Overview
This Is Us is the seventh studio album (sixth in the US) from American pop group Backstreet Boys. Serving as a follow-up to Unbreakable (2007), it was released on September 30, 2009 in Japan through Sony Music Japan, October 5, 2009 in the UK through RCA, and October 6 in the US.
For the album, the group reunited with previous collaborator and producer Max Martin, with the intention to create their best record since Millennium. They worked with Ryan Tedder, Claude Kelly, Jim Jonsin, RedOne, Ne-Yo, Brian Kennedy, Alex James, Pitbull, Eddie Galan, Rami Yacoub, Kristian Lundin, and T-Pain amongst others for the album as well.
The album debuted at number 9 on the US Billboard 200 making it their seventh top ten album. RedOne produced the album's lead single "Straight Through My Heart" which was released in August 2009. It was their final album on Jive Records and their last of two albums as a quartet before original member Kevin Richardson rejoined the band in 2012.
Recording and production
In an interview with Extra TV, the group confirmed the title of their seventh album to be This Is Us. In the official press release RCA/Jive Records describes the album as "a finely crafted R&B and pop album from four talented musicians who love what they do and who maintain the rare relevance in an industry that often disposes of pop acts. The 11 songs that make up album are the sounds of four skilled singers with a similar vision, who have dealt with the trials and tribulations that accompany fame at an early age and who came out as one of the most successful groups of all time. It shows remarkable growth as songwriters and continues to give us songs that has made millions smile."
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).