Rollercoaster (Jim Verraros album)

Rollercoaster
Studio album by
Jim Verraros
ReleasedApril 26, 2005
Genre
Length40:29
LabelKoch Records
ProducerGabe Lopez
Jim Verraros chronology
Unsaid and Understood
(2003) 		''Rollercoaster''
(2005) 		Do Not Disturb
(2011)
Singles from Rollercoaster
  1. "You Turn It On"
  2. "You're Getting Crazy (Estas Enloqueciendo)"

Rollercoaster is the official debut album of pop rock-dance artist Jim Verraros. It was released by independent label Koch Records on April 26, 2005. Several of the album's songs had been featured on a previous release by Verraros, titled Unsaid and Understood, which had acted as a demo album. Unsaid and Understood had been self-released in 2003, a year after Verraros placed ninth on American Idol's first season, and had drawn the attention of Koch Records, which proceeded to sign Verraros. Gabe Lopez produced Unsaid and Understood as well as Rollercoaster. He also provided backing vocals and played several instruments on both albums. Among Rollercoaster's other background vocalists is Angela Peel, who made it to the semi-finals on American Idol, during the same season as Verraros.

Verraros had publicly come out as gay the year before releasing Unsaid and Understood and was the only openly gay finalist from American Idol at the time of Rollercoaster's release. He performed many of the songs on Rollercoaster at gay clubs and at pride events. All of the songs on the album avoid using pronouns, and the album was noted for including lyrics that allude to both gay bashing and gay sex. Verraros sought to create a more sexually charged album than those released by other American Idol finalists up to that point. The music of George Michael served as the album's primary influence, while Green Day inspired some of the album's rock elements.

"You Turn It On" was released as Rollercoaster's first single and peaked at number twenty-one on the Billboard Dance Club Play Chart. "You're Getting Crazy (Estas Enloqueciendo)" was released in October 2005 as the album's second single. Both songs received multiple remixes. Prior to Rollercoaster's release, songs from Unsaid and Understood topped the Rock and Pop charts on Mp3.com.

Lopez received writing credits for all eleven tracks on Rollercoaster. Verraros co-wrote seven of the album's songs, and Peel co-wrote four of them. Peel's credits include co-writing both of the album's singles.

Reviews of Rollercoaster were generally positive, both in mainstream and LGBT-interest publications. Critics complimented the album's musical influences and gay-oriented themes.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AllMusic Overview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pride DC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Finding Fame was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Queer Cinema was invoked but never defined (see the help page).