Maria Lawson (album)

Last updated

Maria Lawson
Maria Lawson Maria Lawson Cover.JPG
Studio album by
Released28 August 2006
Length49:18
Label
Producer
Maria Lawson chronology
Maria Lawson
(2006)
Emotional Rollercoaster
(2008)
Singles from Maria Lawson
  1. "Sleepwalking"
    Released: 14 August 2006

Maria Lawson is the self-titled debut studio album from British X Factor contestant, Maria Lawson. It was released by Phonogenic Records and Sony BMG on 28 August 2006 in the United Kingdom. The album reached number 41 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 19,000 copies. It includes Maria Lawson's only single, "Sleepwalking", asw well as cover versions of Lamya's "Black Mona Lisa", Liberty X's "The Poet" and James Blunt's "You're Beautiful."

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Orange Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

BBC Music critic Tom Young called the album "a polished and credible first attempt, but one unlikely to figure in 2006 X Factor champion Leona Lewis’ list of influences. Without doubt, the smooth listening effort will draw comparisons with Gabrielle and Beverley Knight, but that isn’t exactly the fail safe stamp of approval at a time when Beyoncé Knowles and Gwen Stefani are the leading female yardsticks." [2] Orange found that Lawson "has a strong, appealing voice, but she’s never going to be allowed to go out on a limb. She’ll be given safe and undemanding material, a reasonably modern R&B production, and that cover of "You're Beautiful" will be tacked on the end [...] There just isn’t the material or character to carry this off. Worse still, even amongst the pleasant stuff, there’s no bona fide hit single to give you hope for Maria’s future." [1]

Commercial performance

Maria Lawson debuted and peaked at number 41 on the UK Albums Chart in the week of 3 September 2006. [3] It also reached number 14 on the UK R&B Albums Charts. [4]

Track listing

Maria Lawson track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Sleepwalking"
3:59
2."Black Mona Lisa"
  • Lamya
  • Major
  • I. Dunn
Lester Mendez 4:01
3."Give All You Got"
3:14
4."The Poet"
The Heavyweights4:46
5."Old School Lovin'"
  • Lawson
  • Jack Kugell
  • Jamie Jones
  • Jason Pennock
The Heavyweights3:35
6."Your Life"
  • Frampton
  • Kipner
  • Wilkins
3:30
7."Let It Break"
  • Lawson
  • Frampton
  • Kipner
  • Frampton
  • Kipner
3:04
8."His World"
  • The Heavyweights
  • Def Jef
3:26
9."Overrated"
  • Frampton
  • Kevin Hughes
  • Wilkins
  • Hughes
  • Wilkins
3:01
10."Naked with You" Diane Warren Ellis3:31
11."Pretty Face"
  • Lawson
  • Kugell
  • Jones
  • Pennock
The Heavyweights3:33
12."Woman's Intuition"
  • Lawson
  • Dave Thompson
  • Pat Kelly
  • Thompson
  • Kelly
3:05
13."It's Love"FramptonFrampton3:59
Bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."You're Beautiful" Nigel Wright 3:19
Total length:49:11

Sample credits

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Maria Lawson
Chart (2006)Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC) [3] 41
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [4] 14

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Dudley</span> English classical and popular composer

Anne Jennifer Dudley is an English composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genres, as a film composer, and was one of the core members of the synth-pop band Art of Noise. In 1998, Dudley won an Oscar for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score for The Full Monty. In addition to over twenty other film scores, in 2012 she served as music producer for the film version of Les Misérables, also acting as arranger and composing some new additional music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take That</span> English pop group

Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer and primary songwriter, with Owen and Williams initially providing backing vocals, and Donald and Orange serving primarily as dancers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Bedingfield</span> British singer

Daniel John Bedingfield is a New Zealand-British singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. His debut studio album, Gotta Get thru This (2002), spawned three UK number ones, "Gotta Get thru This", "If You're Not the One" and "Never Gonna Leave Your Side", and sold 1.6 million copies in that country. His second album, Second First Impression, was released in 2004. Bedingfield was a judge on The X Factor New Zealand in 2013. He has written songs for other artists and has acted in the West End theatre in London, UK.

<i>X</i> (Def Leppard album) 2002 studio album by Def Leppard

X is the eighth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 30 July 2002 by Island Records in the US and sister label Mercury worldwide. Much like 1996's Slang, it featured another departure from their signature sound by moving into the pop genre. The album charted at No. 11 on The Billboard 200 and No. 14 on the UK Albums Chart. Most of the album was produced by Pete Woodroffe and the band, with remaining tracks produced by either Marti Frederiksen or Per Aldeheim and Andreas Carlsson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You're Beautiful</span> 2005 single by James Blunt

"You're Beautiful" is a song by English singer-songwriter James Blunt. It was written by Blunt, Sacha Skarbek and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album, Back to Bedlam (2004). It was released as the third single of the album in 2005.

Maria Lawson is an English singer. She recorded several singles with Ti.Pi.Cal. Lawson was the fifth contestant eliminated in the second UK series of television talent show The X Factor in 2005. She released her debut self-titled album in 2006. Her self-help/autobiography entitled Life Starts Now was released in November 2008. Lawson appeared in the female lead role in the West End production of Thriller – Live from 14 April 2009 to March 2010. She released her second studio album, Emotional Rollercoaster in 2014. Lawson lives in London with her husband Lawrence and their two children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wishing on a Star</span> 1978 single by Rose Royce

"Wishing on a Star" is a ballad first recorded by American soul and R&B group Rose Royce. It was written by former Undisputed Truth member Billie Rae Calvin, and produced by Norman Whitfield. The song was originally offered to Barbra Streisand for an album project but she declined. It was first released as a single by Rose Royce in 1977 and has since been recorded by numerous acts including the Cover Girls in 1992, Jay-Z in 1998, Beyonce in 2005, and Seal in 2011. 21 Savage used a sample of the original 1977 version for his hit All of Me, which was released on his 2024 album American Dream, and used earlier in the trailer for his debut film, American Dream: The 21 Savage Story

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl (singer)</span> English singer and television personality (born 1983)

Cheryl Ann Tweedy is an English singer and television personality. She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a pop girl group created through ITV's reality competition show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. Named the United Kingdom's best-selling girl group of the 21st century in 2012, Girls Aloud amassed a string of 20 consecutive UK top ten singles, two UK number one albums, five consecutive platinum-selling studio albums, and five Brit Award nominations, winning Best Single for "The Promise" in 2009. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2013, before reuniting for a tour in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleepwalking (Maria Lawson song)</span> 2006 single by Maria Lawson

"Sleepwalking" is the debut single from The X Factor UK series 2 finalist, Maria Lawson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake Up Everybody (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes song)</span>

"Wake Up Everybody" is an R&B song written by John Whitehead, Gene McFadden and Victor Carstarphen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Blunt</span> English musician (born 1974)

James Blunt is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He has released seven albums since 2004 and has sold over 20 million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greatest Day (Take That song)</span> 2008 single by Take That

"Greatest Day" is a song by English pop group Take That. It was released through Polydor Records on 24 November 2008 as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The Circus (2008). The song was written by the band and produced by John Shanks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JLS</span> English pop/R&B group formed in 2007

JLS are an English boy band consisting of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company New Track City and then went on to become runners-up of the fifth series of the ITV reality talent show The X Factor in 2008, coming second to Alexandra Burke. Following their appearance on The X Factor, JLS signed to Epic Records. Their first two singles "Beat Again" and "Everybody in Love" both went to number one on the UK Singles Chart.

The UK music charts are a collection of charts that reflect the music-buying habits of people within the United Kingdom. Most of them are produced by the Official Charts Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olly Murs</span> English singer-songwriter (born 1984)

Oliver Stanley Murs is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence after participating on the sixth series of the television talent show The X Factor in 2009, where he finished as runner-up. Following the show, Murs was signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom, and Columbia Records in the United States.

<i>Messy Little Raindrops</i> 2010 studio album by Cheryl Cole

Messy Little Raindrops is the second studio album by English singer Cheryl Cole, released on 29 October 2010 by Fascination Records. The project is the follow-up to Cole's multi-platinum debut solo album 3 Words (2009), following seven successful years as a member of girl group Girls Aloud. Recorded in Los Angeles and London, Cheryl mainly worked with Wayne Wilkins, who previously produced Cole's number one debut single "Fight for This Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beneath Your Beautiful</span> 2012 single by Labrinth

"Beneath Your Beautiful" is a song by British musicians Labrinth and Emeli Sandé. Written by Labrinth, Mike Posner and Sandé, it was promoted as the sixth single from Labrinth's debut album, Electronic Earth (2012), and is included as a bonus track on the US Deluxe Edition of Sandé's debut studio album Our Version of Events. Impacting from 18 October 2012, and following a well-received performance on the ninth series of The X Factor, the single would go on to sell 108,000 copies in the UK during its first week and top the UK Singles Chart. It became Labrinth's first number one single as a lead artist and additionally became his first top 40 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 34. The song was nominated for 'Best British Single' at the 2013 Brit Awards and was ranked the twelfth best-selling single of 2012 in the UK.

<i>James Arthur</i> (album) 2013 studio album by James Arthur

James Arthur is the eponymously titled debut studio album by British singer and songwriter James Arthur. It was released on 1 November 2013 by Syco Music. The album includes the singles "Impossible", and "You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You", as well as collaborations with Emeli Sandé and Chasing Grace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ella Henderson</span> English singer and songwriter (born 1996)

Gabriella Michelle Henderson is an English singer and songwriter. She competed in the ninth series of The X Factor UK in 2012, being the eighth contestant eliminated despite being a strong favourite to win. She signed with Syco Music shortly after, and released her debut studio album, Chapter One (2014), which reached number one in the UK. The album spawned the chart-topping single "Ghost", as well as the top 20 singles "Glow" and "Yours". She went on a four-year hiatus in 2015, and released her second studio album, Everything I Didn't Say, in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy (Drake song)</span> 2015 single by Drake

"Energy" is the second single by Canadian rapper Drake from his commercial mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late. The single was released on July 10, 2015, about five months after the release of the mixtape.

References

  1. 1 2 "Album review: Maria Lawson - Maria Lawson". Orange.co.uk . Archived from the original on 1 September 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  2. Young, Tom. "BBC Review". BBC Music . Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 October 2024.