Songs from the Kitchen Disco

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Songs from the Kitchen Disco
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Songs from the Kitchen Disco.png
Greatest hits album by
Released13 November 2020 (2020-11-13)
Recorded2000–2020
StudioVarious
Genre
Length75:55
Label
Sophie Ellis-Bextor chronology
The Song Diaries
(2019)
Songs from the Kitchen Disco
(2020)
Kitchen Disco – Live at the London Palladium
(2022)
Singles from Songs from the Kitchen Disco
  1. "Crying at the Discotheque"
    Released: 18 September 2020

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, [1] 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 . [2]

Contents

Background

In 2019 Ellis-Bextor released The Song Diaries , her first compilation album. It consists primarily of orchestral versions of 15 of her solo singles, and a new track, a cover of Carol Williams's "Love Is You". The album was produced by Ed Harcourt (who also produced her two last studio albums), with additional production by Richard "Biff" Stannard and Ash Howes. [3] During that same year she also embarked on The Song Diaries Tour within the UK with a full orchestra and her band; the tour consisted on 14 dates, grouped in two legs, one in late spring and the other one in autumn. [4]

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Ellis-Bextor, her husband, The Feeling bassist Richard Jones and their kids hosted a number of live shows via Instagram called Kitchen Disco Live every Friday night for 10 weeks. During these shows, she performed some of her songs (including non-single tracks), and a bunch of covers. [5]

Kitchen Disco shows

Every Friday, for 10 weeks (from 27 March to 29 May), Ellis-Bextor performed a series of live shows via Instagram on her own house as a way of virtual escapism of the hard time she and her family were facing during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the UK. [6] During these shows (named Kitchen Discos) she sang live, while her sons joined her, on the chaotic yet enjoyable performances. [7] Additional shows were hosted on 17 July (celebrating the end of the term) and on 30 October (for Halloween). Ellis-Bextor also did a Christmas special and a further series of shows for the early 2021 lockdown.

The live transmissions lasted 30 minutes, and regular songs included her top-three singles "Take Me Home", "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" and "Murder on the Dancefloor". She also performed several of her singles and album tracks and a wide variety of covers. [8] From the Kitchen Disco #6 onwards she did an encore session, called "The After Party", just after the end of the transmissions. During these after parties she sang songs less danceable and more relatable to musicals, like "My Favourite Things" (from The Sound of Music ) and "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" (from Grease ).

Ellis-Bextor began presenting a weekly programme under the same name (Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Kitchen Disco) on BBC Radio 2 in May 2020. [9] [10]

Kitchen Disco live shows

Original running

  • Kitchen Disco 1 (27 March) [11]
  1. Take Me Home
  2. Get Over You
  3. Medley: Lady (Hear Me Tonight) / Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) / Sing It Back
  4. Yes Sir, I Can Boogie
  5. Murder on the Dancefloor
  • Kitchen Disco 2 (3 April) [12]
  1. Wild Forever
  2. Take Me Home
  3. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)
  4. Kids in America
  5. Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)
  6. Murder on the Dancefloor
  • Kitchen Disco 3 – Sophie’s Birthday (10 April) [13]
  1. Music Gets the Best of Me
  2. Take Me Home
  3. Electricity Band
  4. Young Blood
  5. Crying at the Discoteque
  6. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)
  7. Murder on the Dancefloor
  • Kitchen Disco 4 (17 April) [14]
  1. Take Me Home
  2. If You Go
  3. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)
  4. True Faith
  5. Bittersweet
  6. Murder on the Dancefloor
  • Kitchen Disco 5 (24 April) [15]
  1. Revolution
  2. Take Me Home
  3. Me and My Imagination
  4. I Feel It Coming
  5. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)
  6. Murder on the Dancefloor
  • Kitchen Disco 6 (1 May) [16]
  1. China Heart
  2. Take Me Home
  3. Mixed Up World
  4. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)
  5. Like a Prayer
  6. Murder on the Dancefloor
  7. After party: My Favorite Things
  • Kitchen Disco 7 (8 May) [17]
  1. Magic
  2. Take Me Home
  3. Starlight
  4. Don't Leave Me This Way
  5. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)
  6. Murder on the Dancefloor
  7. After party: There Are Worse Things I Could Do
  8. After party: We'll Meet Again
  • Kitchen Disco 8 (15 May) [18]
  1. If I Can't Dance
  2. Take Me Home
  3. Catch You
  4. Over and Over
  5. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)
  6. Murder on the Dancefloor
  7. After party: Gett Off
  • Kitchen Disco 9 (22 May) [19]
  1. Under Your Touch
  2. Off & On
  3. Take Me Home
  4. Not Giving Up on Love
  5. Do You Remember the First Time?
  6. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)
  7. Murder on the Dancefloor
  8. After party: Spoonful of Sugar
  • Kitchen Disco 10 (29 May) [20]
  1. Come with Us
  2. Take Me Home
  3. Today the Sun's on Us
  4. Walking on Broken Glass
  5. Get Over You
  6. Medley: Lady (Hear Me Tonight) / Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) / Sing It Back
  7. Murder on the Dancefloor
  8. After party: Our House

Specials

  • Kitchen Disco – End of term disco special (17 July) [21]
  1. Dial My Number
  2. Take Me Home
  3. School's Out
  4. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)
  5. Crying at the Discotheque
  6. Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)
  7. Murder on the Dancefloor
  8. After party: You Give a Little Love
  • Kitchen Disco – Halloween special (30 October) [22]
  1. Ghostbusters
  2. Crying at the Discotheque
  3. She Wolf
  4. Love Is a Camera
  5. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)
  6. Monster Mash
  7. Murder on the Dancefloor
  8. After party: Wuthering Heights

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash 7/10 [23]
Gigwise 8/10 [24]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [25]
The Irish Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [26]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [27]
NEWsic7.5/10 [28]
Retro PopStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [29]
Vinyl ChaptersStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [30]

Songs from the Kitchen Disco received positive reviews from music critics and fans alike, many of whom associated the album with the Instagram Live shows held by Ellis-Bextor during the pandemic lockdown, emphasising her 20 years of solo career and the fine selection of singles and covers included.

Lauren Murphy from The Irish Times wrote "if the mark of a great song is that it works in any setting – be it a kitchen surrounded by small children hanging off your leg or on the dance floor of an actual club in the wee hours – this collection is evidence that the perennially-underestimated Ellis-Bextor has amassed more than a few of them over the last two decades" [26] Nick Smith from musicOMH called the collection "magnificent". [27]

Additionally, Clash 's Robin Murray states: "Sophie Ellis-Bextor has shone fresh light on her inimitable pop approach, recasting these songs in her own manner. Songs from the Kitchen Disco is the ideal tonic for those winter blues." [23]

Track listing

Songs from the Kitchen Disco track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (2020 re-recording of the 2000 single)3:46
2."Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me)" (from Read My Lips , 2001)
  • Ellis-Bextor
  • Bob Esty
  • Michele Aller
  • Damian LeGassick
  • Jeremy Wheatley
4:06
3."Murder on the Dancefloor" (from Read My Lips)
  • Matt Rowe
  • Alexander
3:50
4."Get Over You" (from the 2002 Read My Lips reissue)3:15
5."Music Gets the Best of Me" (from the Read My Lips reissue)
  • Ellis-Bextor
  • Rowe
  • Alexander
3:38
6."Mixed Up World" (from Shoot from the Hip , 2003)
  • Ellis-Bextor
  • Alexander
  • Rowe
  • Alexander
  • Rowe
3:43
7."Catch You" (from Trip the Light Fantastic , 2007)
  • Kurstin
3:19
8."Me and My Imagination" (from Trip the Light Fantastic)
  • Prime
  • Jeremy Wheatley
  • Brio Taliaferro
3:25
9."Today the Sun's on Us" (from Trip the Light Fantastic)
  • Wheatley
  • Taliaferro
4:16
10."Bittersweet" (from Make a Scene , 2011)
  • Freemasons
  • Stannard
3:28
11."Starlight" (from Make a Scene)
Richard X4:19
12."Not Giving Up on Love" (from Make a Scene)
  • van Buuren
  • Goeij
2:53
13."Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)" (from Make a Scene)
  • Ellis-Bextor
  • Wiltshire
  • Small
  • Stannard
  • Freemasons
  • Stannard
3:26
14."Young Blood" (from Wanderlust , 2014)
Harcourt4:28
15."True Faith" (BBC session; originally by New Order)
  • Harcourt
  • Jones
5:02
16."Do You Remember the First Time?" (live; originally by Pulp)Pulp 4:13
17."Come with Us" (from Familia , 2016)
  • Ellis-Bextor
  • Harcourt
Harcourt3:56
18."Wild Forever" (from Familia)
  • Ellis-Bextor
  • Harcourt
Harcourt4:24
19."Crying at the Discotheque" (originally by Alcazar)The Alias3:50
20."My Favorite Things" (originally from The Sound of Music ) Rodgers and Hammerstein 2:38
Total length:75:55

Charts

Chart performance for Songs from the Kitchen Disco
Chart (2020)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [31] 51
Irish Albums (IRMA) [32] 62
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA) [33] 6
Scottish Albums (OCC) [34] 9
UK Albums (OCC) [35] 8
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [36] 1

Release history

Release dates and formats for Songs from the Kitchen Disco
RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
Various13 November 2020 [37]
[38]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Ellis-Bextor</span> British singer (born 1979)

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 a mixture of mainstream pop, disco, nu-disco, and 1980s electronic music influences.

<i>Read My Lips</i> (Sophie Ellis-Bextor album) 2001 studio album by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Read My Lips is the debut studio album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It was released on 27 August 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.

<i>Shoot from the Hip</i> Album by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

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.

Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller is a British music video director who has directed over 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 Diva video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's song "Why" from the same album. In 1993, she received a BRIT Award for "Stay" by Shakespears Sister. She won another MTV Award in 1997 for "Don't Speak" by No Doubt. Muller is a longtime collaborator of Sade, Annie Lennox, Gwen Stefani, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Garbage and Shakespears Sister.

Carol Williams, born in Montclair, New Jersey, United States, is a vocalist and songwriter who achieved success with her disco songs in the 1970s. She was the first female artist signed to the disco label Salsoul Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder on the Dancefloor</span> 2001 single by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

"Murder on the Dancefloor" is a song written by Gregg Alexander and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, 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 stayed on the chart for 23 weeks. The song 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.

Cristiano Spiller is an Italian electronic music DJ and record producer. He is best known for his 2000 single "Groovejet ", featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The song reached number-one in the UK, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. It sold over two million copies and was rumoured to be the first song to be played on an iPod.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)</span> 2000 single by Spiller

"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" is a song by Italian electronic music producer Spiller with lead vocals performed by British singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Various versions of the single were later featured on the German reissue and some UK editions of Ellis-Bextor's debut solo album, Read My Lips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Me Home (Cher song)</span> 1979 single by Cher

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Jones (The Feeling)</span> British bassist

Richard Jones is a British music producer, songwriter, bass guitar player and founding member of the rock band The Feeling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Ellis-Bextor discography</span>

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-six 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 although selected tracks circulate as bootlegs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Me and My Imagination</span> 2007 single by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

"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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bittersweet (Sophie Ellis-Bextor song)</span> 2010 single by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

"Bittersweet" is a song by British singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, written by Ellis-Bextor, James Wiltshire, Russell Small, Richard Stannard and Hannah Robinson for Ellis-Bextor's fourth studio album Make a Scene. The song was released as the album's third single on 3 May 2010, following two singles on which Ellis-Bextor collaborated, that also appear on Make a Scene.

<i>Watch My Lips</i> 2003 British film

Watch My Lips is the first and only video release by British singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It includes Ellis-Bextor's concert at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, as part of the Read My Lips Tour; Read My Lips-era videos; Theaudience's videos and extras.

<i>Wanderlust</i> (Sophie Ellis-Bextor album) 2014 studio album by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

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.

<i>Familia</i> (Sophie Ellis-Bextor album) 2016 studio album by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

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.

<i>The Song Diaries</i> 2019 compilation album by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

The Song Diaries is a compilation album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 15 March 2019 by EBGB's. Made in collaboration with Ed Harcourt, the album consists primarily of orchestral versions of Ellis-Bextor's solo singles, including her collaboration with Italian DJ Spiller, "Groovejet ", and a song from her time as part of Theaudience, "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed". It was called an "orchestral greatest hits" by Clash. Ellis-Bextor toured the UK with a full orchestra and band in support of the album from June 2019.

"Love Me Not" is a song performed by English rapper Skepta, featuring vocals from Cheb Rabi and B Live. The song features a sample from Murder on the Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It was released as the fourth single from Skepta's fifth studio album Ignorance Is Bliss on 29 July 2019 through Boy Better Know.

<i>Kitchen Disco – Live at the London Palladium</i> 2022 live album by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Kitchen Disco – Live at the London Palladium is a live album by English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 25 November 2022 by EBGB's and Cooking Vinyl. The album was recorded at London Palladium on 30 March 2022.

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