| N.K-Pop | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 October 2022 | |||
| Genre | Pub rock [1] | |||
| Length | 43:34 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | John Owen Williams | |||
| Paul Heaton chronology | ||||
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| Jacqui Abbott chronology | ||||
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| Singles from N.K-Pop | ||||
N.K-Pop (also written N.K. Pop [3] [1] ) is the fifth studio album by Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott,both formerly members of the Beautiful South. The album was released on 7 October 2022 by EMI Records,and preceded by the release of the lead single "Still". [2] The album debuted atop the UK Albums Chart.
The songs were all written in various pubs and "drinking hostelries". [1] The album's title is "a typical Heaton joke,a sly crack at the overproduced super-slick youth-centric flashiness of fashionable K-pop",with Heaton's "humorously grouchy conceit" being "to ally himself with its exact opposite". Heaton has said,"We're K-pop if you're on the wrong side of the border." [1]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Daily Express | 8/10 [5] |
| Financial Times |   [6] |
| musicOMH | [3] |
| Record Collector | [7] |
| The Scotsman | [8] |
| The Telegraph | [1] |
On review aggregator Metacritic,the album received a score of 81 out of 100 based on five critics' reviews,indicating "universal acclaim". [4]
John Murphy of musicOMH found that "While much of N.K. Pop is firmly in the tradition of radio-friendly pop,it's the lyrics that give these songs their extra dimension",concluding that "There are songs on N.K. Pop that stand squarely alongside some of Heaton's best" and that the "famous fire of his shows no sign of being extinguished". [3] Reviewing the album for Record Collector ,Terry Staunton opined that there is "wry humour throughout" the album and that "Heaton remains the go-to chronicler of the Everyman condition" with Abbott providing "a vital contribution as both equal-billing foil and relatable conduit of female perspectives in these songs". [7]
Neil McCormick of The Telegraph wrote that Heaton is "back [...] threading barbed wired lyrics through rose garden melodies to catch listeners unaware". McCormick felt that while Heaton and "Abbott "harmonise delightfully" on the album,with Abbott "effectively sound[ing] like a female version of the frontman",he "wish[ed Heaton] would push himself a little harder" as "there are a few too many songs on N.K-Pop that are just witticisms,wordplay and easy on the ear melodies,bashed down in the studio with a certain vigour but no real imagination." [1]
The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on 14 October 2022,becoming Heaton and Abbott's second number-one album after their previous record together, Manchester Calling (2020). It is the fifth UK number-one album for both overall,including their three number-one albums as part of the Beautiful South. [9]
Songs written by Paul Heaton and Jonny Lexus,except tracks 3,4,8 and 12 by Paul Heaton
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Good Times" | 4:39 |
| 2. | "Too Much for One (Not Enough for Two)" | 2:44 |
| 3. | "Who Built the Pyramids?" | 4:26 |
| 4. | "I Drove Her Away with My Tears" | 2:50 |
| 5. | "When the World Would Actually Listen" | 2:49 |
| 6. | "Still" | 4:35 |
| 7. | "I Ain't Going Nowhere This Year" | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Sunny Side Up" | 2:53 |
| 9. | "Baby It's Cold Inside" | 3:41 |
| 10. | "New Fella" | 2:59 |
| 11. | "My Mother's Womb" | 3:48 |
| 12. | "His Master's Game" | 4:15 |
| Total length: | 43:34 | |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Albums (OCC) [10] | 4 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [11] | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [12] | 1 |
The Beautiful South were an English pop rock group formed in 1988 by Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway, two former members of the Hull group The Housemartins, both of whom performed lead and backing vocals. Other members throughout the band's existence were former Housemartins roadie Sean Welch (bass), Dave Stead (drums) and Dave Rotheray (guitar). The band's original material was written by Heaton and Rotheray.
Paul David Heaton is an English singer-songwriter. He was the frontman of the Housemartins, who had success with the singles "Happy Hour" and the UK number one "Caravan of Love" in 1986 before disbanding in 1988. He then formed The Beautiful South, whose debut single and album were released in 1989 to commercial success. They had a series of hits throughout the 1990s, including the number-one single "A Little Time". They disbanded in 2007. He subsequently pursued a solo career, which produced three albums, and in 2014 he released What Have We Become?, a collaboration with former Beautiful South vocalist Jacqui Abbott. As of 2022, he has recorded four more albums with her: Wisdom, Laughter and Lines in 2015, Crooked Calypso in 2017, Manchester Calling in 2020 and N.K-Pop in 2022.
Carry On Up the Charts: The Best of the Beautiful South is an album by English Alternative rock band The Beautiful South. It is the group's fifth album and their first greatest hits collection. It was a major commercial success, reaching number one in the UK Albums Chart and going on to become the second biggest selling album of 1994.
Quench is the Beautiful South's sixth original album, released in the UK on 12 October 1998. Including the compilation Carry On Up The Charts, it was the band's third album in a row to reach the top of the charts.
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John Owen Williams is an English A&R executive, record producer, photographer, manager, recording artist, and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 35 years at major record labels, he has guided, A&R'd, mentored, and produced many artist careers including The Housemartins and The Proclaimers, as well as producing and signing Alison Moyet, Simple Minds, The Waterboys, Robert Plant, The Blue Nile, Status Quo, Cathy Dennis, Petula Clark, Ocean Colour Scene, J. J. Cale, Blancmange, Shriekback, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Jethro Tull, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Debbie Harry and Luciana.
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