Illuminate [LP]

by Shawn Mendes

Overview

Shawn Mendes translated his Vine superstardom into genuine pop stardom in 2015 thanks to "Stitches," a lively piece of pop with a slightly soulful undercurrent. Wisely, Mendes and his team decide to play off these soulful inclinations on Illuminate, the album released almost 18 months after his 2015 debut Handwritten. This isn't to say that Mendes is a crooner, nor is he riding anything resembling a funky groove. Instead, Illuminate uses light R&B rhythms as a way to give a bit of grace and warmth, the airiness of "Ruin" and "Three Empty Words" spinning heartbreak into seduction. As it turns out, this wide-eyed puppy dog routine is the key to Mendes' appeal. He's not forceful, and whenever he slides into a loverman routine, there's never a sense that he's a player: his voice is so small and sweet, it feels as if he's whispering sweet nothings to his high school sweetheart. On Handwritten, such quivering sensitivity seemed tentative, but on Illuminate, it has gelled into his pop persona; he's charming because he embraces his ordinariness. Sometimes on Illuminate the songs are a bit too diffuse to benefit from these qualities -- whenever they lack a hook or pronounced melody, the tracks tend to drift -- but a lot of the record provides a good showcase for his tenderness. And these aren't necessarily ballads, either. Certainly, he feels at home on a nice slow-burning torch number like "Don't Be a Fool" -- an old-fashioned slice of swaying '60s soul -- but on the insistent pop of "Treat You Better" and sunny seaside vibes of "Honest," this boyishness is equally appealing, and those sly shifts in tone are why Mendes comes into his own on Illuminate. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	10/28/2016
Label:	Island
UPC:	0602557084139

Tracks

1. Ruin
2. Mercy
3. Treat You Better
4. Three Empty Words
5. Don't Be a Fool
6. Track 6
7. Track 7
8. Track 8
9. Track 9
10. Track 10
11. Track 11
12. Track 12

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Shawn Mendes   Primary Artist,Bass,Noise,Guitar,Vocals,Soloist,Percussion,Tambourine,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Dana Lyn   Viola,Violin
Peter Gosling   Piano
Rob Murphy   Violin
Danny Parker   Vocals (Background)
Teddy Geiger   Bass,Drums,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion,Synthesizer,Handclapping,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Olivier Manchon   Viola,Violin
Ilsey Juber   Vocals (Background)
Rachael Brown   Vocals (Background)
Chris Leonard   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Handclapping,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Dan Romer   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Keyboards,Percussion,Guitar (Bass),Vocals (Background)
Scott Harris   Noise,Piano,Keyboards,Percussion,Handclapping,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Andre Gertler   Handclapping,Vocals (Background)
Jake Gosling   Toms,Noise,Organ,Piano,Clapping,Roto Toms,Percussion,Synthesizer,Handclapping,Fender Rhodes,Piano (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Mike Dwyer   Noise,Vocals (Background)
Ling Kwan   Cello
Zubin Thakkar   Ukulele,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Adam Coltman   Vocals (Background)
DJ Kyriakides   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Laleh Pourkarim   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
Jackson Dimiglio-Wood   Clapping,Synthesizer,Handclapping,Vocals (Background)
Matthew Gooderham   Vocals (Background)
Rachel Brown   Vocals (Background)
Ziggy Chareton   Handclapping,Vocals (Background)
Gustaf Thorn   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Geoffrey Warburton   Noise,Guitar,Percussion,Handclapping,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Anouck Boungnang   Vocals (Background)
Eddy Ruyter   Piano
Andrew Gertler   Handclapping,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Tony Maserati   Mixing,Mixing Assistant
Paul Antonell   String Engineer
Chris Gehringer   Mastering
George Seara   Mixing
Danny Parker   Composer,Producer
Teddy Geiger   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Vocal Engineer
David Baron   String Arrangements
Ilsey Juber   Composer
James Minchin III   Photography
Gus Thornton   Composer
David Massey   A&R
Gabrielle Rosen   A&R
Joe Spix   Art Direction
Ido Zmishlany   Composer
Kid Harpoon   Vocal Engineer
Dan Romer   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Scott Harris   Composer,Vocal Engineer
Andrew Maury   Mixing,Additional Production
Jake Gosling   Mixing,Producer,Programming
Tom Hull   Composer
Mike Dwyer   Assistant Engineer
Andy Proctor   Package Production
Zubin Thakkar   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Tyler Scott   Mixing,Mixing Assistant
DJ Kyriakides   Producer
Laleh Pourkarim   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Vocal Producer
Jackson Dimiglio-Wood   Mixing,Engineer,Programming,Unknown Contributor Role
Mike Gaydusek   Engineer
Joe Visciano   Mixing
Daniel Kyriakides   Composer,Engineer
Shawn Mendes   Composer,Programming
Ziggy Chareton   A&R
Gustaf Thorn   Composer,Assistant Engineer
Tobias Jesso, Jr.   Composer
Daylight   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Geoffrey Warburton   Composer
Ashley Pawlak   Design
Ashworth   Remixing
Cody Robertson   Mixing Assistant
NOTD   Remixing,Programming