It Ain't Me

It Ain't Me - the third studio album of American singer Luca Guarneri released on January 15, 2019. The album was released by the publishing house of Parlophone and for the first time by Island Records for the United States.

The premiere of the album was preceded by the single "Bad Liar" released the day before the full material.

Due to the lack of promotion by Island Records, the album achieved very low sales and popularity in both Americas, for this reason the artist issued an indictment in the direction of Island Records.

The album was promoted by worldwide concert tour It Ain't Me. Live album from 2 shows in Washington, DC was released on January 1, 2022.

February 16, 2019 in iTunes appeared an extended version of the album with two premiere songs - Birthday and Radiant with the guest participation of the Australian super star Kylie Minogue.

Background
When unexpectedly in September 2018 the album Perfect was published, the press hoped that after two years of absence, the artist would focus on the promotion of the album.

However, as Luca claims because he wanted to give something new and the second studio album is very grim, he decided to start extra time with the new album immediately. Therefore, the third studio album contains previously rejected songs.

Recording sessions
Some of the songs were made during the recordings for both previous albums, however, extra time for the final mastering took place in the home studio of the singer in Bel Air, CA.

Justin Bieber (who currently has a break) and Thomas Pentz "Diplo" were invited to cooperate, which he produced, among others. the last studio album of Madonna - Rebel Heart.

All songs relate to fun and feelings, however, compared to the pre-recorded album, here the songs are more dance-like and happier.

Titling and artwork
As with previous albums, there was also no unanimous verdict regarding the name of the album. The proposals included, among others, Happines, This Thing Happens, Bad Liar, Survivor or Champion. Finally, Luca chose his favorite song - IT AIN'T ME. The cover of the album is very bright and warm. It showing an artist who is shown from beard to waist, without eyes, which means that he don't know who created this album.

Lawsuit
Shortly after the release of the album Luca along with his management decided that the contract with the label and poor promotion on their part are of very low quality and decided to bring a lawsuit.

A lawsuit in Los Angeles received a lawsuit against Island Records for low efficiency and a lack of promotion which was one of the points of the contract.

After examining the application, the court, on March 31 - April 6, 2019, conducted trials for the artist. On 6 April 2019, a court verdict was given, admitting the artist right.

The factory was still trying to sue the lawsuit during the trial, demanding 50 million dollars for breaking the contract.

Later, there were threats regarding the withdrawal of rights to recordings recorded for the needs of the album.

Ultimately, the court awarded a settlement based on which the Island Records label will lose all rights to recordings and will not demand any royalties.

Re-release
On April 8, 2019, Luca announced the winning of the trial and the fact that the album will be re-released on April 9, 2019 with a new graphic design and two bonus songs - Birthday and Radiant with the participation of Kylie Minogue.

Music and lyrical interpretation
Most of the songs were created in the atmosphere of pop and dance. We are again influenced by Latino music (Bidi Bidi Bom Bom) or a ballad (You Rise Me Up). The album is a classic material from the artist's repertoire but with much happier lyrics.

Singles
The first single from the album is "Bad Liar" released on January 14, 2019, the day before the release of the album.

On the 24th birthday of the artist (March 17, 2019), he released the promo single - "Birthday" appeared on the expanded version of the album.

Second single "Come & Get It" was released on May 18, 2019 and was big success on charts.

Third single "Love You Like A Love Song" was released on June 29, 2019. This song had big promotion on the beginning of 2019.

Fourth, the last single from album was album title "It Ain't Me" and was released on September 27, 2019.

On March 17, 2020 "Me & The Rhythm" were released as promo single.

Tours
A few days after the premiere of the album, Luca announced the first dates of their first American tour - It Ain't Me Tour. Turnee was due to start on March 20, 2019 in San Diego, California. The first dates sold out very quickly so next shows in these cities were announced. Initial concerts in stadiums in many cities were postponed to sports arenas and additional dates were added. On February 19, two dates were added in Phoenix, Arizona, and the tour was scheduled to begin on March 11. Finally, on February 21, 4 new dates were added (including the third concert in Phoenix). The concert tour began on March 5, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and end in Glendale, Arizona on December 31, 2019.

The album received very positive ratings. For the most part, critics and fans agreed that danceable and joyful atmosphere suits the artist better than heavy and difficult lyrics from post-disc albums.

Commercial performance
On its release, It Ain't Me received positive critical reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews by music critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 29 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". The Daily Telegraph writer Neil McCormick, Andy Gill of The Independent, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, and Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times each gave the album 4 out of 5 stars. McCormick felt that "(f)or the first time in years, [Luca] doesn't sound desperate". Murphy wrote "the indisputable pop icon is back with a tentative bang" after Perfect had "few memorable pop hits". For Gill, the most impressive aspect of It Ain't Me was Luca's vocals, while Erlewine found the album a revival of Luca's defiant side and his confessional mood. Saeed Saeed of The National called it: "a fine collection of sturdy pop tunes in which Luca finally allows himself."

Writing for The Quietus, Amy Pettifer praised the album, describing it as: "a darker return to the club culture roots, and it seems—on some level—to face up to the missteps of his more recent releases. Giving it 3.5 out of 4 stars, USA Today writer Elysa Gardner described the album's sound and lyrics as "piercingly direct". Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot and Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times awarded it 3 out of 4 stars. Kot believed the album would have been better without the songs referencing sexuality, but still considered it "fascinating". Roberts believed It Ain't Me stood out "sturdily" because of its production. Writing for The Boston Globe, James Reed opined that the album was a, "welcome detour in the artist's recent discography... his most satisfying effort in a decade."Critic Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle called It Ain't Me: "a complex, consistently strong album".[161]

Slant Magazine editor Sal Cinquemani, Joe Levy of Billboard, and Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone each awarded the album 3.5 out of 5 stars. Cinquemani wrote that the album was "all over the map", yet felt it was "a surprisingly coherent one". Levy wrote that the album was "subtle" compared to "current standards", adding that: "These songs unfold slowly, building through foreplay-like intros before hooks are displayed over a shifting series of textures". Ganz felt that It Ain't Me"is at its strongest when Luca shoves everyone to the side and just tells it to us straight", adding: "Deep down, Luca does have a rebel heart – and you can't fault him for reminding us that pop music is all the better for it." Jamieson Cox of Time commended the album for its consistent production and sound, and for Luca's vocals and songwriting. Giving it a rating of "B", Kyle Anderson and Adam Markovitz of Entertainment Weekly. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian and Time Out writer Nick Levine gave the album 3 out of 5 stars. Petridis felt that the two contrasting sides of the album did not "quite gel", reasoning that: "the former might represent the music Luca wants to make, while the latter is the music he feels obliged to make". Levine wrote: "'It Ain't Me' may lack cohesion, but he's definitely not down for the count."

Annie Zalesky of The A.V. Club said the record had its "fair share of those head scratching moments", but found it to be a move in the right direction musically. Spin writer Andrew Unterberger gave It Ain't Me a 6 out of 10 rating. While calling it "clunky", he felt the album "contains a number of Luca's best songs in years." Writing for The New Zealand Herald, Lydia Jenkin gave it a mixed review, deeming the album a "bit of a mess" and "confused". Lindsay Zoladz of New York magazine was disappointed, feeling the songs sounded "safe", adding that: "Luca of It Ain't Me [has] succeeded once again in the increasingly empty goal of sounding current". Gavin Haynes of NME panned the album, saying that it "feels like a wasted opportunity. Trite self-empowerment anthem 'It Ain't Me' informs us that there's only two letters difference between Icon and I Can't. Sadly, there are also two letters between class and ass."

Track listing

 * 1) It Ain't Me (3:42)
 * 2) Back To You (3:28)
 * 3) Me & The Rhythm (3:34)
 * 4) Hands To Myself (3:21)
 * 5) Body Heat (3:28)
 * 6) Bad Liar (3:35)
 * 7) Can't Steal Our Love [feat. Justin Bieber] (3:42)
 * 8) Survivors (3:42)
 * 9) Come & Get It (3:52)
 * 10) Write Your Name (3:17)
 * 11) Love You Like A Love Song (3:09)
 * 12) Nobody (3:37)
 * 13) Only You (3:05)
 * 14) You Rise Me Up (4:50)
 * 15) Bidi Bidi Bom Bom [Selena cover) (4:15)
 * 16) Feel Me - 2020 CD bonus track
 * 17) Radiant feat. Kylie Minogue (3:32) - deluxe version
 * 18) Birthday (3:21) - deluxe version