Life Is Fine | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 11 August 2017 | |||
Recorded | 2017 | |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Label | EMI Music Australia, Cooking Vinyl | |||
Paul Kelly chronology | ||||
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Singles from Life Is Fine | ||||
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Life Is Fine is the 23rd studio album by Australian musician Paul Kelly, released on 11 August 2017. The album debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart with sales of 6,198 units. It is Kelly's first number-one album in Australia. [1]
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2017, the album was nominated for seven awards, winning 4; Best Male Artist, Best Adult Contemporary Album, Engineer of the Year and Best Cover Art.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
Life Is Fine is Kelly's first solo album of original material since 2012's Spring and Fall, and follows on from two releases in 2016: Seven Sonnets and a Song, which saw Kelly putting the words of William Shakespeare to music; and Death's Dateless Night, a collaborative album with Charlie Owen primarily consisting of covers and funeral songs. The album was recorded in the first half of 2017 with Kelly's classic backing band, who return to playing with Kelly in 2014 following the Spring and Fall tour. The album takes its title from a poem by American poet Langston Hughes, and its words are put to music on the closing title track. [3]
The album's first single, "Firewood and Candles," was released on 23 June 2017. An accompanying music video was released on 3 August 2017. [4]
All songs written by Paul Kelly, except "Life is Fine;" written by Langston Hughes. [5] All music written by Paul Kelly and Bill McDonald.
Adapted from the Life Is Fine electronic press kit. [3]
Chart (2017) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (ARIA) [6] | 1 |
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ) [7] | 1 |
Chart (2017) | Position |
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Australian Albums (ARIA) [8] | 14 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [9] | Gold | 35,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor Ratbaggy and Stardust Five. Kelly's music style has ranged from bluegrass to studio-oriented dub reggae, but his core output straddles folk, rock and country. His lyrics capture the vastness of the culture and landscape of Australia by chronicling life about him for over 30 years. David Fricke from Rolling Stone calls Kelly "one of the finest songwriters I have ever heard, Australian or otherwise". Kelly has said, "Song writing is mysterious to me. I still feel like a total beginner. I don't feel like I have got it nailed yet."
So Much Water So Close to Home is an album by Australian rock band Paul Kelly and the Messengers and was originally released in August 1989. The title comes from a short story of the same name by author Raymond Carver. Carver died in August 1988. Kelly co-wrote the score for the 2006 Australian film Jindabyne, which was also based on the same story. The entire album was recorded in the U.S. with producer Scott Litt, best known for his work with R.E.M. It was released on Mushroom/White Records in Australia & New Zealand and A&M Records for the rest of the world. The album peaked at #10 on the ARIA album charts, but none of its singles, "Sweet Guy", "Careless" and "Most Wanted Man in the World" had any Top 40 chart success. All tracks for the album were written by Kelly, who provided vocals, guitar and harmonica and also co-produced with Litt.
...nothing but a dream is a studio album recorded by Australian singer-songwriter, Paul Kelly. It was released on 13 August 2001 via EMI Records, and peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart and No. 46 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart. It was also released in the United States on Cooking Vinyl and included four tracks from Kelly's earlier extended play, Roll on Summer (2000). In Australia and New Zealand the album provided three singles, "Somewhere in the City", "Love Is the Law" (October) and "If I Could Start Today Again".
Deeper Water, the tenth studio album by Paul Kelly, was released on 12 September 1995 on White Label Records in Australia and on Vanguard Records in North America. It peaked at No. 40 on the ARIA Albums Chart and provided his second consecutive nomination as Best Male Artist at the ARIA Music Awards of 1996. In New Zealand Deeper Water reached No. 30 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart. Kelly issued its lead single, "Give in to My Love", in October 1995 and followed with "Deeper Water" later that year.
Hidden Things is an album by Australian folk rock group Paul Kelly & the Messengers released in March 1992 on Mushroom Records, which reached No. 29 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It also reached the Top 40 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. It is a collection of tracks recorded by Kelly and both his backing bands, the Coloured Girls and the Messengers, from 1986 to 1991, but were not issued on previous studio albums. The album spawned a single, "When I First Met Your Ma", which was released in March. Messenger band members provide lead vocals on "Hard Times" from its writer Steve Connolly, and "Rock 'n' Soul" from its writer Jon Schofield. "Sweet Guy Waltz" is a slower version of "Sweet Guy" which was on 1989's So Much Water So Close to Home. The album was re-released in 2011 as Hidden Things: B-sides & Rarities.
Wanted Man is a folk rock album by Paul Kelly and was originally released in July 1994. It was issued on Mushroom Records in Australia and was Kelly's first solo studio album after disbanding his previous group, The Messengers. Tracks 1–10 were recorded at three Los Angeles studios while tracks 11–13 were recorded in Melbourne. It was produced by Kelly, Randy Jacobs and David Bridie. The cover art for Wanted Man is a colophon rendering of Australia's legendary outlaw Ned Kelly as a guitarist and was painted by David Band.
Renée Rebecca Geyer was an Australian singer who was an acclaimed jazz, soul and R&B musician. She released 15 studio albums with Moving Along (1977) and Tenderland (2003) both reaching number 11 on the Australian charts. Geyer's singles success as a solo artist in Australia were with "It's a Man's Man's World", "Heading in the Right Direction" and "Stares and Whispers" in the 1970s and "Say I Love You" in the 1980s. The latter also reached number one in New Zealand. The singer was an internationally respected and sought-after backing vocalist, whose session credits include work with Sting, Chaka Khan, Toni Childs, Joe Cocker, Neil Diamond, Men at Work and Trouble Funk.
Vika and Linda, also known as Vika and Linda Bull, are an Australian vocal duo consisting of Vika Susan Bull and her younger sister, Linda Rose Bull. They came to prominence after singing backing vocals in Joe Camilleri's band The Black Sorrows from 1988. They left that group early in 1994 to start their duo with a self-titled album appearing in June that year. The duo scored their first number 1 album in 2020, with their retrospective 'Akilotoa: Anthology (1994-2006).
"Before Too Long" is a song by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, released as the first single from their debut double album, Gossip. It was released in June 1986 on the original White Label Records, a subsidiary of Mushroom Records. It reached No. 15 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart, remaining for 19 weeks. The track was a surprise hit for Kelly at a time when chart success had eluded him and provided increased interest for the release of Gossip, which would become his biggest mainstream success to that date.
The discography of Paul Kelly, an Australian rock artist, includes solo releases, those from various bands that Paul Kelly has led, and material from the related projects. Paul Kelly, under various guises, has released twenty-eight studio albums, sixty four singles, forty-two music videos, and contributed to ten film / television soundtracks and scores.
"Darling It Hurts" is a song by Australian rock group Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls released in September 1986 as the second single from their first double album, Gossip. The song, written by Kelly with lead guitarist Steve Connolly, reached No. 25 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart in October. It was issued in 1987 on A&M Records in the United States, where it reached No. 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. Due to possible racist connotations the band changed its name, for international releases, to Paul Kelly and the Messengers. According to Allmusic's Mike Gagne, "Kelly's pain can be felt as he describes an ex-girlfriend of his who has turned to prostitution."
The Merri Soul Sessions or Paul Kelly Presents: The Merri Soul Sessions is the twentieth studio album by Australian musician, Paul Kelly, which was issued on 12 December 2014 on his own label, Gawdaggie Records, and distributed by Universal Music Australia. Kelly provided lead vocals on two of its eleven tracks, the rest featured vocals by either Clairy Browne, sisters Vika and Linda Bull, Kira Puru, or Dan Sultan. The album debuted at No. 17 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Vika and Linda is the debut studio album by Australia vocal duo Vika & Linda Bull. The album was released in May 1994 and debuted and peaked at number 7 on the Australian ARIA Charts in June 1994.
Two Wings is the third studio album by Australia vocal duo Vika & Linda Bull. The album was released in August 1999 and debuted and peaked at number 34 on the Australian ARIA Charts in September 1999.
Foreign Affairs is the fourth studio album by New Zealand singer and songwriter Sharon O'Neill. It was O'Neill's final studio album release on CBS. The album was certified Gold in New Zealand.
Life Changes is the third studio album by American country pop singer Thomas Rhett. Released on September 8, 2017, through Valory Music Group, Rhett produced the album alongside Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure, Julian Bunetta and Joe London. It includes the chart-topping singles "Craving You" with Maren Morris, and "Unforgettable". The album debuted at No. 1 with 123,000 album-equivalent units, giving Rhett his first number one album on the Billboard 200.
Alpha Wolf is an Australian metalcore band originally from Burnie, Tasmania and currently located in Melbourne, Victoria. Bassist and founding vocalist John Arnold stated that "the name Alpha Wolf came from the movie The Grey". Their debut album Mono was released in July 2017 and peaked at number 29 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Seven Sonnets & a Song is the twenty-first studio album by Australian musician, Paul Kelly, which was issued on 22 April 2016 on his own label, Gawdaggie Records, and distributed by Universal Music Australia. Kelly composed music for seven sonnets by William Shakespeare and a poem, "My True Love Hath My Heart", by Philip Sidney. The album debuted at No. 9 on the ARIA Albums Chart, becoming Kelly's fourth top 10. It was nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2016.
Nature is the 24th studio album by Australian musician Paul Kelly, released on 12 October 2018.
Please Leave Your Light On is a collaborative studio album by Australian musicians Paul Kelly, and Paul Grabowsky. The album was released on 31 July 2020. The collection features Kelly performing songs from nine of his albums, along with the previously unreleased track "True to You" and a cover of Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye" to new interpretations by Grabowsky.