| Ultimate High | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 13, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 1999–2001 in Westlake Audio, BLC, Sol Seven Studios, Ameraycan Studios, Garfield Studios, and Larrabee Studios (Los Angeles, California), Townhouse Studios, Olympic, Soul II Soul and Titan Studios (London, UK), American Recording Co. (Calabasas, California), Front Page Recorders (Glendale, California) | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 52:39 | |||
| Label | MCA Records | |||
| Producer | Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Steve Dorff | |||
| Carly Hennessy chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Ultimate High | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Sacramento News and Review | (unfavorable)[2] |
Ultimate High is the debut album of Irish-born singer Carly Smithson, released under her maiden name Carly Hennessy in 2001 by MCA Records. Despite a production and promotion budget of over $2 million and good reviews, the album failed to find an audience, selling only 378 copies in its first three months. It became a textbook example of the high-risk economics of the contemporary music industry, in which less than 5% of albums became profitable, and superstar acts subsidized the search for new talent.[3]
The song "Just Missed the Train" was later covered by American Idol season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson in her debut album Thankful. Oddly enough, Hennessy later auditioned for American Idol season 7 under her husband's last name Smithson, finishing in 6th place.
Two singles were released off the album: "I'm Gonna Blow Your Mind" and "Beautiful You".
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Sacramento News and Review review
- ^ Ordoñez, Jennifer (2002-02-26). ""Pop Singer Fails To Strike a Chord Despite the Millions Spent By MCA"". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2022-04-05. Mirror