Are We There Yet? | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 13 October 2023 | |||
Studio | Astley's home studio, London | |||
Length | 41:08 | |||
Label | BMG | |||
Producer | Rick Astley | |||
Rick Astley chronology | ||||
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Singles from Are We There Yet? | ||||
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Are We There Yet? is the ninth studio album by the English singer and songwriter Rick Astley, released on 13 October 2023 by BMG. It was preceded by the lead single "Dippin My Feet" and the single "Never Gonna Stop". Astley will tour the UK, Ireland and Europe in support of the album from November 2023 to March 2024. [1] The album is Astley's first of new music since Beautiful Life (2018). It peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart.
Are We There Yet? was announced on 20 June 2023 alongside the release of the album's lead single "Dippin My Feet". [2] This came ahead of Astley performing on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival 2023, where he also performed "Dippin My Feet". Astley had previously been asked to perform there in 2020, but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [3]
The album was inspired by the soul music of Marvin Gaye, Al Green and Bill Withers, [1] and recorded at the Astley's home studio in London. [4] Astley stated that he believed "spending five months in America" on tour there in 2022 "retuned [his] ear a little bit" in regards to his guitar playing. [5]
The lead single "Dippin My Feet" was released on 20 June 2023. Astley said of the song: "It's not Americana, but the tagline at the start of the chorus is: 'Dipping my feet in the Mississippi River...' It's definitely not country, but I've never twanged a guitar as much as I have in the past couple of months." [6] "Dippin My Feet" peaked at number 95 on the UK Singles Sales Chart. [7]
The second single "Never Gonna Stop" was released on 22 August 2023. Astley revealed that he wrote the song after reading an article about artificial intelligence. [8] "Never Gonna Stop" spent several weeks on the UK Singles Sales Chart and peaked at number 49. [7] The video was filmed by his wife on a mobile phone on a beach in Denmark, with Astley stating it was done "on a shoestring" as they "had run out of time to make a video" because he had been ill. [9]
The third single, "Forever and More", was released on 30 October, with its music video following on 9 November, directed by Simon Pegg with assistance from the Mission: Impossible crew. [10]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Hot Press | 7/10 [11] |
i | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Retropop | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Matt Collar of AllMusic wrote that the album "feels like a love letter to the earthy, blues-influenced work of artists like Bill Withers and Otis Redding" and found that "all of the rootsy soulfulness Astley embraces on Are We There Yet? is far removed from the studio sophistication of his early hits. That said, it feels genuine and hard-won by age and experience." [4] Retropop called it "some of his finest work since the 1980s" and felt that the "direction [...] perfectly compliments Astley's distinctive vocals, be it on mid tempo guitar-led numbers like 'Letting Go' and 'Golden Hour', or more R&B-leaning tunes in the vein of 'Never Gonna Stop' and 'Waterfall'". [13]
Hot Press 's John Walshe stated that "what perhaps shouldn't be surprising is how competent he sounds, with tracks like the slow Stax feel of 'Golden Hour' proving just how good those 57-year-old pipes are", describing it as a "return as surprisingly good as it is unlikely". [11] Ed Power of i wrote that "Astley gets on with business by serving up a satisfying collection of mid-tempo, Motown-inflected rock 'n' roll" that "offers a glimpse at the vulnerable human being behind the joyful persona". [12]
Retropop ranked the album sixth in their ranking of the top 10 best albums of 2023, with the publication's Connor Gotto writing that Astley sounds "revitalised and renewed", with the album "perfectly compliment[ing] Astley's distinctive vocals, be it on mid-tempo guitar-led numbers like 'Letting Go' and 'Golden Hour', or more R&B-leaning tunes in the vein of 'Never Gonna Stop' and 'Waterfall'". [14]
Are We There Yet? debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. [15] At the midweek point, the album had been at number one, 400 chart units ahead of number two, Sick Boi by Welsh rapper Ren Gill, [16] which eventually debuted at the top. [17]
All tracks are written by Rick Astley.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Dippin My Feet" | 3:13 |
2. | "Letting Go" | 3:22 |
3. | "Golden Hour" | 3:45 |
4. | "Never Gonna Stop" | 3:17 |
5. | "Close (Your Shoes)" | 3:37 |
6. | "High Enough" | 3:27 |
7. | "Forever and More" | 3:37 |
8. | "Driving Me Crazy" | 3:32 |
9. | "Maria Love" | 3:34 |
10. | "Take Me Back to Your Place" | 3:15 |
11. | "Waterfall" | 3:12 |
12. | "Blue Sky" | 3:17 |
Total length: | 41:08 |
Musicians
Technical
Visuals
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA) [18] | 25 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [19] | 97 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [20] | 158 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [21] | 29 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [22] | 6 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [23] | 77 |
UK Albums (OCC) [24] | 2 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [25] | 2 |
Richard Paul Astley is an English singer. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album Whenever You Need Somebody, which sold 15 million copies worldwide. His debut single "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a No. 1 hit in 25 countries, winning the 1988 Brit Award for Best British Single. His 1988 single "Together Forever" became his second song to top the US Billboard Hot 100 and was one of his eight songs to reach the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The title track, "Whenever You Need Somebody", was also a No. 1 hit.
"When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in Howard Hughes' last film One Minute to Zero as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the first vocal recording released in April 1952 with the song's composer, Victor Young, handling the arranging and conducting duties. The song has become a standard, with many artists recording it; the first hit version was sung by Doris Day released in July 1952.
"Never Gonna Give You Up" is a song by English singer Rick Astley, released on 27 July 1987. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, it was released by RCA Records as the first single from Astley's debut studio album, Whenever You Need Somebody (1987). The song became a worldwide hit, initially in the United Kingdom in 1987, where it stayed at the top of the chart for five weeks and was the best-selling single of that year. It eventually topped charts in 25 different countries, including the United States and West Germany, and winning Best British Single at the 1988 Brit Awards. The song is widely regarded as Astley's most popular, as well as his signature song, and it is often played at the end of his live concerts.
"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" is a song co-written by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond and recorded by American rock band Starship for their second studio album, No Protection (1987). It is a power ballad duet featuring vocalists Grace Slick and Mickey Thomas and is the theme to the romantic-comedy film Mannequin.
"Together Forever" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley and released by RCA and BMG as the fourth single from his debut album, Whenever You Need Somebody (1987). The song reached number two in the United Kingdom, behind Neighbours star and fellow Stock Aitken Waterman artist Kylie Minogue's debut single "I Should Be So Lucky". The single was a worldwide hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on 18 June 1988, becoming Astley's second US chart-topper. It also topped the charts in Canada, Ireland and Spain, and was a top ten hits in many European countries.
Stock Aitken Waterman Gold is a compilation album released in 2005 by Sony BMG, PWL Records and EBUL.
"Whenever You Need Somebody" is a song written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, which became successful for two of their artists, namely O'Chi Brown and Rick Astley.
Greatest Hits is a compilation by English singer Rick Astley released in the UK in 2002 and in the US a year later. While the American version features alternate mixes focused between 1987 and 1991, the European version features hits up to his 2002 album Keep It Turned On. It sold over 100,000 copies in the UK and was certified gold by the BPI. The UK release saw the debut appearance of Astley's 2001 single "Sleeping", thus making it a brand-new track for listeners.
Free is the third studio album by English singer Rick Astley, released on 12 March 1991 by RCA Records. It was his first album not to be produced by the noted production team of Stock Aitken Waterman. It gave Astley another hit single in the ballad "Cry for Help", which became a Top 10 in both the UK and US. Further singles "Move Right Out" and "Never Knew Love" were less successful. Free reached the UK Top 10 and the US Top 40 and marked the end of a successful four-year period for Astley.
The discography of English singer and songwriter Rick Astley consists of nine studio albums, five compilation albums, two remix albums, and twenty-four singles.
"Cry for Help" is a song by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley, released as the first single from his third studio album, Free (1991). It was written by Astley and Rob Fisher, formerly one half of the 1980s pop outfits Naked Eyes and Climie Fisher. The Andraé Crouch Choir provided backing vocals. The song is a ballad, unlike Astley's earlier dance-oriented hit singles.
"Take Me to Your Heart" is a 1988 song recorded by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, the song was released the same year as the second single from the album, Hold Me in Your Arms. Not released in North America, it was a success on the UK Singles Chart where it peaked at number 8 and was also a top ten and a top 20 in many European other countries.
"Hopelessly" is a pop song performed by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley and written by Rob Fisher and Astley. It was produced by Gary Stevenson and Astley. The song was recorded for Astley's fourth album, Body & Soul (1993). It was released as the album's second and first single on 3 April 1993 by RCA Records. The single peaked at number 33 on the UK Singles Chart, number 28 in the US and at number eight in Canada. It is still a recurrent play on most North America hot AC stations, given the fact that it was a hit single in that format. It was featured on the compilation Reflections of Love.
"She Wants to Dance with Me" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley, released as the lead single from his second studio album, Hold Me in Your Arms (1988). The song was released in United Kingdom on September 12, 1988 by RCA, and became an international success, peaking in the top ten in many countries, including Canada, where it topped the chart, and the US and the UK, where it reached number six. In 2019, Astley recorded and released a "reimagined" version of the song for his album The Best of Me.
50 is the seventh studio album by English singer and songwriter Rick Astley. It was released on 10 June 2016 by BMG. It is Astley's first studio album in more than 10 years, following Portrait (2005). In the United Kingdom, 50 became Astley's first number-one album since his 1987 debut album Whenever You Need Somebody. All songs on this album were sung, written and recorded by Astley himself. The album was later released on 7 October 2016 in the United States, marking his first American release since 1993's Body & Soul. The album was made as a commencement to Astley's 50th birthday in 2016, hence the album's title.
"Keep Singing" is a song by English singer and songwriter Rick Astley. It was released as a digital download in the United Kingdom on 6 April 2016 as the lead single from his seventh studio album 50 (2016). The song peaked at number 40 on the UK Singles Chart and also charted in Belgium. The song was written and produced by Astley and is performed in the key of B flat minor.
Beautiful Life is the eighth studio album by English singer and songwriter Rick Astley. It was released on 13 July 2018 by BMG. The album peaked at number 6 on the UK Albums Chart.
The Best of Me is a greatest hits album by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley. It was released on 25 October 2019 by RCA Records and BMG. The album includes the single "Every One of Us", which was released in September 2019. The Best of Me reached number 4 on the UK Albums Chart and number 1 on the UK Independent Albums chart.
"Never Gonna Stop" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter Rick Astley. It was released as the second single from his ninth studio album, Are We There Yet?, on 22 August 2023. The track peaked at number 49 on the UK Official Single Sales Chart in October 2023. In an interview Astley said that the song was inspired by an article he had read about artificial intelligence:
The world is now full of daunting technology and that we need to remain human through it all! Maybe [we could] use some of that technology for good and move forward, we've still got to be human about it, so there you go!
Sick Boi is the second studio album by Welsh rapper Ren. It was released on 13 October 2023 through The Other Songs as his first studio album in nearly eight years, following Freckled Angels (2016).