| Beautiful Mess | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 2008 (Japan) April 2008 (Philippines) August 2008 (U.K.) May 2009 (U.S.) | |||
| Studio | Aurora Studios (London, UK) | |||
| Length | 50:47 | |||
| Label | Avex Trax (Japan) Shanachie (U.S.) Universal (Philippines) | |||
| Producer | Andy Connell | |||
| Swing Out Sister chronology | ||||
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Beautiful Mess is the title of the ninth studio album by the British pop group Swing Out Sister. It was produced by group member Andy Connell, who has been with Swing Out Sister since its inception.
The album was initially released in Japan in February 2008 on Avex Trax, then issued in the U.K. later in the year. Beautiful Mess was released in the U.S. in May 2009, distributed by the Shanachie Records label. The album has reached #5 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. [1]
Since the group's second album, Kaleidoscope World , Swing Out Sister has consisted primarily of Andy Connell and Corinne Drewery. Both reprise familiar roles on this album, with Drewery on lead and backing vocals and Connell contributing musical arrangements. In addition, Connell produced this album, his first for the group, replacing longtime producer and collaborator Paul Staveley O'Duffy. Additional musicians include Tim Cansfield on guitar, Jody Linscott on percussion and Gina Foster and the Champagnettes on backing vocals. [2]
Beautiful Mess has received generally favorable reviews from music critics and journalists. Allmusic gave the album four stars out of a possible five. [1] Daryl Easlea of the BBC reviewed the album soon after its British release in September 2008 and described the music as "(s)weet, time-warped; unmistakeable; with their brand of London Embankment sunrises and cocktail party sunsets, it's so very Swing Out Sister". The reviewer continued that "Swing Out Sister could still give Adele, Duffy and all the latest crop a spin in their soft top for their money." [3] Elysa Gardner of the USA Today chose "Time Tracks You Down" as one of her ten most intriguing tracks for the week on 18 May 2009, stating that "(r)etro-soul doesn't get much smoother or sweeter than this..." [4] Music critic Mario Tarradell of the Dallas Morning News gave the album an "A" rating, describing it as "exquisite" and stating that the group "continue to make gorgeously lush and rhythmically jazzy albums whether stateside audiences care or not." [5]
Swing Out Sister
Additional musicians
Swing Out Sister are a British pop group best known worldwide for the 1986 song "Breakout". Other hits include "You On My Mind", "Twilight World", "Waiting Game", and a remake of the Eugene Record soul composition "Am I the Same Girl?"
Martin Jackson is a British drummer who has played with several bands from Manchester, although his most successful roles were with Magazine in 1978 with the release of the influential Real Life album, and Swing Out Sister in 1986, with the hit song "Breakout".
Andrew John Connell is an English musician and composer. Along with Corinne Drewery, he is part of the duo that makes up Swing Out Sister.
Corinne Drewery is an English singer-songwriter and fashion designer, best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Swing Out Sister.
Kaleidoscope World is the second studio album by the British band Swing Out Sister. It was released in 1989 and features the singles "You on My Mind", "Where in the World?", "Forever Blue", and "Waiting Game". With the addition of an orchestra, this album features a more sophisticated, easy listening/retro sound than their previous synth-oriented debut album, 1987's It's Better to Travel. The album reached #9 on the UK Albums Chart.
It's Better to Travel is the debut album by the British pop band Swing Out Sister, released in 1987 on Mercury Records. Upon its release, the album reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.
"Twilight World" is a song by the British pop act Swing Out Sister. The song is included on their debut album, It's Better to Travel. It was written by the members of the group at that time, Andy Connell, Corinne Drewery and Martin Jackson.
"Fooled by a Smile" is a 1987 song by the British pop act Swing Out Sister. It was the final single to be taken from their debut album It's Better To Travel and reached #43 on the UK Singles Chart in July of that year.
"Am I the Same Girl?" is a popular song written by Eugene Record and Sonny Sanders. First recorded in 1968 by Barbara Acklin, "Am I the Same Girl?" charted most successfully in the US as a 1992 release by Swing Out Sister. However, the song had its greatest impact as a 1968–69 instrumental hit single by Young-Holt Unlimited under the title "Soulful Strut".
Get in Touch with Yourself is the third studio album by the British pop group Swing Out Sister. The album was released on Fontana Records in 1992 and was produced by Paul Staveley O'Duffy.
The Living Return is the fourth studio album by the British pop group Swing Out Sister. It was released in August 1994 on Mercury Records.
Shapes and Patterns is the fifth studio album by British pop group Swing Out Sister. It was first released in Japan in March 1997 on Mercury Records, and in Europe and the United States the following year. Producer Paul Staveley O'Duffy, who co-wrote half of the songs on the album, was back at the helm. As an orchestra was once again employed, the lush arrangements characteristic of Kaleidoscope World (1989) resurfaced. The album features the track "Now You're Not Here" which was used as the theme to the Japanese programme Mahiru No Tsuki, as well as a reworked version of "Better Make It Better" which had featured on their previous studio album, The Living Return (1994). The album was promoted with the singles "Somewhere in the World" and "We Could Make It Happen."
Filth and Dreams is the sixth studio album by British pop group Swing Out Sister. It was released in Japan in March 1999, and unlike all of their previous studio albums, has not seen release in any other country. This album was their first to not contain any singles.
Somewhere Deep in the Night is the seventh studio album by the British pop group Swing Out Sister. Produced by longtime collaborator Paul Staveley O'Duffy, the album was first released in Japan in 2001, with a European and American release the following year.
Where Our Love Grows is the eighth studio album by the British group Swing Out Sister. The album was released in 2004 and was produced by Paul Staveley O'Duffy.
Best of is a 1996 retrospective compilation album by Swing Out Sister, containing their successful singles spanning the years 1986 through 1996. It is their first compilation album—and last Fontana Records album.
Breakout is a compilation album by English pop group Swing Out Sister in 2001. The album features many of the band's singles as well as album tracks and B-sides.
Force is the fifth studio album by English post-punk band A Certain Ratio, released in November 1986 by Factory Records. Stuart James co-produced the album with the band. It was recorded and mixed between July and August 1986 at Yello 2 Studios in Stockport.
Almost Persuaded is the tenth studio album released by jazz/pop duo Swing Out Sister. It was produced by band member Andy Connell. It is the culmination of "Moveable Feast", a PledgeMusic project that had been running for several years. In 2015, the band had released Rushes, an in-progress version of the album. Almost Persuaded was released via direct MP3 download in November 2017 and then via autographed CD to those had pledged to the project in December 2017. The album was released on 22 June 2018.
"Waiting Game" is a song by British pop group Swing Out Sister from their second studio album, Kaleidoscope World (1989). It was released in September 1989 as the album's third single, but was not released in the United Kingdom. It is a dance-pop song written and produced by Andy Connell and Corinne Drewery, and produced by the former two and Paul Staveley O'Duffy.
