| Back to Forever | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 8, 2013 (North America), October 14, 2013 (Europe) | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Pop [1] | |||
| Label | Columbia (UK), Fat Possum (US) | |||
| Producer | Jacknife Lee | |||
| Lissie chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Back to Forever | ||||
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Back to Forever is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lissie. It was released in the United States on October 8, 2013, [2] and in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2013. [3]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 69/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| American Songwriter |  [4] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [5] |
| The Independent | [6] |
| PopMatters | (8/10) [7] |
| This is Fake DIY | (6/10) [8] |
| Paste Magazine | (8.4/10) [9] |
| The Seattle Times | (Positive) [10] |
| The Star-Ledger | (Positive) [11] |
Back to Forever received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 14 reviews. [12]
AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing: "Lissie's strength is how she uses the past as foundation, not aspiration, and that's why Back to Forever is a lithe, unpredictable, and seductive collection of modern pop: it places equal emphasis on song and sound." [1]
In a very positive review, Simmy Richman of The Independent writes: "Lissie is still a head-and-shoulders-above-the-rest singer and songwriter but where Catching a Tiger mined the 1970s Fleetwood Mac seam, Back to Forever moves things into the 1980s – all fist-pumping verses and “Kids-in-America”-like big choruses," adding: "And though the hipsters will never take Lissie to their hearts, their loss is the gain of those who care more for substance than style." [6]
In a very positive review, Paste Magazine writer Elias Leight writes: "With puffs of backing vocals and a shiny bursting guitar solo, all escaping emotions are artfully contained. Lissie sounds most comfortable in this mode, chugging meticulously forward," giving Back to Forever 8.4 out of 10 points. [9]
PopMatters writer Steven Horowitz writes: "Lissie makes one want to pump fists in the air and sing along because she always seems to be giving it her all. <...> Not every song on her new album works—just because something is art does not make it good art—but most of them do because she really outs herself out there. Her dignity comes not from holding back but from letting go," giving Back to Forever 8 out of 10 points. [7]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Habit" | Elisabeth Maurus, Julian Emery, Jim Irvin | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Further Away (Romance Police)" | Maurus, Emery, Irvin | 4:21 |
| 3. | "Shameless" | Maurus, Emery, Irvin | 3:21 |
| 4. | "They All Want You" | Maurus, Irvin, Angelo Petraglia | 4:00 |
| 5. | "Sleepwalking" | Maurus, Martin Craft | 4:14 |
| 6. | "I Don't Wanna Go To Work" | Maurus, Crispin Hunt, Gordon Mills | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Mountaintop Removal" | Maurus, Craft, Francis White | 5:18 |
| 8. | "Love in the City" | Maurus, Craft | 3:15 |
| 9. | "I Bet on You" | Maurus, Petraglia | 4:33 |
| 10. | "Cold Fish" | Maurus, Justin Parker | 3:39 |
| 11. | "Can't Take it Back" | Maurus, Greg Kurstin | 3:29 |
| 12. | "Back to Forever" | Maurus, Craft | 3:52 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Habit" | Elisabeth Maurus, Julian Emery, Jim Irvin | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Further Away (Romance Police)" | Maurus, Emery, Irvin | 4:21 |
| 3. | "Shameless" | Maurus, Emery, Irvin | 3:21 |
| 4. | "They All Want You" | Maurus, Irvin, Angelo Petraglia | 4:00 |
| 5. | "Sleepwalking" | Maurus, Martin Craft | 4:14 |
| 6. | "I Don't Wanna Go To Work" | Maurus, Crispin Hunt, Gordon Mills | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Mountaintop Removal" | Maurus, Craft, Francis White | 5:18 |
| 8. | "What's It Like" | Maurus, Emery, Irvin | 3:14 |
| 9. | "Love in the City" | Maurus, Craft | 3:15 |
| 10. | "I Bet on You" | Maurus, Petraglia | 4:33 |
| 11. | "Cold Fish" | Maurus, Justin Parker | 3:39 |
| 12. | "Can't Take it Back" | Maurus, Greg Kurstin | 3:29 |
| 13. | "Back to Forever" | Maurus, Craft | 3:52 |
| 14. | "The Habit (Stripped Down)" | Maurus, Emery, Irvin | 4:09 |
| 15. | "I Bet on You (Stripped Down)" | Maurus, Petraglia | 4:20 |
| 16. | "Mountaintop Removal (Stripped Down)" | Maurus, Craft, Francis White | 4:22 |
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [13] | 43 |
| German Charts | 100 |
| Irish Albums Chart | 91 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart [14] [15] | 3 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [16] | 13 |
| Swiss Charts | 62 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [17] | 16 |
| US Billboard 200 | 160 |
| US Billboard Folk Albums | 11 |
| US Billboard Top Heatseekers | 4 |
| US Billboard Independent Albums | 31 |
Elisabeth Corrin Maurus, known as Lissie, is an American singer-songwriter. She released her debut EP, "Why You Runnin'", in November 2009. Her debut album, Catching a Tiger, was released in June 2010. Her second studio album, Back to Forever, was released in October 2013. Her first record as an independent artist, and third studio album, My Wild West, was released February 12, 2016 and went on to receive critical acclaim. Her fourth studio album Castles, was released worldwide on March 23, 2018. Her fifth studio album, Carving Canyons, was released September 16, 2022.
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