{{About|the Ben Rector album}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Something Like This | type = studio | artist = Ben Rector | cover = SomethingLikeThisCover.jpg | alt = | released = September 13, 2011 | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = | length = 38:16 | label = Good Time | producer = Ben Rector and Chad Copelin | prev_title = Into the Morning | prev_year = 2010 | next_title = The Walking in Between | next_year = 2013 }}
'''''Something Like This''''' is the fourth studio album released by American singer-songwriter Ben Rector. It was his first album after graduating from the University of Arkansas and relocating from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Nashville, Tennessee. It peaked at No. 11 on the ''Billboard'' Top Independent Albums charts and No. 41 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and charted 1st on the Singer-Songwriter chart on iTunes and 4th overall.
The album had minor advertising, mainly covers and a street interview for his YouTube channel. The songs "Let the Good Times Roll" and "She Is" released ahead of the album as singles, following the full independent release on September 13, 2011. Rector had a promotional live tour for the album, The Good Time Tour, spanning 5 weeks and over 25 cities. Lady Antebellum would also cover "She Is" in 2014 for their album ''747''.
== Background and production == {{Quote box|quote="When I started out, I had my hands on everything, and now I can't really do that anymore just because there are too many moving parts. I had a really strong hand in the production of those records, and that's a great part of my creativity. But I realized that you don't get any bonus points for writing all the parts or playing all the instruments."<ref name="CSP"/>|source= Ben Rector, 2013 ''Charleston City Paper'' interview|width=30em|align=right}}
thumb|Rector in 2010
''Something Like This'' began production shortly after both Rector's graduation from the University of Arkansas and his relocation from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Nashville, Tennessee. This was the first album were Rector received a large portion of help from others relating to performing instruments, producing music, and booking concerts; it had come to the point where the task had become too difficult for him to do on his own.<ref name="CSP">{{Cite web |url=https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2013/04/03/ben-rector-isnt-in-a-hurry-to-release-his-new-album/ |title=Ben Rector isn't in a hurry to release his new album |date=2013-04-03 |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=Charleston City Paper |last=Paper |first=Chris |archive-date=2023-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328013737/https://charlestoncitypaper.com/2013/04/03/ben-rector-isnt-in-a-hurry-to-release-his-new-album/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Half of the album was recorded in Dallas, Texas.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2021/06/01/ben-rector-love-dallas/ |title=How Musician Ben Rector Fell In Love With Dallas |date=2021-06-01 |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=People Newspapers |last=Farrell |first=Riley |archive-date=2024-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120052817/https://www.peoplenewspapers.com/2021/06/01/ben-rector-love-dallas/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Promotion and release == Promotion for ''Something Like This'', according to Rector's manager Paul Steele, was purposefully kept minimal. Steele wanted to focus marketing efforts on people who were already familiar with both him and his music, including those who have seen him live or follow him on social media. "A couple hundred dollars" was spent on a Facebook ad, and other advertising efforts included two placements on iTunes and four YouTube videos.<ref name="BB"/> One YouTube video included a cover of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston, recorded at Blackwatch Studios. Although it was suggested by a friend as a joke, Rector selected the song because of its simplicity and popularity. Houston died shortly after its completion, and Rector feared people would see the cover as him taking advantage of the opportunity. He also covered "Something in the Way" by James Taylor in the same session. Although he had a lot of content on his channel it was generally low quality, and he wanted something professional on his account in case people looked him up when he was touring.<ref name="UTW"/> Another YouTube video saw Rector stopping people in the streets and asking them if they are excited for the release of Ben Rector's ''Something Like This''; everyone responded by telling him they don't know who Ben Rector is.<ref name="GSP">{{Cite web |url=https://www.greatsongpodcast.com/old-friends-w-ben-rector-episode-809-4th-anniversary-episode/ |title=Old Friends (w Ben Rector) |date=2021-10-06 |access-date=2024-01-17 |website=The Good Song Podcast |last=Alley |first=Rob |archive-date=2023-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604035938/https://www.greatsongpodcast.com/old-friends-w-ben-rector-episode-809-4th-anniversary-episode/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The promotional efforts saw his Facebook account increase from 5,800 followers to 26,200, and his Twitter account from 2,500 to 13,900 in the span of one year.<ref name="BB">{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/ben-rector-is-a-gimmick-free-pop-nobody-467318/ |title=Ben Rector Is a Gimmick Free Pop 'Nobody' |date=2011-09-25 |access-date=2024-01-19 |magazine=Billboard |last=Mitchell |first=Gail |archive-date=2024-01-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119230227/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/ben-rector-is-a-gimmick-free-pop-nobody-467318/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Rector attributed the increasing success, which had been a steady increase without spikes, to word-of-mouth communication from his fans.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://americansongwriter.com/ben-rector/ |title=Ben Rector |date=2013-10-14 |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=American Songwriter |last=Schlansky |first=Evan |archive-date=2024-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120053045/https://americansongwriter.com/ben-rector/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
''Something Like This'' released on September 13, 2011, with "Let the Good Times Roll" and "She Is" releasing prior as singles.<ref name="UTW">{{Cite news |title=Urban Tulsa Weekly |url=https://www.calameo.com/read/0012353479b90a1db3db1 |page=40 |last=Hizer |first=G.K. |date=2012-03-22 |issue=39 |volume=21 |access-date=2024-01-12 |archive-date=2024-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112020304/https://www.calameo.com/read/0012353479b90a1db3db1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.melodic.net/news/ben-rector-confirms-tour-new-song |title=Ben Rector Confirms Tour + New Song |date=2011-11-18 |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=Melodic |last=Wippsson |first=Johan |archive-date=2024-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120175615/http://www.melodic.net/news/ben-rector-confirms-tour-new-song |url-status=live }}</ref> The gap between the album and the album prior was only one year, which Rector found "ridiculous" in retrospect, although he simply wanted to get more music out because he was excited to write more.<ref name="CSP"/> Following the release was a supporting headlining tour, "The Good Time Tour",<ref name="UTW"/> starting on September 25, 2011 and spanning five weeks and over 25 cities.<ref name="BB"/><ref name="C&C">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cardinalandcream.info/2015/now-spinning-ben-rector/ |title=Now Spinning: Ben Rector |date=2015-04-30 |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=Cardinal & Cream |last=Carter |first=McKenna |archive-date=2016-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128054652/http://www.cardinalandcream.info/2015/now-spinning-ben-rector/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Over half of the shows sold out in advance. Shortly afterward he opened for Needtobreathe during The Reckoning Tour in 2012.<ref name="C&C"/> "She Is", the seventh song on the album, would be covered by Lady Antebellum on their 2014 album ''747''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://roughstock.com/news/2014/09/29427-story-behind-song-lady-antebellum |title=Story Behind The Song: Lady Antebellum "She Is" |date=2014-09-24 |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=Roughstock |last=Bjorke |first=Matt |archive-date=2024-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103232232/http://roughstock.com/news/2014/09/29427-story-behind-song-lady-antebellum |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Commercial performance == ''Something Like This'' debuted at 41 on both the ''Billboard 200'' and Top Album Sales chart.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/2011-10-01/ |title=Billboard 200: Week of October 1, 2011 |date=2011-10-01 |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=Billboard |archive-date=2023-07-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709181725/https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200/2011-10-01/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/top-album-sales/2011-10-01/ |title=Top Album Sales: Week of October 1, 2011 |date=2011-10-01 |access-date=2024-01-20 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=2023-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414070224/https://www.billboard.com/charts/top-album-sales/2011-10-01/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It also debuted at 15 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums charts,<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/rock-albums/2011-10-01/ |title=Top Rock Albums: Week of October 1, 2011 |date=2011-10-01 |access-date=2024-01-20 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=2024-01-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105091158/https://www.billboard.com/charts/rock-albums/2011-10-01/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/top-rock-alternative-albums/2011-10-01/ |title=Top Rock & Alternative Albums: Week of October 1, 2011 |date=2011-10-01 |access-date=2024-01-20 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> 39 on Top Current Album Sales,<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/current-albums/2011-10-01/ |title=Top Current Album Sales: Week of October 1, 2011 |date=2011-10-01 |access-date=2024-01-20 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> 11 on both the Independent Albums and Digital Albums charts.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/independent-albums/2011-10-01/ |title=Independent Albums: Week of October 1, 2011 |date=2011-10-01 |access-date=2024-01-20 |magazine=Billboard |archive-date=2022-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230195222/https://www.billboard.com/charts/independent-albums/2011-10-01/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It charted at 1st on the Singer/Songwriter album chart on iTunes,<ref name="AS"/> 5 minutes after its release.<ref name="MD">{{Cite web |url=https://www.melodic.net/news/ben-rector-debuts-at-41-on-billboard-top-200-more |title=Ben Rector Debuts At #41 On Billboard Top 200 & More |date=2011-10-04 |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=Melodic |last=Wippsson |first=Johan |archive-date=2024-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120175613/https://www.melodic.net/news/ben-rector-debuts-at-41-on-billboard-top-200-more |url-status=live }}</ref> It peaked 4th on iTunes overall, behind Lady Antebellum, Coldplay, and Adele and surpassing ''Tha Carter IV'' by Lil Wayne.<ref name="UTW"/><ref name="AS">{{Cite web |url=https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/413189/Ben-Rector |title=All American Speakers: Ben Rector |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=All American Speakers |archive-date=2024-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120054314/https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/413189/Ben-Rector |url-status=live }}</ref> Rector was spotlighted by Amazon via their "Artist On The Rise" program throughout October and November in 2011.<ref name="MD"/> The success of the release and Rector's increasing fame helped see his staff grow, and Steele began looking for supporting partnerships. According to Steele, "We've proven he can sell records; last week is a good testament to that."<ref name="BB"/>
==Track listing== {{Track listing | headline = ''Something Like This'' track listing | title1 = Let the Good Times Roll | length1 = 3:08 | title2 = Song for the Suburbs | length2 = 3:40 | title3 = Never Gonna Let you Go | length3 = 3:15 | title4 = Without You | length4 = 3:40 | title5 = Hide Away | length5 = 3:20 | title6 = You and Me | length6 = 3:57 | title7 = She Is | length7 = 3:24 | title8 = Wanna be Loved | length8 = 3:27 | title9 = Way I Am | length9 = 4:08 | title10 = Falling in Love | length10 = 2:44 | title11 = Home | length11 = 3:36 | total_length = 38:35 }}
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Chart (2011) !Peak<br>position |- {{album chart|Billboard200|41|artist=Ben Rector}} |- {{album chart|BillboardDigital|11|artist=Ben Rector}} |- {{album chart|BillboardIndependent|11|artist=Ben Rector}} |- {{album chart|BillboardRock|15|artist=Ben Rector}} |}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Ben Rector}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2011 albums Category:Ben Rector albums Category:Self-released albums