Dance in the Rain (album)

Dance in the Rain is the follow-up to Coulter's third studio album Fear & Freedom (2012), which debuted at number seven on the ARIA Albums Chart and became her first top-ten album.[1] Coulter began working on Dance in the Rain shortly after the completion of Fear & Freedom.[2] As executive producer of Dance in the Rain, Coulter had full control over the songwriters and producers she wanted to work with.[2] She also spent her own money to travel overseas to write and record material for the album.[2] Coulter intended for Dance in the Rain to be an honest album and wanted to avoid following a certain sound and concept.[2] She worked on it for two years in various places around the world, including Bali, Brisbane, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Nashville, New York City, Paris, Sweden and Sydney.[2] Stuart Crichton co-produced a majority of the album's songs alongside Coulter.[3][4] Speaking of the inspiration behind Dance in the Rain, Coulter stated: "Life throws so much at you and I write about it all ... I figured I had a lot to say and there were so many things I wanted to express – and I managed to pull it all together for this one album."[5]

Musically, Dance in the Rain consists of pop, dance, R&B and reggae styles.[3][6] The album opens with the title track "Dance in the Rain", which was described by Subculture Media as "dramatic and self-affirming".[3] The second single and second song "Happy Ever After" is based on Coulter's relationship with her fiancé Rich Harrison.[7] The album's first single and third track "All We Need Is Love" is a pop and dance song about encouraging people to support one another and spread love.[8][9] The fourth track "In the Mood" was described by Cameron Adams of the Herald Sun as "anthemic and athletic".[10] The third single and fifth track "Giddyup" is an R&B[10] and pop[11] song, with synth stabs, claps, and electro beats.[12] Adams noted that "Giddyup" sees Coulter channeling "her inner Beyoncé",[10] while Subculture Media noted that it features "some assertive and intoxicating sass throughout".[3] Nic Kelly of Project U compared the song's production to Coulter's 2007 single "Can't Touch It",[12] while Adams called it "the new 'Can't Touch It'".[10]

The album's sixth track "Criminal" is a reggae-pop song that features Barbadian recording artist Shane Free and was co-written by Coulter, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers.[13] The ninth track "Until We Drop" is a "club-ready" song that features dubstep stabs.[3][10] Subculture Media described the tenth song "Diva" as "bangin' club-ready",[3] while Adams viewed it as a "high energy" song "tailor-made for a sweaty gay club".[10] Adams also noted that the "pace slows" on the twelfth track on Dance in the Rain, titled "Catch Me If You Can", which he described as "William Orbit-esque".[10] The thirteenth track "Mirage" is an "emotive ballad" that was co-written by Coulter and Harrison.[3][7] Adams noted that the ballad features "a torrent of honest lyrics and tangible pain".[10]

On 19 September 2014, Coulter announced the release date for Dance in the Rain and revealed the album cover.[3][6] Following the announcement, Dance in the Rain was made available to pre-order on the iTunes Store.[3][6] Three of the album's songs, "In the Mood", "Dance in the Rain" and "Mirage", were also made available to download alongside the iTunes pre-order.[3][14][15] Fans who pre-ordered Dance in the Rain on iTunes would instantly receive these songs for free.[5][15][16] Prior to the album's release, Coulter performed "Happy Ever After" on The X Factor Australia (23 September 2014),[17] "In the Mood" at Nickelodeon Australia's Slimefest concert in Sydney (26 September 2014) and on ABC's television special, Friday Night Crack-Up (10 October 2014).[18][19]

Dance in the Rain was released both digitally[20] and physically[21] on 17 October 2014, to coincide with Coulter's appearance as a celebrity contestant on the fourteenth season of Dancing with the Stars Australia.[7] The deluxe version was released simultaneously with the standard edition.[22] It was available to purchase on Coulter's official website and included a signed lyric sheet of the title track and four printed photos of Coulter.[22] On the day of the album's release, she performed "Giddyup" on Sunrise.[23] The following day, she performed "Giddyup" and "Diva" at the Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.[24] Coulter performed the title track on The Morning Show on 23 October 2014.[25] In an interview with Switched On, Coulter revealed that she would be planning to embark on a concert tour in support of the album.[26] However, no concert tour was ever announced.

Cameron Adams of the Herald Sun awarded Dance in the Rain three-and-a-half stars out of five and called it a "confident" album that sounds like "confessions on a dance floor".[10] Adams also complimented its various musical styles and viewed the track "Mirage" as a "career and vocal highlight" for Coulter.[10] Michael James of Q News called the album "her strongest release yet" and wrote that it "successfully manages to combine a strong personal narrative with catchy upbeat dance tracks".[32] For the issue dated 27 October 2014, Dance in the Rain debuted at number 14 on the ARIA Albums Chart and became Coulter's second top-twenty album.[33] It also became her third album to miss the ARIA top-ten and it failed to match her previous album's chart position of number seven.[33] In its second week, Dance in the Rain dropped 72 places to number 86.[34]