career, she began planning the project in 2011, shortly after her appearance in the movie Burlesque and the conclusion of her residency show at Caesars Palace. Work continued into 2012 and 2013. While the album was initially planned to be pop rock-oriented, Closer to the Truth ultimately became a prominently dance-inspired record. As executive producer, she enlisted longtime collaborator Mark Taylor to work alongside new producers such as Paul Oakenfold, Billy Mann, Timbaland and MachoPsycho to achieve Cher's desired sound.
Described by Cher as "very eclectic" and "her best album ever", Closer to the Truth is not that much of a musical departure from her previous material, resulting in a primarily dance-pop record, yet it includes a broader range of various musical genres such as house, synthpop, EDM, soft rock and country and contains influences by the music of the 1990s. The lyrical themes revolve largely around romance, feminism, individualism and self-empowerment. The album also features additional vocals and songwriting duties from several new partners, including singers Pink and Jake Shears.
The album received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, and was a success commercially, debuting and peaking at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 63,000 copies, becoming Cher's highest-peaking solo album in the United States. As of February 2014, it sold 285,000 copies in the country according to Nielsen SoundScan and was certified gold by Music Canada. It charted within the top ten in Canada, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom as well as moderately throughout several other international territories.