Blood, Sweat & 3 Years

Blood, Sweat & 3 Years is the fourth studio album by American electronic music group Cash Cash, released on June 24, 2016 by Big Beat Records and Atlantic Records.^[1] It is their first full-length album since signing to Big Beat, following the release of the Overtime and Lightning EPs. Blood, Sweat & 3 Years includes collaborations with singers Anjulie, Bebe Rexha, Chrish, Christina Perri, Dev, Jacquie Lee, Jenna Andrews, John Rzeznik from the Goo Goo Dolls, Julia Michaels, Michael Fitzpatrick of Fitz and the Tantrums, Neon Hitch, and Sofia Reyes; rappers B.o.B, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, and Trinidad James; DJ Digital Farm Animals; and groups Little Daylight and Night Terrors of 1927.

Blood, Sweat & 3 Years
Studio album by Cash Cash
Released	June 24, 2016
Recorded	2013–16
Genre	Dance
Label	Big Beat Atlantic
Producer	Cash Cash Digital Farm Animals
Cash Cash chronology
Lightning EP (2014) Blood, Sweat & 3 Years (2016) Say It Like You Feel It (2021)
Singles from Blood, Sweat & 3 Years
"Aftershock" Released: January 29, 2016 "How to Love" Released: April 29, 2016 "Millionaire" Released: June 3, 2016 "Broken Drum" Released: June 17, 2016

Background and composition

On April 28, 2016, the group announced the track listing and release date for Blood, Sweat & 3 Years.^[1] The album was produced by the group themselves and Digital Farm Animals.^[2] The album took 36 months to complete.^[3] Jean Paul Makhlouf spoke about the long process of finishing the album.

"The biggest thing that makes it hard for us to put out albums left and right is that we're not all home in one place for enough time. We play a lot of shows together, but most of the touring is done with me and Sam, and there's only so much that Alex or one of us can do back home in the studio. Sam can finish ideas that we started or he can keep things moving in a direction, but ultimately, we all need to be home in the studio to make a final product."^[3]

The title of the album comes from a representation of the last three years of the groups lives.^[4] Following the release of the album, the group embarked on a 2016 headlining tour called Must Be the Money Tour.^[5]

Singles

"Take Me Home", featuring guest vocals from singer Bebe Rexha, was released on July 15, 2013, originally from the band's 2013 EP Overtime. It was later included on Blood, Sweat & 3 Years as its first single. It reached number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 selling 488,000 downloads, becoming their first (and, to date, only) charting single in the US.^[6] It also reached number 6 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart.^[7] It also peaked within the top ten in Australia and the UK. The music video premiered on December 18, 2013.^[8] "Lightning", featuring guest vocals from Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik, was released on March 24, 2014.^[9] It was originally from the band's 2014 EP Lightning, but was later included as the second single from Blood, Sweat & 3 Years. Unlike "Take Me Home", "Lightning" did not chart. The lyric video premiered on August 11, 2014.^[10] "Surrender", featuring uncredited guest vocals from singer and songwriter Julia Michaels, was released on September 16, 2014 as the third single from the album. Although it did not chart on the Hot 100, it did reach number 19 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart.^[7] The music video premiered on January 15, 2015.^[11]

"Devil", featuring guest vocals from rappers Busta Rhymes and B.o.B and singer Neon Hitch, was released on August 7, 2015 as the album's fourth single.^[12] It reached number 28 on the Dance/Electronic songs chart,^[7] and number 110 in the UK. "Escarole" was released on December 11, 2015 as the album's fifth single.^[13]

"Aftershock", featuring guest vocals from singer Jacquie Lee, was released on January 29, 2016 as the album's sixth single. The music video premiered on March 16, 2016.^[14] "How to Love", featuring guest vocals from Mexican singer Sofia Reyes, was released on April 29, 2016 as the album's seventh single. It peaked at number 16 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart. The music video premiered on the same day.^[15] "Millionaire", their collaboration with British DJ Digital Farm Animals, featuring guest vocals from rapper Nelly, was released on June 3, 2016 as the album's eighth single. It debuted at number 22 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart. The music video was released on June 27, 2016.^[16] "Broken Drum", featuring guest vocals from Michael Fitzpatrick of Fitz and the Tantrums, was released on June 17, 2016 as the album's ninth single, accompanied by a music video.^[17]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[18]
Renowned for Sound	^[19]
We Got This Covered	^[20]

Alexendra Blair from Dancing Astronaut wrote that Cash Cash have "delivered a quality pop music release on which any song could be a confetti-drenched closer" by praising their track production and the appearance of quality collaborators such as Christina Perri and Michael Fitzpatrick of Fitz and the Tantrums. She then criticised Nelly's performance on "Millionaire" by describing it as a "whitewashing of the rapper's sometimes gritty and often wryly wrought vocal style" and felt that "Devil" was "hollow with a sanitized inauthenticity" despite strong verses from B.o.B and Busta Rhymes.^[21] AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung gave the album a 4/5 rating and stated that it was a "celebration of the many facets of dance in the 2010s EDM era, from trap to tropical and everything in between". He complimented their "impressive list of guests for the effort" and said that the brightest moments of the record came courtesy of the female vocalists, who bring a "carefree and breezy energy to balance the machismo".^[18] Connor Jones from We Got This Covered felt like the album "plays more like a loose collection of songs than a cohesive whole", due to some tracks being released back in 2013 which causes them to feel mismatched when listened to. He continued by stating that the record feels repetitious and formulaic regarding its female led vocal collaborations, even with the presence of many excellent tracks. The critic concluded by writing that tracks like "How To Love" which "strike the right balance between radio friendly pop and crowd pleasing dance rhythms" works best in Blood, Sweat & 3 Years, and praised the "crystal clear mixing" and "excellent synth work" on the record.^[20]

Daniel Patrin of Renowned For Sound granted the record a 2/5 rating and stated that it consisted of "calculable, artificial pop music with forced momentum", mimicking the works of Afrojack and Swedish House Mafia which made it lack "any real aspects of individualism".^[19]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Cash Cash, except "Millionaire" produced by Cash Cash and Digital Farm Animals.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"How to Love" (featuring Sofia Reyes)	Samuel Frisch Alex Makhlouf Jean Paul Makhlouf Jennifer Decilveo Ilsey Juber	3:38
2.	"Broken Drum" (featuring Fitz of Fitz and the Tantrums)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Michael Fitzpatrick	3:18
3.	"Millionaire" (with Digital Farm Animals featuring Nelly)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Eldra DeBarge Jason Epperson Nicholas Gale Cornell Haynes, Jr. Etterlene Jordan Lavell Webb	3:06
4.	"Hero" (featuring Christina Perri)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Christina Perri	3:18
5.	"Devil" (featuring Busta Rhymes, B.o.B & Neon Hitch)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Neon Hitch Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. Trevor Smith	3:29
6.	"Aftershock" (featuring Jacquie Lee)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Erin Beck	3:25
7.	"The Gun" (featuring Trinidad James, Dev & Chrish)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Leah Haywood Ashton Parson Devin Tailes Nicholas Williams	3:22
8.	"Turn" (featuring Little Daylight)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Matt Lewkowicz Nikki Taylor Eric Zeiler	3:39
9.	"Escarole"	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf	4:01
10.	"Lightning" (featuring John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf John Rzeznik	3:34
11.	"Arrows in the Dark" (featuring Anjulie)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Anjulie Persaud	3:38
12.	"We Will Live" (featuring Night Terrors of 1927)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Jarrod Gorbel	3:50
13.	"Bada Boom"	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf	4:02
14.	"Take Me Home" (featuring Bebe Rexha)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Brandon Lowry Bebe Rexha	3:25
15.	"Sweat" (featuring Jenna Andrews)	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Jenna Andrews	3:33
16.	"Surrender"	Frisch A. Makhlouf J. Makhlouf Tal Meltzer Julia Michaels Philip Patterson Lindy Robbins Linus Wiklund	3:28
Total length:			56:46

Personnel

Credits for Blood, Sweat & 3 Years adapted from AllMusic.^[2]

Cash Cash Samuel Frisch – composer, DJ, mastering, mixing, producer, programming Alex Makhlouf – composer, keyboards, mastering, mixing, producer, programming Jean Paul Makhlouf – composer, mastering, mixing, producer, programming, vocals Additional musicians Jenna Andrews – composer, featured artist Anjulie – featured artist B.o.B – featured artist Busta Rhymes – featured artist Dev & Chrish – composer, featured artist Fitz and the Tantrums – featured artist Leah Haywood – backing vocals Neon Hitch – composer, featured artist Trinidad James – featured artist Jacquie Lee – featured artist Little Daylight – featured artist Nelly – featured artist Night Terrors of 1927 – featured artist Christina Perri – composer, featured artist Bebe Rexha – composer, featured artist Sofia Reyes – featured artist John Rzeznik – composer, featured artist

Production Erin Beck – composer El DeBarge – composer Jennifer Decilveo – composer Digital Farm Animals – producer Jay E – composer Michael Fitzpatrick – composer Nick Gale – composer Jarrod Gorbel – composer Etterlene Jordan – composer Ilsey Juber – composer Matthew Lewkowicz – composer Brandon Lowry – composer Tal Meltzer – composer Julia Michaels – composer Ashton Parson – composer Jonas Philip Patterson – composer Lindy Robbins – composer Trevor Smith – composer Nikki Taylor – composer Lavell Webb – composer Linus Wiklund – composer Nicholaus Williams – composer Eric Zeiler – composer

Charts

Chart performance for Blood, Sweat & 3 Years

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australian Hitseekers Albums (ARIA)^[22]	18
Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[23]	97
US Billboard 200^[24]	125
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)^[25]	3

Certifications

Certifications and sales figures for Blood, Sweat & 3 Years

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
South Korea (KMCA)^[26]	Platinum	250,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release formats for Blood, Sweat & 3 Years

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Various	June 24, 2016	CD digital download	Big Beat Atlantic	^[27]^[28]

References

1. Kat Bein (April 28, 2016). "Cash Cash Announces Debut Album, Premieres Infectious 'How to Love' Single: Exclusive". Billboard.
2. "Blood, Sweat & 3 Years - Cash Cash Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
3. Alice Gustafson. "Cash Cash: Blood, Sweat & 3 Years". Retrieved March 17, 2023.
4. Paula Espinoza (June 26, 2016). "Exclusive: Cash Cash Talks Latest Album Blood, Sweat and 3 Years". Retrieved March 17, 2023.
5. "Cash Cash Announces Must Be The Money Tour". Yahoo! Inc. September 20, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
6. Katie Morse (July 11, 2014). "Cash Cash Talks Growing Up, Dishes on Hit 'Take Me Home' With Bebe Rexha". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
7. . Billboard. Archived from the original on 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
8. John Walker (December 18, 2013). "Add Cash Cash's 'Take Me Home' Featuring Bebe Rexha To Your New Year's Playlist Immediately!". MTV. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
9. Amber Lashbaugh (March 25, 2014). "Cash Cash's Lightning EP Featuring The Goo Goo Dolls Available Now! [Must Listen]". Retrieved March 17, 2023.
10. "Cash Cash - "Lightning" ft John Rzeznik (Official Lyric Video)". YouTube. 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2016-05-06.
11. "Cash Cash release music video for Surrender". Dancing Astronaut. January 21, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
12. "Cash Cash – Devil feat. Busta Rhymes, B.o.B & Neon Hitch". August 7, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
13. McIntyre, Hugh (December 11, 2015). "Cash Cash's 'Escarole': Exclusive Song Premiere". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
14. "Cash Cash release music video for Surrender". Dancing Astronaut. January 21, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
15. Diana Marti (April 29, 2016). "Cash Cash and Sofía Reyes Premiere "How to Love" Music Video". E! Online. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
16. "Cash Cash & Digital Farm Animals - Millionaire feat. Nelly (Official Video)". YouTube. 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2016-07-03.
17. "Watch Cash Cash Throw a Pool Party in 'Broken Drum' Video". Billboard. June 20, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
18. Yeung, Neil. "Blood, Sweat & 3 Years - Cash Cash". AllMusic. from the original on 2017-12-15.
19. Daniel, Patrin (2016-07-10). "Album Review: Cash Cash – Blood, Sweat & 3 Years". Renowned For Sound. from the original on 2016-08-08. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
20. Jones, Connor (2016-06-22). "Cash Cash – Blood, Sweat & 3 Years Review". We Got This Covered. from the original on 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
21. Blair, Alexendra (2016-06-26). "Cash Cash stake their claim with 'Blood, Sweat, & 3 Years' [Album Review]". Dancing Astronaut. from the original on 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2018-03-25.
22. "ARIA Hitseekers Albums – Week Commencing 4th July 2016" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. July 4, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 20, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
23. "Cash Cash Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
24. "Cash Cash Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
25. "Cash Cash Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
26. "Cash Cash on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
27. "Blood, Sweat & 3 Years". Amazon. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
28. "Blood, Sweat & 3 Years - Cash Cash". Apple Music. Retrieved March 17, 2023.