Ladies Night (Atomic Kitten album)

Last updated

Ladies Night
Atomic Kitten Ladies Night Cover.jpg
Studio album by
Released10 November 2003 (2003-11-10)
RecordedSeptember 2002 – April 2003
Studio
  • Metropolis Studios
  • The Motor Museum Studio
  • Wise Buddha Music Studios
Length52:37
Label
Producer
Atomic Kitten chronology
Atomic Kitten
(2003)
Ladies Night
(2003)
Greatest Hits
(2004)
Singles from Ladies Night
  1. "If You Come to Me"
    Released: 27 October 2003
  2. "Ladies' Night"
    Released: 15 December 2003

Ladies Night is the third studio album by English girl group Atomic Kitten. It was released by Innocent Records and Virgin Records on 10 November 2003 in the United Kingdom. Named after the same-titled 1979 song by American band Kool & the Gang, the trio reteamed with producers Ash Howes and Martin Harrington, both of whom had contributed to their previous album Feels So Good (2002), to work with them on the majority of the album, while additional production was provided by Ciaron Bell, Julian Gallagher, and Steve Robson, Richard "Biff" Stannard and The True North Music Company. Written and recorded in a time span of seven months, the band co-wrote on eight songs of the album's standard version, with Jenny Frost and Liz McClarnon each credited as songwriters on three tracks, while Natasha Hamilton co-wrote two.

Contents

Upon its release, Ladies Night earned largely mixed reviews from music critics many of whom noted a progression from the band's early material but found that the album lacked creativity and variety. It debuted and peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, becoming their third consecutive top five album, and was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) within its first three weeks of release. Elsewhere, the album reached the top ten in Austria, New Zealand, and Scotland. Ladies Night was preceded by lead single "If You Come to Me," which became a top ten in several countries, while later singles include a cover version of "Ladies Night." The third and final single "Someone like Me" was released on 29 March 2004 and became the group's official last single following the announcement of their indefinite hiatus.

Background

In April 2003, the compilation album Atomic Kitten was released in the United States, which consisted of tracks from their first two albums Right Now (2000) and Feels So Good (2002). It was commercially unsuccessful, although single "The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)" appeared on the soundtrack for the Disney Channel Original Movie The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003). Following this, the group opted to focus solely on the European, Oceanian, South African and Asian markets and began work on their third album. [1]

Before recording started, American R&B group Kool & the Gang approached the group about a collaboration for their album of duets, The Hits: Reloaded (2004). Kool & the Gang wanted to record an updated version of their hit "Ladies Night" and were looking for a girl group to sing the lyrics. Atomic Kitten liked the idea and inquired whether they could use it for their next album which was subsequently named Ladies Night in honour of this collaboration. [2] Atomic Kitten spent late 2002 and early 2003 in the studio recording their third studio album. Up until the recording of Ladies Night, the group mainly relied on songwriters, though they had occasionally co-written songs featured on their albums. While recording Ladies Night, they decided to be directly involved in the creation of eight of the fifteen songs. [2] [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
laut.de Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

Caroline Bansal, writing for musicOMH, complimented the album's first three tracks, but noted a "certain uniformity" among the rest of album. She found that "this seems almost wholly due to the dreadful drum machine that appears on practically every number. No matter how soulfully the girls sing, you feel that the insistently chirpy beat will go on regardless to keep them in line, with all the depth of feeling of a metronome. Which is a shame. Some of the songs [...] sound like they could be really strong if they only had a live band to rise above the two-dimensional pop beat." [7] Alexander Cordas from German music website laut.de credited Ladies Night with a "terrible lack of creativity." [6]

AllMusic editor Jon O'Brien rated the album three stars out of five. He found that majority of the "tracks stick with the Stargate-esque watered-down R&B, breezy acoustic pop, and midtempo ballads of its predecessor, Feels So Good [...] There are times on Ladies Night when the girls appear capable of losing their "female Westlife" tag, while the increased creative input is a promising progression from their manufactured early days, but frustratingly, it plays it too safe too often to be considered as anything other than a harmless and slightly forgettable piece of fluff." [4] Betty Clarke from The Guardian felt that the "album reveals the shaky nature of their stature: it has just one prospective hit and a dubious cover of a 1980s single, both lost in a sea of generic disco." [5]

Chart performance

Ladies Night debuted and peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, selling 48,000 copies in its first week of release. [8] It was a considerable decline from the band's previous two studio albums Right Now (2000) and Feels So Good (2002), both of which had been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and became number-one hits. [9] A steady seller, Ladies Night was however certified platinum by the BPI for the shipment of over 550,000 copies in the United Kingdom. [10]

Track listing

Ladies Night track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Ladies Night" (featuring Kool & the Gang)
3:08
2."Be with You"
  • Howes
  • Harrington
3:38
3."Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
  • Jenny Frost
  • Dominic Thrupp
  • Mark Ralph
  • Paul Olawoyin
  • Paul Wright
  • Theeyazan Ahmed
  • Howes
  • Harrington
3:43
4."If You Come to Me"
  • Stannard
  • Gallagher
  • Howes [b]
  • Harrington [b]
3:46
5."Believer"
  • Howes
  • Harrington
  • Nowels
3:46
6."Everything Goes Around"
  • Frost
  • Anthony Griffiths
  • Christopher Griffiths
  • Howes
  • Harrington
3:06
7."Somebody like You"
  • Howes
  • Harrington
  • Davis
3:57
8."Nothing in the World"
  • Robson
3:59
9."Always Be My Baby"
  • The True North Music Company
3:20
10."I Won't Be There"
  • Hamilton
  • Barlow
  • Kennedy
  • Woodcock
  • The True North Music Company
3:53
11."Never Get Over You"
  • McClarnon
  • Davis
  • Howes
  • Harrington
3:57
12."Don't You Know"
  • Davis
  • Howes
  • Harrington
  • Howes
  • Harrington
  • Davis
3:24
13."Loving You"
  • Howes
  • Harrington
3:11
14."Don't Let Me Down"
  • Frost
  • Howes
  • Harrington
  • Howes
  • Harrington
3:40
15."Someone like Me"
  • McClarnon
  • Ciaron Bell
  • Bell
2:09
Japanese bonus tracks [11]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Eternal Flame" (single version)
  • Ray Ruffin
3:15
17."Whole Again" (2001 version)
  • Engine
3:05
18."The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)"
  • Holt
  • Evans
  • Barrett
  • Padley
  • Godfrey
3:28
19."Good Times"
  • Frost
  • Nichols
  • Ben Chapman
  • Howes
  • Harrington
3:32

Notes and sample credits

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Ladies Night
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria) [24] Gold15,000*
United Kingdom (BPI) [10] Platinum300,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Ladies Night release history
RegionDateFormat(s)LabelRef.
Austria7 November 2003 [13]
United Kingdom10 November 2003 [10]
United States2 December 2003 [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atomic Kitten</span> British girl group

Atomic Kitten are an English girl group formed in Liverpool in 1998, whose current members are Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton. The group was founded by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, who served as principal songwriters during Atomic Kitten's early years. The group's debut album Right Now was released in October 2000 and charted at number 39 in the United Kingdom. After five top ten singles, original member Kerry Katona quit – four weeks before "Whole Again" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart – and was replaced by former Precious singer Jenny Frost. "Whole Again" became the group's most successful single, staying at number one for four weeks in the UK and six weeks in Germany, and reaching number one in many other territories; in Britain, it was the 13th-best-selling single of the 2000s. The group re-released their debut album, with some tracks re-recorded with Frost's vocals: it peaked at number one in the UK and was certified double platinum after selling over 600,000 copies.

Inner City is an American electronic music group that formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1987. The group was originally composed of the record producer and composer Kevin Saunderson and the Chicago, Illinois, vocalist Paris Grey. Saunderson is renowned as one of the Belleville Three—along with Juan Atkins and Derrick May—high school friends who later originated the Detroit techno sound. In February 2018, Billboard magazine ranked them as the 69th most successful dance artists of all-time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tide Is High</span> 1967 single by the Paragons

"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid and performed by the Jamaican group the Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover version by the American band Blondie became a US and UK number one hit. The song topped the UK Singles Chart again in 2002 with a version by the British girl group Atomic Kitten, while Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall had a minor hit with his interpretation in 2008.

<i>Feels So Good</i> (Atomic Kitten album) 2002 studio album by Atomic Kitten

Feels So Good is the second studio album by girl group Atomic Kitten and the first full original album featuring Jenny Frost. The style of the album is both comparable and different from the first album as it has upbeat dance songs, but consists mainly of pop ballads and midtempos. As with debut album Right Now, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members and Atomic Kitten founders, Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw – who parted ways with the group during recording – made multiple songwriting contributions.

<i>Right Now</i> (Atomic Kitten album) 2000 studio album by Atomic Kitten

Right Now is the debut studio album by English girl group Atomic Kitten, released on 16 March 2000. The first release of the album originally peaked at number 39, putting the group at risk of being dropped by their record label. Following the departure of Kerry Katona in January 2001, the album was re-released on 6 August 2001 featuring vocals from new member Jenny Frost with additional new tracks featured on the album. The re-release was a success, peaking at number 1. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members and Atomic Kitten founders, Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, were among the album's principal songwriters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whole Again</span> 2001 single by Atomic Kitten

"Whole Again" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten for their debut studio album, Right Now (2000). It was co-written by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark members and Atomic Kitten founders Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, along with Jem Godfrey and Bill Padley, with production helmed by McCluskey and Kershaw under their production moniker Engine. Godfrey and Padley are credited as additional producers.

<i>The Greatest Hits</i> (Atomic Kitten album) 2004 greatest hits album by Atomic Kitten

The Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by the English girl group Atomic Kitten. It was released by Innocent Records and Virgin Records on 5 April 2004 in the United Kingdom, following the announcement of their disbandment. Containing all of the group's chart hits from their first three studio albums Right Now (2000), Feels So Good (2002) and Ladies Night (2003), it reached the top five of the UK Albums Chart and number eight in New Zealand. "Someone like Me," initially recorded for Ladies Night, and "Right Now 2004," a re-recording of their debut single, were released as double single on 29 March 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugababes discography</span>

The discography of the British girl group Sugababes consists of eight studio albums, four compilation album, four extended plays, thirty-four singles, two video albums, six promotional singles, and thirty music videos. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 and, at various times, featured three vocalists from Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah, and Jade Ewen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladies' Night (song)</span> 1979 single by Kool & the Gang

"Ladies' Night" is a song by American band Kool & the Gang, released as the first single from their eleventh album of the same name (1979). It is a play on the popular use of "Ladies Nights" at bars and clubs that were meant to draw in more female patrons in order to draw in even more male clientele.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atomic Kitten discography</span>

The discography of British girl group Atomic Kitten consists of three studio albums, seven compilation albums, four video albums, and twenty-one singles. The group's debut album, Right Now, was released by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom in October 2000. It reached number thirty-nine on the UK Albums Chart and spawned four top twenty singles; "Right Now", "See Ya", "I Want Your Love" and "Follow Me". The album's sales did not meet the expectations of the label, and the group were to be dropped. However, the group managed to persuade the label to let them release one more single, "Whole Again", which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and number one in Germany for six weeks. Due to this success, all plans to drop the group were scrapped. The group then released "Eternal Flame", a cover of The Bangles hit, which also reached number one in the UK. Atomic Kitten then re-issued the album Right Now, and it topped the charts in the UK and was certified double Platinum.

<i>The Collection</i> (Atomic Kitten album) 2005 compilation album by Atomic Kitten

The Collection is the second compilation album by English girl group Atomic Kitten. It was released by EMI Records on 2 May 2005 to coincide with the group's temporary reunion on their single "Cradle." The album consists of singles, B-sides and tracks from their first three albums Right Now (2000), Feels So Good (2002), and Ladies Night (2003). While it failed to chart, The Collection was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in July 2013. Although she does not appear on the album cover and is not credited, Kerry Katona's vocals do appear on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitesnake discography</span>

The English-American hard rock band Whitesnake have released thirteen studio albums, nine live albums, twelve compilation albums, three box sets, two extended plays (EPs), 40 singles, nine video albums and 29 music videos. Formed in London in 1978 by vocalist David Coverdale, the band originally featured guitarists Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden, bassist Neil Murray, keyboardist Peter Solley and drummer Dave Dowle. The group's debut EP Snakebite was released in June 1978 and reached number 61 on the UK Singles Chart. After replacing Solley with Jon Lord, the band released their debut full-length album Trouble later in the year, which reached number 50 on the UK Albums Chart. 1979's Lovehunter reached number 29 on the chart. Lead single "Long Way from Home" charted at number 55.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's OK! (Atomic Kitten song)</span> 2002 single by Atomic Kitten

"It's OK!" is a song by British girl group Atomic Kitten for their second studio album, Feels So Good (2002). It was written by Norwegian musicians Hallgeir Rustan, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen and one out of several songs they produced for the trio under their production moniker Stargate. "It's OK!" features an instrumentation consisting essentially of acoustic guitars, soft drums, and synthesized strings. Lyrically, it has the protagonist reminiscing about an emotionally unfruitful relationship with a former loved one from which she has since moved on for the better.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty X discography</span>

The discography of Liberty X, a British pop band, consists of three studio albums, twelve singles and a number of other appearances. The group's first two singles "Thinking It Over" and "Doin' It" launched them to fame, "Thinking It Over" shot to number 5 and "Doin' It" peaked at number 14. Their third single, "Just a Little" took the band straight to the top of the UK charts, next single "Got to Have Your Love" peaked at number two. This release was preceded by their debut album, Thinking It Over peaking at number 3 in the UK. The final single to be taken from the album was "Holding On for You", released in December 2002 and which debuted and peaked at number 5.

<i>Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie</i> 1998 greatest hits album by Blondie

Atomic: The Very Best of Blondie is a greatest hits album by American rock band Blondie, released on July 13, 1998, by Chrysalis Records, at the time when the band reunited and shortly before the beginning of their successful comeback tour.

The discography of Eternal, a British female R&B and pop group, consists of four studio albums, five compilation albums, one remix album, two video albums and twenty-two singles on EMI Records. Eternal has sold over 10 million albums, with Always & Forever (15), Power of a Woman (25) and Before the Rain (35) ranked in the UK Official Charts Company's Top 40 biggest girl band studio albums of the last 25 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas discography</span>

The discography of Scottish pop rock band Texas contains 10 studio albums, one live album, five compilation albums and 45 singles. Their most successful single to date is "Say What You Want" (1997), which peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University of Dundee. They took their name from the 1984 Wim Wenders movie Paris, Texas. The band released their debut album Southside in 1989, along with the debut single "I Don't Want a Lover", which was a worldwide success, charting at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and other high charting positions in Europe. Southside debuted at number three in the United Kingdom and number 88 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. Despite the success of Southside, follow-up albums Mothers Heaven and Ricks Road were less successful in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Barlow discography</span>

English singer Gary Barlow has released six studio albums, eighteen singles, twenty-two music videos and five featured songs. Barlow has had fifteen number-one UK singles, eleven number-one albums and has written thirteen UK number-one singles, selling over 50 million records worldwide and over seven million concert tickets.

<i>Song Book 1985–2010</i> 2013 compilation album by Simply Red

Song Book 1985–2010 is a four-disc box set by British soul group Simply Red. It peaked at number 41 in the United Kingdom and was certified Gold for sales of 100,000. It also peaked at number 6 in New Zealand and 16 in Australia in 2015.

<i>The Hits: Reloaded</i> 2004 studio album by Kool & the Gang

The Hits: Reloaded is a studio album by the band Kool & the Gang issued in 2004 by Edel Records. It contains re-recorded versions of their songs in collaboration with other artists. The LP reached No. 19 on the Swiss albums chart, No. 21 on the UK R&B Albums Chart, No. 26 on both the Italian and German album charts and No. 30 on the French albums chart.

References

  1. Ridgway, Josh (10 January 2004). "The Arkansas Traveler online: Atomic Kitten: what America is missing". Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2006.
  2. 1 2 "Ladies Night interview". CBBC News. Retrieved 29 July 2006.
  3. CBBC Full interview: Atomic Kitten (Accessed: 26 September 2006)
  4. 1 2 3 O'Brien, Jon (2 December 2003). "Ladies Night - Atomic Kitten | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 Clark, Betty (7 November 2003). "Atomic Kitten: Ladies Night". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  6. 1 2 Alexander, Cordas. "Poptechnischer Konservatismus auf ganzer Linie". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  7. Bansal, Caroline (10 November 2003). "Atomic Kitten – Ladies Night". musicOMH . Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  8. "Dido, Britney Rule European Charts". Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
  9. "BPI Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  10. 1 2 3 "British album certifications – Atomic Kitten – Ladies Night". British Phonographic Industry.
  11. "Atomic Kitten - Ladies Night (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. 25 February 2004. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  12. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  13. 1 2 "Austriancharts.at – Atomic Kitten – Ladies Night" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Atomic Kitten – Ladies Night" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Atomic Kitten – Ladies Night" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  16. "Atomic Kitten Blasts Onto European Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Atomic Kitten – Ladies Night" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  18. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Atomic Kitten". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  19. "Charts.nz – Atomic Kitten – Ladies Night". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  20. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  21. "Swisscharts.com – Atomic Kitten – Ladies Night". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  22. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-01-16.
  23. "2003 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  24. "Austrian album certifications – Atomic Kitten – Ladies Night" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 25 July 2012.