The Way the World Looks

The Way The World Looks
Studio album by Wes Carr
Released	20 March 2009
Recorded	December 2008— March 2009 at Sony Music Studios, Reily HQ, Mink Sound, Song Zu Studios, Electric Avenue, Sydney
Genre	Rock, pop rock
Label	Sony Music Entertainment
Producer	T.Jay, Bryon Jones, Wes Carr
Wes Carr chronology
Simple Sum (2008) The Way The World Looks (2009)
Singles from The Way The World Looks
"You" Released: 3 December 2008 "Feels Like Woah" Released: 7 March 2009 "Fearless" Released: 5 June 2009[1] "Love Is An Animal" Released: 18 September 2009

The Way The World Looks is the second studio album by Australian singer and songwriter Wes Carr. The album was released on 20 March 2009 and contains Carr's Australian Idol winners single, "You" as well as the other released singles, "Feels Like Woah", "Fearless" and "Love Is An Animal".

Background

The single, "Love Is An Animal" was written by Carr when he was only fifteen. He also wrote the single, "East Coast" and the title track "The Way the World Looks".^[2] Carr stated that, "This new album is definitely more upbeat and a positive outlook for me, and has flavors from all my past and present influences. I think there's a broader sensibility to my work now. The big difference now is that I'm more comfortable with my musicianship."^[2]

Promotion

In December 2008, Carr, along with Jessica Mauboy, performed at Westfield stores. Carr performed the single "You" at the Sydney New Year's Eve concert in 2008. On 16 March 2009, Carr performed "Feels Like Woah" on So You Think You Can Dance. On 20 and 21 March, Carr performed in stores at Westfield Miranda, Sydney and Queen Street Mall, Brisbane. On 2 April 2009, Carr performed tracks from the album at the Sydney City Apple Store. In May 2009, Carr headlinied his first national tour, "The Way The World Looks LIVE".

Singles

• "You" was the first single released from the album. It was Carr's winners single for Australian Idol. In its third week on the Singles Chart, it managed to knock Poker Face by Lady Gaga from the #1 position, only for her to reclaim it the week after.
• "Feels Like Woah" was the second single released. Due to stores selling the single early, the song debuted at #52 on ARIA Singles Chart. It later peaked at #14.
• "Fearless" was released on 5 June 2009^[1] It peaked at #51 on the ARIA Singles Chart
• "Love Is An Animal" was the fourth and final single taken from the album. It was released on 18 September 2009 and peaked at #64 on ARIA Singles Chart.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Brisbane Times	link
Mix 94.5	positive link
The Mercury	link
Oz Music Scene	Positive link
The Sydney Morning Herald	link

The album met with positive reviews from critics. Christine Sams from The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the album "Is an upbeat pop start to this album with Any Other Way and Carr's single, Feels Like Woah (with its touch of Bryan Adams) but it then veers into more gentle, playful territory with Hurricanes (delightful, with a distinct Jack Johnson feel). Further on, Light Years seems to come out of left field – dark and introspective. The mix keeps things interesting, with Carr emerging as a strong voice." She went on to give the album 8/10. Oz Music Scene stated that "Even the missteps are enjoyable to listen to. It’s just that when Wes gets it right, he sets the bar so high. This is a really solid debut, the kind that takes up permanent residence in your stereo and leaves you anticipating what comes next."

Chart performance

Following the success of "You", the album entered the ARIA Albums Chart at #2. In its second week on the charts, it dropped to #4 and was certified Gold for sales in excess of 35,000 copies. The album peaked at #1 on the Australian Albums Chart (chart only for Australian origin), and at #2 on the Australian Physical Albums Chart.

Track list

Standard Edition^[3]

All songs written by Wes Carr, T.Jay and Adam Argyle except where indicated

1. "Any Other Way" – 2:29
2. "Feels Like Woah" – 3:13
3. "Fearless" – 2:54
4. "When We Were Kings" – 3:26
5. "Hurricanes" – 3:07
6. "Love Is An Animal" – (Wes Carr) – 3:50
7. "Light Years" – 3:15
8. "East Coast" – (Wes Carr) – 3:46
9. "Stay Awake" – 3:06
10. "You" – (T.Jay, Adam Argyle) – 3:19
11. "The Way The World Looks" – (Wes Carr) – 3:25

2-disc Limited Edition^[4]

"Disc 1 – Standard Edition" "Disc 2 – YOU CD Single"

1. "You" – 3:17
2. "Desire" – 2:52
3. "If I Were A Carpenter" – 2:23
4. Get Back – 2:44

Charts

Year	Chart	Peak Position
2009	ARIA Australian Album Chart	2[5]
	ARIA Physical Albums Chart	2[6]
	ARIA Australian Artist Albums Chart	1[7]

End of year charts

Year	Chart	Rank
2009	Australian ARIA End of year Chart	#74[8]

Certification

The album achieved gold sales, in only its first week in the charts.

Country	Certification	Shipments
Australia	Gold[9]	35,000+

Personnel

T.Jay – electric guitar, B3 organ, synth, backing vocals, drum programming, tom-tom drum, guitar Mark Costa – bass guitar Mick Skelton – drums and percussion David Pritchard-Blunt – piano Andrew Bickers – saxophone Anthony Kable – trombone Stewart Kirwan – trumpet Mark Read – horn arrangement Wes Carr – vocals, backing vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, Wurlitzer, organ, keyboard Carmen Smith – backing vocals Carl Dimataga – electric guitar, acoustic guitar The MOB – backing vocals Adam Argyle – acoustic guitar Rex Goh – electric Guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar

Martin Eden – programming Bryon Jones – bass guitar Stuart Roslyn – strings Nathan Cavaleri – guitar, bass guitar, programming Trent Williamson – harmonica Spencer Jones – backing vocals Simon Rudston-Brown – backing vocals Gerard Masters – backing vocals Daniel Clinch – pro tools Braddon Williams – engineer James Griffiths – engineer Ganesh Singaram – engineer Brian Paturalski – mixing Martin Pullan – mastering Angelo Kehagias – photography Debaser – artwork

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalogue
Australia	20 March 2009	Sony BMG	CD, digital download	88697471782

References

1. SonyMusic B2B-Fearless Single. Sony Music B2B. Retrieved on 25 April 2009
2. "Biography". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012.
3. "Standard Edition".
4. "Limited Edition".
5. "Top 50 Albums Chart – Australian Record Industry Association". Ariacharts.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
6. "Australian Record Industry Association". Ariacharts.com.au. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
7. "Top 20 Australian Singles & Albums Chart – Australian Record Industry Association". Ariacharts.com.au. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
8. "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2008". Aria.com.au. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
9. "Top 50 Albums Chart – Australian Record Industry Association". Ariacharts.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-14.