# Talk:Unlocked (Alexandra Stan album)

Some notes from my copyedit. The first and most serious is some blatant copyright violation. I removed the content in [1]. The content is obviously relevant, but you need to:

use your own words, not copy-paste with slight paraphrasing
cite your sources
use multiple sources
There is clearly enough content around to write up this incident. I'm not doing it, though.
Other things: the record of precise numbers of sales is not terribly interesting, in my view. I removed "over-saturate" because it's not actually praise or criticism, just a description. Is Everythingexpress really a reliable source? How about Adictivoz?
Relentlessly (talk) 15:10, 20 October 2015 (UTC)

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For full comprehension of the article and for visual representation of what is being discussed in "Recordings and artwork", the Japanese artwork is needed. I'd upload it myself, but I can't seem to find an official source from where to find it without invoking copyright, so I was wondering if someone could deal with that. By the way, it's clearly stated that this album charted in Japan, so why is there no "Charts" section? I'd do it myself, but I really don't want to touch this article.
Esmost πк  13:19, 24 September 2016 (UTC)

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Cartoon network freak: I'm finally getting around to copyediting; sorry about the delay.  Here are some questions as I go.

"The new album was scheduled to be released in September 2013, but an alleged physical altercation with Prodan led to a delay. Stan also accused Prodan of physically attacking and blackmailing her."  I'd like to rephrase this to:  "The new album was scheduled to be released in September 2013, but was delayed because of a disagreement between Stan and Prodan; Stan alleged that Prodan had attacked and blackmailed her."  Can you confirm that this is still supported by the existing sources, since I can't see the liner notes?
@Mike Christie: It's been a long time ago since I added this info onto this article. I couldn't find any source confirming it right now, so I think it was the best thing to remove it. I also removed other redunant info.
There are a lot of quotes in the background section, counting the pull quote at left.  I'd suggest cutting the quote at the end of the first paragraph; it's really not very informational.  I'm also not keened on the quote in paragraph three, starting "Working with...".  Any objections?
I cut that out...
"In the alternative sepia artwork for the Japanese edition of the album only one of Stan's eyes is visible, as the left one is covered by her hair": there's only one eye visible in the green neon edition, too, so I'm not sure what's intended here.
Fixed...
-- More to come. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 19:44, 18 June 2017 (UTC)
Starting to go through the reception/composition section; this appears to be a dead link. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 10:15, 21 June 2017 (UTC)

@Mike Christie: There is an archive to that link, but I can't see it due to "robot.txt". What should we do in this case? Best, Cartoon network freak (talk) 14:36, 21 June 2017 (UTC)
Let's not worry about it -- I would like to rework the reception section and if we don't need that source it's not an issue.  I'll start a separate section below for the reception and composition section.

I've read through every source that is cited in the reception section, and I think we should be cutting this section down.  There really is almost nothing about composition -- there's a throwaway line about how she came up with Cherry Pop, and a mention of guitars, with no specifics.  Three things I think should be included: 1. the lyrics are in English with two exceptions as noted, and one review comments that one song would have sounded better in Romanian because of her accent. 2. Thanks for Leaving is a response to her troubles with Prodan, and that's clearly worth mentioning.  3. There are several mentions of the return of the Mr. Saxobeat sound.
For the reception, I pulled some text from each cited webpage that talks about the songs (not all the sources do).  Here's what I got:

[2] Cover of Little Lies by Fleetwood Mac; dance pop
[3] She's mainly known for Mr. Saxobeat.  Review of Vanilla Chocolat -- catchy, dance-pop beat, meaningless lyrics, Connect-R has a rap section.  Not very special.  Video is interestingly unusual -- selfie.
[4] Review of We Wanna.  Dance-pop.  Mentions Dance which was only top 50.  Only halfway convinces; probably not enough for a summer hit.
[5] Review of We Wanna.  Nothing new.  Inspired by Get Get Down by Paul Johnson.
[6] Album review.  Either ideal bubblegum pop or musical hell, everything reminds you of others.  Lots to like and dislike.
Little Lies -- Britney number, bouncy, overwrought
Cherry Pop worse -- horrific chorus and nasty backing track; bonus remix even worse.
Dance David Guetta-inspired; poor lyrics.
Back to Light half decent, terrible chorus
Give Me Your Everything -- Rihanna soundalike, "reminds us [she] can actually sing"
Kiss Me Goodbye -- Bangra beats, samples
Digital -- perfect pop for teenage girls
Zoom Zoom -- very West Coast
Set Me Free -- mid tempo power ballad, possibly the best song on the album with it's Guetta/Harris Euro-dance sound
Celebrate -- all German disco, ruined by backing vocals
Happy -- Britney, decent, restrained, doesn't try too hard
Thanks for Leaving -- grown up breakup ballad goes for big Kelly Clarkson sweeps
Holding Aces -- post break up, I Will Survive number carries itself well
skip the remixes on the deluxe edition
Has some highlights among the pilfered pop, you might just find it difficult to remember by the end.
[7] Thanks for Leaving -- a real ballad -- nice pop ballad, not too dramatic; but strong accent; should have sung it in Romanian.  Probably not a hit.
[8] Cherry Pop is a J-pop song;  Dance brings back the saxophone sound from Mr. Saxobeat
[9] Thanks For Leaving -- unusual, divided fans opinion; Cherry Pop -- more danceable but trashy; Dance -- best so far this year, solid pop, but unoriginal
[10] Dance -- lyrics not special -- instrumental parts are better.  Refreshing, not innovative, a nice change, good dance song.
[11] themes of liberation, rediscovery, and new beginnings
[12] represents a major evolution in style, not just a simple disco vocalist;
I'm going to try to assemble some of this into a revised version of the reception section and will post the result here. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 01:04, 22 June 2017 (UTC)
Suggested rewrite:

All the lyrics in Unlocked are in English, with the exception of some French verses in "Vanilla Chocolat" and a couple of Spanish lines in "We Wanna". None are in Stan's native Romanian, though Hitfire suggested that her accent is strong enough that Thanks For Leaving, a ballad written in the aftermath of Stan's violent breakup with Prodan, would have sounded better in Romanian.  The songs are almost all dance pop of one kind or another, with influences varying from J-pop (Cherry Pop) and Bhangra (Kiss Me Goodbye) to Swedish 90s EDM (Back to Life) and house (Dance).  The saxophone sound from Mr. Saxobeat returns on Dance.  Everything Express, in a review of the album, considered that Stan was either influenced by or deliberately imitating the music of Britney Spears, Rihanna, and Sia, identifying Little Lies and Happy in particularly as sounding like Britney Spears songs.  The songs on the album touch on themes such as freedom and new beginnings.
Several reviews of both the album and the singles found the music danceable but criticized the songs for lacking originality.  Hitfire described Vanilla Chocolat as catchy, but found the lyrics meaningless and the song unremarkable.  Purebreak described We Wanna as "nothing new", and another Hitfire reviewer felt that Dance, while the better than the previous singles from Unlocked, was unoriginal.  Thanks for Leaving drew some positive comments: a "grown up breakup ballad" and "a nice pop ballad, not too dramatic".  The Everything Express reviewer singled out Cherry Pop as having a weak chorus and poor-quality backing track; the reviewer also felt Celebrate was ruined by the backing vocals, and Dance had weak lyrics.  They were more positive about Give Me Your Everything, which "reminds us [she] can actually sing", and described "Set Me Free" as a "mid tempo power ballad, possibly the best song on the album", but recommended skipping the remixes on the deluxe edition of the album. The review in Rnbjunk was more favourable, describing the album as a major evolution in Stan's style beyond straightforward dance songs, and recommending "Thanks For Leaving", "Unlocked", "Set Me Free", and "Give Me Your Everything" as the highlights of the album.
I haven't added any cites but I can do that once we agree on the text.  Is this a fair summary of the text above?  Did I miss anything, or miss out any sources? Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 01:55, 22 June 2017 (UTC)

@Mike Christie: Thank you very much for all the work you're doing here! I think a few more details should be included:
"Little Lies" samples the recording of the same name by Fletwood Mac
The article currently cites that fact that it samples the Fleetwood Mac song to the liner notes, which I don't have, and to this, which via Google Translate says "The great surprise of the album is Little Lies, cover the legendary song by Fleetwood Mac went into a zone pop-dance!"  This doesn't seem to say it samples the song; it implies it's actually a cover version.  What do the liner notes say? Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 10:39, 22 June 2017 (UTC)
This stat was actually made long time ago before I even started to work on this article. I found the liner notes of the album here and they don't cite a sample. I also removed the stat from the article.
One Italian publication saw the album as an evolution in Stan's artistry
What's the cite for this?  It seems a generic comment, but I'd like to see the source. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 10:45, 22 June 2017 (UTC)
This is the source; "il suo principale filo conduttore è pur sempre la dance, tuttavia rappresenta comunque una grande evoluzione nello stile dell’artista." → "the record focuses on the dance genre, representing an evolution in the artist's style."
Done. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 10:25, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
Record is influenced by dance, techno, pop and R&B
The new version says it's dance pop and mentions the EDM influence for one song. What's the source for the R&B influence? Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 10:45, 22 June 2017 (UTC)
Both this and this cite the genres
They do, but they don't specify which songs are in which genres.  We have these genres listed in the infobox already; I'd suggest we don't need to mention them in the composition section because there's really no detail given in the source. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 10:30, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
Very important: lyrically approaches themes such as liberation, rediscovery, and new beginnings
Can you give me the text that supports this in the source?  I see her saying that the album is a "testimony" to the troubles she had with Prodan, but that's a pretty generic statement. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 10:45, 22 June 2017 (UTC)
This says: "abordând teme precum eliberarea, regăsirea, un nou început." (the record approache themes of liberation, rediscovery and new beginnings)
That works -- I added "The songs on the album touch on themes such as freedom and new beginnings"  above.  How does that look?  I think it might be better phrased, but we can come back to it. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 11:16, 23 June 2017 (UTC)
comparisons to works by Britney Spears, Rihanna and Sia
Added a sentence. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 10:51, 22 June 2017 (UTC)
Best regards, Cartoon network freak (talk) 04:57, 22 June 2017 (UTC)

@Mike Christie: Responded to your comments. Best, Cartoon network freak (talk) 19:14, 22 June 2017 (UTC)
I addressed one point; out of time this morning, so the others will be this evening or over the weekend. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 11:17, 23 June 2017 (UTC)
@Cartoon network freak: I've replied to all the points above. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 10:30, 24 June 2017 (UTC)

@Mike Christie: Thank you one more time for all your're doing for this article! I've added the new version of the respective section to the article (with refs and links of course) and updated the lead (could you look one more time over it?). I also think the sentence "all songs are dance-pop in one kind or another" is very hard to cite, and replaced that with the stat about the usage of dance, techno, pop and R&B genres. I know you said that there was no info about which song is of which genre, but it is very odd to have such things only in the infobox. Also, saying that the songs are almost all of the dance-pop genre is too "overall" not entirely correct. What do you think? Best, Cartoon network freak (talk) 12:59, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
I copyedited a little.  I agree with your other points, but would like to remove the names of the reviewers, Catling and Olivio.  The reader can find their names by checking the reference, and the names don't give the reader any useful information because they'll never have heard of them.  They're a bit more likely to have heard of the publications, and can evaluate the difference between a cite from the New York Times and one from RnB Junk, but the name isn't helpful, and slows down reading. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 13:19, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
@Mike Christie: Okay I got you, you can remove the names. Best, Cartoon network freak (talk) 16:36, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
Done.  I think the article is in pretty good shape now. Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 19:26, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
@Mike Christie: I would want to renominate this for FA soon, is there anything else I need to do? Cartoon network freak (talk) 19:32, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
I think you're good to go.  Good luck! Mike Christie (talk - contribs -  library) 19:49, 24 June 2017 (UTC)
Should this section be split into "Composition" and "Reception"? I rarely see these sections combined, and usually composition info comes after background/recording and before release/promotion details. ---Another Believer (Talk) 17:15, 31 December 2017 (UTC)

@Another Believer: That would be somehow wrong, as both sections go, unusually, hand in hand; both the "Composition" and "Reception" paragraphs have elements from one another. Since "reception" is also part of the section, this shouldn't be placed after "Background and development". I also understand your arguments, but we will see if this problem will be raised up by reviewers in the future FAN I will do. Best; Cartoon network freak (talk) 17:41, 31 December 2017 (UTC)
Sound good! Just making an observation/suggestion based on the structure of most album articles. Good luck! ---Another Believer (Talk) 17:53, 31 December 2017 (UTC)