Kris Allen is the major-label album debut (second overall) from American Idol eighth season winner Kris Allen. The album was released on November 17, 2009, through Jive Records.

Quick Facts Kris Allen, Studio album by Kris Allen ...

Kris Allen
Studio album by Kris Allen
Released	November 17, 2009 (2009-11-17)
Recorded	2009
Studio	Phantom Studios (Westlake Village, California) Cookie Jar Recording (Studio City, California) Sunset Sound and Conway Studios (Hollywood, California) NRG Studios and Larrabee Sound Studios (North Hollywood, California) Harmony Studios, Swing House Studios, DeathStar Studios and Chalice Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California) Glenwood Place Studios (Burbank, California) Strawberrybee Studios, Legacy Recording Studios and Germano Studios (New York City, New York) Mix One Studios (Boston, Massachusetts) MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia) Modern Dirt Laboratories and Olympic Studios (London, UK) Studio Elevator Nobody (Göteborg, Sweden)
Genre	Pop rock alternative rock
Length	48:05
Label	Jive 19
Producer	Andrew Frampton Steve Kipner Greg Kurstin Mike Elizondo Toby Gad Eg White Mike Flynn Warren Huart Tobias Karlsson Joe King Salaam Remi
Kris Allen chronology
Brand New Shoes (2007) Kris Allen (2009) Thank You Camellia (2012)
Singles from Thank You Camellia
"Live Like We're Dying" Released: September 21, 2009 "The Truth" Released: May 11, 2010[1] "Alright with Me" Released: October 13, 2010

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More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	52/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
American Songwriter	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[5]
Los Angeles Times	[6]
Salt Lake Tribune	(D)[7]
Slant Magazine	[8]
Sputnik Music	[9]

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Allen has writing credits on nine of the twelve tracks on the album, including one solo credit for "Red Guitar", a song that he wrote prior to participating in American Idol. "Is It Over" was written by Allen with Cale Mills, who is an Arkansas friend of the Idol champ.^[10] According to a preview of the album,^[11] the tracks are:

big, widescreen adult-alt-pop records reminiscent of VH1 house bands like Carolina Liar, Maroon 5, or Augustana, all full of huge hooky choruses ridiculously readymade for radio. The album is positively teeming with potential hits, and the folks at 19 will have a tough job selecting a follow-up single for the already-released 'Live Like We're Dying'.

In a break with American Idol tradition, Allen's Idol "coronation song", "No Boundaries", was not included on his major-label debut, becoming only the second Idol winner album to do so after Taylor Hicks' self-titled album. Instead, a newly recorded version of "Heartless", covered by Allen during his run on Idol, was included as a bonus track.^[12] There has been speculation that this was because "No Boundaries" was already included on the Walmart-exclusive season 8 compilation album,^[13] which is the first time the winning single was included on the season's compilation since Kelly Clarkson in 2002 and is the first new compilation since season five. However, it has been included as part of the deluxe album version via iTunes.

The album was released in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2009,^[14] making its official release before that of the United States.

Allen previewed three songs from his album "Written All Over My Face", "Can't Stay Away," and "Before We Come Undone" at a Miami Dolphins tailgate party before their game against the New Orleans Saints on October 25, 2009.^[15]

AOL Music began streaming the full album on November 9, 2009.^[16]

Kris Allen was met with "mixed or average" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 52 based on 8 reviews.^[2]

In a review for AllMusic, critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "Unhip it may be by design, at least Kris Allen delivers the goods: it’s tuneful and likeable, melodic enough to merit a close listen, ready to slip into the background at a moment’s notice."^[3]

^[21]

• Kris Allen – vocals, guitars (6, 13)
• Steve Kipner – keyboards (1, 5)
• Andrew Frampton – keyboards (1, 5), acoustic guitar (1, 5), programming (5), electric guitar (5)
• Greg Kurstin – keyboards (2), programming (2), guitars (2), bass (2)
• Mike Elizondo – keyboards (3, 11, 14), programming (3, 11, 14), electric guitar (3), bass (3, 8, 11, 14), acoustic guitar (14)
• Zac Rae – keyboards (3, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14), acoustic piano (7, 10), synthesizers (7, 10)
• Toby Gad – programming (4, 12), instruments (4, 12), arrangements (4, 12)
• Eg White – instruments (6), guitars (6)
• Johan Carlsson – keyboards (9)
• Salaam Remi – keyboards (13), bass (13), drums (13), arrangements (13)
• Paul Inder – electric guitar (1)
• Mark Sheehan – electric guitar (1, 5), programming (5)
• Joel Shearer – electric guitar (3, 11, 14), acoustic guitar (3)
• Tim Pierce – guitars (7, 10)
• Michael Ward – electric guitar (8), acoustic guitar (8)
• Jordan Wright – guitar solo (8)
• Tobias Karlsson – additional guitars (9), bass (9)
• Bill Lefler – guitars (9), drums (9)
• David Levita – guitar solo (10)
• Jon Foreman – acoustic guitar (11)
• Paul Broucek – guitars (13)
• Danny O'Donoghue – bass (1, 5), backing vocals [credited as Billy Sollux] (1, 5), programming (5), electric guitar (5)
• Sean Hurley – bass (7, 10)
• Glen Power – drums (1)
• Randy Cooke – drums (2)
• Aaron Sterling – drums (3, 8, 11, 14)
• Robin Diaz – drums (4, 12)
• Victor Indrizzo – drums (7, 10), percussion (7, 10)
• Larry Greenfield – violin (4, 12)
• Jim Sitterly – violin (4, 12)
• Mattias Johansson – violin (9)
• Mats Lindberg – cello (9)
• Victor Lawrence – cello (12)
• Irene Bylund – viola (9)
• Mattias Bylund – string arrangements (9)
• David Ralicke – baritone saxophone (10), tenor saxophone (10), trombone (10), horn arrangements (10)
• Chris Bautista – trumpet (10)

The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 11 with 80,000 sold for the week.^[22]