Shoot from the Hip | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 27 October 2003 | |||
Recorded | 2003 | |||
Genre | Dance-pop [1] | |||
Length | 50:08 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer |
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Sophie Ellis-Bextor chronology | ||||
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Singles from Shoot from the Hip | ||||
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Shoot from the Hip is the second studio album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 27 October 2003 by Polydor Records. It was produced by Gregg Alexander, Matt Rowe, Jeremy Wheatley and Damian LeGassick.
The album was released in Europe in October 2003, but little interest was generated outside the United Kingdom, where the album peaked at number 19 on the UK Albums Chart, with the exception of Switzerland, where it peaked at number 35 on the Swiss Albums Chart. As with the single "Music Gets The Best Of Me" the previous year, the album suffered from being caught in a glut of new releases in the approach to Christmas. Consequently, the album was cited as the singer's least commercially successful album until the release of her fourth studio album, Make a Scene , which reached number 33. The album only produced two singles—"Mixed Up World" and "I Won't Change You"—which reached number 7 and number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, respectively.
Apart from "Murder on the Dancefloor", none of Ellis-Bextor's solo material was released in the US until June 2007, when Shoot from the Hip was added to the American iTunes Store. The songs "I Won't Dance with You" and "The Walls Keep Saying Your Name" feature backing vocals (and one verse of lead vocal on the latter song) from Ellis-Bextor's ex-boyfriend and ex-manager, Andy Boyd, although his name does not appear anywhere in the album credits.
Similarly to "Sparkle" and "Final Move" missing from the worldwide version of Read My Lips, the international edition of Shoot from the Hip does not include the opening track "Making Music", "I Won't Dance with You" nor the hidden track following the end of "Hello, Hello", a cover of Olivia Newton-John's "Physical". The international edition also changes all text on the cover, disc and in the booklet to the shade of turquoise instead of the white used on the UK release.
In 2014, Ellis-Bextor reflected on the album to Attitude magazine, saying: "The second album still had the same feel as the first, but it was maybe a little bit darker. During that record I was going through a bit of a break-up so there are a few break-up songs on there. I wasn't feeling quite as funny and breezy as I was on the first album, but I got it back on album three." [2]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
entertainment.ie | [3] |
MTV Asia | [4] |
Playlouder | [5] |
RTÉ | [6] |
Writing for musicOMH , Sarah McDonnell highlighted the input from Bernard Butler, feeling that different co-writers make the album "patchy in places" and as a result, Ellis-Bextor's songs "sometimes sound a little self-conscious and clunky, almost a little too earnestly conveying her message". [7] Nevertheless, McDonnell also stated "whatever you might think of Sophie Ellis-Bextor, you can't fault her determination" and felt that the album is a "good effort and displays an ambition – and potential – to produce consistent, high quality, intelligent pop music". [7]
K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic said that while the album "lacks anything nearly as distinctive as her early singles, [...] it's still a solid, perfectly respectable collection of contemporary dance-pop", pointing to "the smooth disco single 'Mixed-Up World' and the chipper 'I Won't Change You'", the latter of which he compared to "Love at First Sight" by Kylie Minogue. Hoffman further judged "there's enough variety to keep the album from sagging, particularly as things turn slightly darker and moodier towards the latter half with the spiky 'You Get Yours' and the odd, haunted 'The Walls Keep Saying Your Name'." However, he felt differently about Butler's contribution, pointing out "the understated ballad 'I Am Not Good at Not Getting What I Want' [...] rounds things out nicely." [1]
While McDonnell compared lead single "Mixed Up World" to material by the Pet Shop Boys, [7] Lucy Davies of BBC Music felt that track is similar to "the best 80s PWL creations". [8] Although singling out the final two tracks (positively comparing the strings in "Hello, Hello" to Andrew Lloyd Webber and questioning why "Physical" is a hidden track when it "encapsulates Sophie; knowingly dead-pan with a little wink tipped at the listener"), Davies used a line from opening song "Making Music" to say the album is largely "making music by numbers"—calling the two songs Boyd contributes vocals on "naff" and the rhyming on "Party in My Head" "cringe worthy". Davies commented that despite the songs on Shoot from the Hip featuring "chewing gum melodies", "Sophie needs to think long and hard about where she's going next." [8]
entertainment.ie held a similar opinion, summarising that even though Shoot from the Hip is a "perfectly efficient pop album", "it still leaves you wondering what Ellis-Bextor could achieve if she really tried." [3]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Making Music" (UK-exclusive track) |
| Damian LeGassick | 3:36 |
2. | "Mixed Up World" |
|
| 3:45 |
3. | "I Won't Change You" |
|
| 3:40 |
4. | "Nowhere Without You" |
| LaGassick | 4:53 |
5. | "Another Day" | Ellis-Bextor | LeGassick | 3:20 |
6. | "Party in My Head" |
| LeGassick | 3:34 |
7. | "Love It Is Love" |
| LeGassick | 3:29 |
8. | "You Get Yours" |
| LeGassick | 3:59 |
9. | "The Walls Keep Saying Your Name" | Ellis-Bextor | LeGassick | 4:23 |
10. | "I Won't Dance with You" (UK-exclusive track) |
| LeGassick | 3:59 |
11. | "I Am Not Good at Not Getting What I Want" |
| LeGassick | 3:33 |
12. | "Hello, Hello" |
| LeGassick | 4:20 |
13. | "Physical" (UK-exclusive hidden track) |
| LeGassick | 3:53 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "The Earth Shook the Devil's Hand" |
|
| 2:48 |
15. | "Mixed Up World" (Groove Collision Vocal Mix) |
|
| 6:36 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "The Earth Shook the Devil's Hand" |
|
| 2:48 |
15. | "Yes Sir, I Can Boogie" |
|
| 3:59 |
|
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Chart (2003) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (ARIA) [11] | 107 |
French Albums (SNEP) [12] | 99 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [13] | 84 |
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico) [14] | 25 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [15] | 39 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [16] | 28 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [17] | 35 |
UK Albums (OCC) [18] | 19 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [19] | Silver | 60,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date |
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United Kingdom | 27 October 2003 |
Various | 28 October 2003 |
United States (digital) | 26 June 2007 |
United Kingdom (vinyl re-release) | 25 September 2021 |
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo and achieved success beginning in the early 2000s. Her music is mainstream pop and dance with influences of disco, nu-disco, and 1980s electronic music.
Read My Lips is the debut studio album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 3 September 2001 by Polydor Records. After the disbandment of the Britpop group Theaudience, in which Ellis-Bextor served as vocalist, she was signed to Polydor. Prior to the LP's completion, the singer collaborated with several musicians, including band Blur's bassist Alex James, Moby and New Radicals frontman Gregg Alexander. The record was described as a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco music.
"Murder on the Dancefloor" is a song written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Gregg Alexander, produced by Alexander and Matt Rowe for Ellis-Bextor's first album, Read My Lips (2001). Released on 3 December 2001, the song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-10 hit worldwide, charting within the top three in Australia, New Zealand, and four European countries. In the United States, the single reached number nine on the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales chart. "Murder on the Dancefloor" is reported to have been the most played song in Europe in 2002.
"Take Me Home" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Cher for her fifteenth studio album. The album, released in 1979, bore the same name as the single. "Take Me Home" is a disco song conceived after Cher was recommended to venture into said genre after the commercial failure of her previous albums. The lyrics center around the request of a woman to be taken home by her lover. It was released as the lead single from the Take Me Home album in January 1979 through Casablanca Records, pressed as a 12-inch single.
"Get Over You" and "Move This Mountain" are two songs by British pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. In most countries, "Get Over You" received a solo release, but in the United Kingdom, the two tracks were issued as a double A-side single on 10 June 2002. The former track was taken off the Read My Lips album reissue, while the latter was an album track in the original album release.
"I Won't Change You" is a song written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Gregg Alexander, and Matt Rowe for Ellis-Bextor's second album, Shoot from the Hip (2003). The song was released as the album's second single on 29 December 2003, reaching number nine on the UK Singles Chart and selling 34,000 copies.
"Mixed Up World" is a song by British singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 13 October 2003 as the first single from her second studio album, Shoot from the Hip (2003). The single includes a B-side called "The Earth Shook the Devil's Hand". "Mixed Up World peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart and was especially successful in Denmark, where it debuted and peaked at number three. It has sold 35,000 copies in the United Kingdom. The music video for the song features various dancers wearing a mix of bright and dark colours.
Trip the Light Fantastic is the third studio album by British singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It was released on 21 May 2007 by Fascination Records following the release of the lead single, "Catch You" and the second single, "Me and My Imagination". The album was available to stream via the internet on 18 May 2007, three days before the official release date. It debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 7.
"Catch You" is a song by the British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her third album, Trip the Light Fantastic (2007). It was written by Cathy Dennis, Rhys Barker and Greg Kurstin and produced by Kurstin. It was released as the album's first single on 19 February 2007. "Catch You" is a pop rock song and talks about Bextor chasing the guy that she wants.
British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor has released seven solo studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one remix album, one extended play, one video album, thirty-seven singles and twenty-seven music videos. Ellis-Bextor debuted in 1997 as frontwoman of the indie music group theaudience, whose single "I Know Enough " reached the top 25 on the United Kingdom singles chart. They released a self-titled album. A follow-up was shelved by label Mercury Records, but selected tracks circulate as bootlegs.
"Me and My Imagination" is a song by British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her third studio album, Trip the Light Fantastic (2007). It was written by Ellis-Bextor, Hannah Robinson and co-written and produced by Matt Prime. It is a dance-pop, disco song and its lyrics advise an overeager suitor to play harder to get. Some critics noted that it recalls the songs from her first studio album, Read My Lips (2001).
"Today the Sun's on Us" is a song by English musician Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released as the third single from her third studio album Trip the Light Fantastic (2007). It was written by Ellis-Bextor, Steve Robson, and Nina Woodford and produced by Jeremy Wheatley and Brio Taliaferro. A pop ballad featuring electric and bass guitar, its lyrics describe "appreciating the good times while they're here." It was released on 6 August 2007 as a CD single.
"If I Can't Dance" is a song by British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her third studio album, Trip the Light Fantastic (2007). It was written by Ellis-Bextor and Dimitri Tikovoi, while production was handled by Tikovi, with additional production by Brio Taliaferro and Jeremy Wheatley. It is a dance-pop, electropop and disco song and a reference to the famous paraphrase of Emma Goldman: "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution".
"Crying at the Discoteque" is a song by Swedish band Alcazar from their debut studio album, Casino (2000). The track samples Sheila and B. Devotion's 1979 hit "Spacer". Alexander Bard produced the song and can be heard in the middle of this song. Released in April 2000, "Crying at the Discoteque" became Alcazar's first international hit single the following year, reaching number one in Hungary and the top 10 in Flanders, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Switzerland.
Wanderlust is the fifth studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 20 January 2014 by EBGB's. The album marks a sharp shift from Ellis-Bextor's electronic dance roots, incorporating elements of folk, baroque and orchestral music. It was featured as BBC Radio 2's "Album of the Week" on 18 January 2014.
"Love Is a Camera" is a song performed by English recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her fifth album Wanderlust (2014). Ellis-Bextor co-wrote the song with Ed Harcourt, who also produced the track. Its lyrics recount the story of a woman who takes photos of her victims and keeps their souls in the pictures. Musically, the song features piano, guitars, double bass, and influences of tango and baroque. "Love Is a Camera" was serviced to hot adult contemporary radio stations in the United Kingdom as the third single from Wanderlust. The song was released on 23 June 2014.
Familia is the sixth studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The album was produced by Ed Harcourt, who also produced Ellis-Bextor's previous album, Wanderlust. It was released on 2 September 2016, by EBGB LLP and was critically acclaimed. It was preceded by disco-pop single "Come with Us", which was released on 19 July.
Songs from the Kitchen Disco is the first greatest hits album by English singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 13 November 2020 by EGBG's, although it was previously announced for 23 October. It features singles from all her studio albums: Read My Lips (2001), Shoot from the Hip (2003), Trip the Light Fantastic (2007), Make a Scene (2011), Wanderlust (2014) and Familia (2016), as well as a number of cover versions of songs by other artists. Songs from the Kitchen Disco serves as the follow-up to her previous release, the 2019 orchestral compilation album The Song Diaries.
Hana is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released through Cooking Vinyl on 2 June 2023. The album is her third and final to be produced by Ed Harcourt, alongside Wanderlust (2014) and Familia (2016). Musically, Ellis-Bextor sought to create a fantastical world for the album, inspired by a trip to Japan shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.