Hazardous is the fourth studio album by Vanessa Amorosi, released in Australia on 6 November 2009 to critical and commercial success, debuting at number 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart and Gold accreditation in Australia. The album's lead single, "This Is Who I Am", became Amorosi's first and only number one-charting single, reaching number 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart in its first week of release.
Background
Hazardous was released in November 2009, less than 18 months after her previous studio album, Somewhere in the Real World. On working with songwriting team Machopsycho, she said: "It was literally pouring out of us. It's such a crazy thing when you have the right magic and chemistry going on – the songs tend to write themselves and really quickly."
"This album is so raw and edgy and out-there... it might scare people who've bought my albums in the past," she said. "The whole album is all the stuff I've never wanted to talk about, and I've only now had the courage to put it out there. I had a lot to say with this album, that's why it came so quickly. I think a lot of people thought I'd take my time again, which I was nervous about. We were going to head to Europe with the last album, but then it would've been another two years, and people would've thought 'I'm tired of buying her records, she pisses off after each one'."
Compared to the more soul and soft rock-influenced pop of Somewhere in the Real World, Hazardous features a more electropop and pop-rock sound. The album notably is Amorosi's first to feature a rap verse in one of her songs, that being Seany B's appearance in "Mr. Mysterious".
Singles
"This Is Who I Am"
"Hazardous"
"Mr. Mysterious"
"Off on My Kiss"
"Holiday"
Critical reception
Matthew Chisling of AllMusic lauded Hazardous, calling it "ruthless and exciting", and Amorosi's vocals "roof-raising". He also noted the album's mainstream sound, pointing out how the album was "even more radio accessible ", and said that "It's no surprise that any of the tracks could be as popular as the two first singles". Whilst he felt the album's upbeat sound "impedes on the presence of ballads as beautiful as Amorosi's previous number one single, "Perfect", he felt the album complemented Somewhere in the Real World as "two parts of a glorious release".
Track listing
Personnel
Produced by MachoPsycho. Recorded at Fishhead studios, Gothenburg, Sweden
