Maps of Music

Unbreakable (2007)

Where the lyrics of Unbreakable take you, and where it was really made.

The album that marked the group's first release as a quartet was also the first one made without Max Martin and Kristian Lundin, who had worked on every previous Backstreet Boys album.

Key places

Sound Kitchen, Nashville (2007)

Recording site Sound Kitchen — Sound Kitchen in Nashville, Tennessee is credited as a recording studio for the album Unbreakable. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Westlake Recording Studios, Hollywood (2007)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — Westlake Recording Studios in Hollywood, California is credited as a recording studio for the album Unbreakable. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

The Village Recorder, Los Angeles (2007)

Recording site Village Recorders — The Village Recorder in Los Angeles is credited as a recording studio for the album Unbreakable. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Turtle Sound, New York City (2007)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — Turtle Sound is credited as a recording studio for the album Unbreakable, and the point is placed at New York City's city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Unbreakable: sixth studio album (fifth in the United States) by Backstreet Boys
• Released 24 October 2007 in Japan, followed by a worldwide release
• First release as a quartet after Kevin Richardson left in 2006
• First album without longtime collaborators Max Martin and Kristian Lundin
• Dan Muckala took a larger role in the production
• Worldwide sales reached 1.7 million copies

Background

• Preceded by Never Gone (2005), which sold over three million copies worldwide
• Richardson's departure was announced on 23 June 2006 to pursue other interests, and the group said he left amicably
• The group turned down a reality show offer to find a new member and said it did not plan to replace him
• The album was announced in July 2007 as the group's first new material in two years
• Brian Littrell and AJ McLean confirmed the title Unbreakable on 13 August 2007, after earlier rumours such as End to Beginning
• The group said Take That's recent comeback and music was an inspiration for the album

Recording

• Pre-production and recording footage appeared on the reality series House of Carters
• Recording studios credited: Sound Kitchen (Nashville), Westlake Recording Studios (Hollywood), The Village Recorder (Los Angeles), and Turtle Sound (New York City)
• Band members co-wrote five tracks with longtime songwriter Jeremy Carpenter
• Producers include Dan Muckala, Emanuel Kiriakou, John Shanks, and Billy Mann, with JC Chasez of *NSYNC also contributing

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in 1993 in Orlando, Florida, as an American vocal group and pop boy band.
• Members Howie Dorough and AJ McLean met through a vocal coach; Nick Carter was found through auditions.
• Cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson, both from Lexington, Kentucky, joined; Littrell formally joined on April 20, 1993, which became the group's anniversary.
• Manager Lou Pearlman named them after Orlando's Backstreet Market flea market.

Members

• AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Brian Littrell (1993–present).
• Kevin Richardson (1993–2006, 2012–present); he left in 2006 and rejoined in 2012.

Career

• Debut album Backstreet Boys (1996) was a hit in Europe; the US self-titled album followed in 1997.
• Millennium (1999), led by the global hit "I Want It That Way", made them superstars; the album sold over 12 million copies in the US.
• Black & Blue (2000) and The Hits – Chapter One (2001) followed; a two-year hiatus came after.
• Comeback album Never Gone (2005) and later albums Unbreakable (2007), This Is Us (2009), In a World Like This (2013), and DNA (2019, debuting at number one).
• Sold over 150 million records worldwide, one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
• Held Las Vegas residencies Larger Than Life (2017–2019) and Into the Millennium at Sphere (2025).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for polished harmonies and a mature, radio-friendly pop sound
• Others criticized it for a lack of standout songs and innovation
• Bill Lamb of About.com gave four out of five stars and called it a pure pop pleasure
• Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave three out of five stars, writing that few of the songs stick
• Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone gave two out of five stars
• Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly said the up-tempo dance-pop numbers come close to the euphoria of the group's pre-Y2K hits
• Gemma Padley of BBC Music called it a valiant effort at reinvention
• Matt O'Leary of Virgin Media called it a largely inoffensive collection of pop hits

Reappraisal

• Metacritic average score of 56, based on 8 reviews

Records

• Topped the chart in Taiwan and debuted at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart in Japan
• Sold 102,043 copies in its first week in Japan and stayed at number one in its second week
• Japan sales reached about 400,000
• Europe: Germany number four, Switzerland number six, Spain number seven, European Top 100 Albums number eight
• Canada: number two
• United States: debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 with 81,000 first-week copies; 229,000 by March 2015
• Worldwide sales reached 1.7 million copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Inconsolable reached number two in Italy and number eight in Switzerland, and became a top-ten hit in both countries
• Helpless When She Smiles was originally written in 2004 for Rascal Flatts and was first recorded by Dutch singer Bastiaan Ragas in 2005
• A music video for Helpless When She Smiles was filmed on 13 November 2007 at Joshua Tree National Park in California
• A Japanese radio station leaked the album's intro and the track Everything But Mine on 3 October 2007
• Kevin Richardson rejoined the group for the final show of the Unbreakable Tour in Los Angeles, though he did not return permanently until 2012

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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