Trip the Light Fantastic | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 18 May 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2005–07 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 53:27 | |||
Label | Fascination | |||
Producer |
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Sophie Ellis-Bextor chronology | ||||
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Singles from Trip the Light Fantastic | ||||
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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.
"Today the Sun's on Us" was the third single released from the album on 13 August 2007, causing the album to re-enter the UK Albums Chart at number 39. In an interview with Digital Spy , Ellis-Bextor confirmed that the fourth single from the album was to be "If I Can't Dance", and on 5 May 2008, the single was released exclusively via the iTunes Store. The song also appeared on the soundtrack to the film St Trinian's .
It received mostly positive reviews from music critics, with many commending the album for being an enjoyable, "glossy" dance record. The album became Ellis-Bextor's second studio album to be available digitally in the United States.
In an interview for Digital Spy, Ellis-Bextor claimed she recorded four duets for the album, however, decided not to include any of them on request of her record label. [1] Despite this, Dan Gillespie Sells provides backing vocals for two songs on the album, and Fred Schneider provides backing vocals on another. Originally, Ellis-Bextor claimed she would not appear on the album's cover, however, she later claimed that she had changed her mind. She commented, "It's sparkly, but hopefully it's got a bit more depth than just a nice picture of me on the cover!" [2] Ellis-Bextor worked on the album with someone she regarded as "a French guy named Dimitri", who was rumoured to be Dimitri from Paris, but turned out to be Dimitri Tikovoi. [3] She also worked on the album with her ex-bandmate Kerin Smith, of theaudience. [4] The opening line in "If I Can't Dance" is, according to Ellis-Bextor in an interview for The Times website, a famous quote by feminist anarchist Emma Goldman. [4] She also revealed that she wrote around eighty songs for the album, and later admitted, "That's how many demos exist. Overall, it's probably knocking on for triple figures I'd say." [4] She revealed that she had plans to release a song called "Hype", which sampled Kraftwerk's "The Model", but the record label denied her permission. [4] Following its release in Australia, the album went to the top ten on the Australian iTunes pop albums chart and the top 40 on the main albums chart, but failed to chart on the ARIA Charts.
"Catch You" was released as the album's lead single in February 2007. [5] It is a pop rock, electronic song and talks about Ellis-Bextor chasing the guy that she wants. [5] It received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who commended the infusion of rock guitars and electronic beats, while calling it a strident and very good song. [6] A music video was directed by Sophie Muller and it shows Ellis-Bextor chasing someone in Venice. [7] The song performed moderately on the charts, reaching number 8 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking inside the top twenty on the Italian and Russian Singles Chart and inside the top fifty on the charts of other countries. [8]
"If You Go" was released as a promo single on iTunes in March 2007. [9]
"Me and My Imagination" was its follow-up, hitting the market in May 2007. It is a dance-pop, disco song and its lyrics advise an overeager suitor to play harder to get. [10] It only reached number twenty-three on the UK Singles Chart. It received acclaim from music critics, who named it a brilliant and irresistible slice of pop. [6] The song was the cause of controversy because of an unexpected delay in its release on iTunes. [11]
"Today the Sun's on Us" was the third single, being released in August. [12] It is a mid-tempo ballad written about "giving yourself permission to enjoy things when the going is good, despite the fact you know the good may not last forever". [12] It received generally favourable reviews from music critics, who called it "brilliant". [13] However, some criticised her vocals, calling it "limited". [14] The single spent one week in the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 64. [15]
A fourth single was expected to be released in May 2008, which was "If I Can't Dance", but was eventually delayed and never released. [4] [16]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
BBC Music | favourable [17] |
Digital Spy | [14] |
The Guardian | [18] |
Metro | [19] |
NME | 6/10 [20] |
The Observer | mixed [21] |
This Is Fake DIY | [22] |
Virgin Media | [23] |
Yahoo! | 6/10 [24] |
The album received positive reviews from most music critics. K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing "A welcome return from one of the most sophisticated and distinctive voices in British dance-pop, Trip the Light Fantastic is easily Sophie Ellis-Bextor's most dynamic album to date. Markedly more consistent than its enjoyable-but-spotty predecessors, but also – more importantly – far more gutsy, varied and vital, its many strong points are the most exciting of her career." [6] Hoffman also named it a "tremendously enjoyable record that stands as a shining example of the state of the art." [6] Nick Levine of Digital Spy also gave the album a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, writing "Trip the Light Fantastic easily fulfils the promise of its fizzy singles." [14] Stuart McCaighy of This Is Fake DIY gave the album 8 out of 10 stars, writing that Ellis-Bextor "has a class, an air which most pop stars lack." [22] Pete Cashmore of NME gave the album a rating of 6 out of 10 stars, writing "Ellis-Bextor proffers lush, mechanical dance muzak, which is probably not what you want, so it helps that with the swooping 'New York City Lights' she is also delivering good pop songs. As pointlessly opulent as walking into a Walkabout pub and ordering a Cosmopolitan, and no less satisfying." [20]
Talia Kraines of BBC Music opined that "Whether there is room for such a manicured, glossy pop star in the musical landscape of 2007 is a different matter. Sophie's certainly made the pop record she wants to, and if it all sounds a tad 2002 then so be it. Good luck to her." [17] Kitty Empire of The Observer wrote: "Ellis Bextor has panniers of the stuff, but you wouldn't know it from this collection of deeply ordinary songs." [21] Matt O'Leary of Virgin Media gave the album 2.5 out of 5 stars, but ultimately wrote that "While this is a super-glossy piece of work, it does nothing to dispel the image of Sophie Ellis-Bextor as making club music it's OK for your mum to like. By no means bad." [23] Emily MacKay of Yahoo! Music gave the album 6 out of 10 stars, writing "All in all, though, Trip the Light Fantastic stumbles short of the disco sublime it tries so hard to invoke. Keep on trying, Sophie." [24]
The album peaked at number 4 on Billboard 's best albums of 2007. [25] Pitchfork ranked "Me and My Imagination" number 87 on its list of the 100 greatest tracks of 2007. [26]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Catch You" | Kurstin | 3:19 | |
2. | "Me and My Imagination" |
|
| 3:27 |
3. | "Today the Sun's on Us" |
|
| 4:18 |
4. | "New York City Lights" |
|
| 3:53 |
5. | "If I Can't Dance" |
|
| 3:27 |
6. | "The Distance Between Us" |
| Howe | 4:26 |
7. | "If You Go" |
|
| 3:27 |
8. | "Only One" |
|
| 3:46 |
9. | "Love Is Here" |
|
| 4:35 |
10. | "New Flame" |
|
| 2:52 |
11. | "China Heart" |
| Gabriel | 3:44 |
12. | "What Have We Started?" |
| Gabriel | 4:08 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Can't Have It All" |
|
| 4:08 |
14. | "Supersonic" |
|
| 4:03 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
15. | "Me and My Imagination" (StoneBridge Vocal Mix) |
| 7:21 |
16. | "Catch You" (Moto Blanco Club Mix) | 8:26 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Can't Have It All" |
|
| 4:08 |
14. | "Supersonic" |
|
| 4:03 |
15. | "Down with Love" (B-side of "Catch You") |
|
| 3:55 |
16. | "Move to the Music" (B-side of "Me and My Imagination") |
|
| 3:46 |
17. | "Here's to You" (B-side of "Me and My Imagination") |
|
| 2:46 |
18. | "Duel" (B-side of "Today the Sun's on Us") |
| 4:24 |
(* – additional production)
Ellis-Bextor originally planned to embark on a 14-date concert tour beginning on 14 August and ending on 5 October 2007. [4] The tour was scheduled to be a nationwide tour of the UK, including festivals such as T4 on the Beach (22 July), twice at V Festival (18 and 19 August) and at Summer Sundae (11 August). However, the entire tour was postponed due to Ellis-Bextor's involvement with Take That's 34 tour dates. The Trip the Light Fantastic tour was rescheduled to resume in early 2008 "better and bigger than ever" according to Ellis-Bextor. Despite this, it was postponed once again and was said to be getting rescheduled for Autumn, but it was finally cancelled. [4]
Ellis-Bextor was also said to have had plans to also tour Ireland, continental Europe and Australia to support the album and promote the singles around the world. However, the world tour component was never officially confirmed. [4]
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [31] | 108 |
European Albums ( Billboard ) [32] | 28 |
French Albums (SNEP) [33] | 81 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [34] | 87 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [35] | 93 |
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON) [36] | 85 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [37] | 19 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [38] | 28 |
UK Albums (OCC) [39] | 7 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Russia (NFPF) [40] | Gold | 10,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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.
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.
"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.
"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".
"Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)" is a song by English production duo the Freemasons and English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The song was written by the production duo James Wiltshire and Russell Small, Richard Stannard and Ellis-Bextor, and production by Wiltshire and Small. It was released on 15 June 2009 by Loaded Records and Fascination Records in promotion of the Freemasons' second studio album, Shakedown 2 (2009), and as the lead single from Ellis-Bextor's fourth album, Make a Scene (2011).
"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.
"Not Giving Up on Love" is a collaboration between Dutch DJ and record producer Armin van Buuren and English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It was released on 20 August 2010 as the second single from van Buuren's fourth studio album, Mirage, and the fourth single from Ellis-Bextor's fourth studio album, Make a Scene.
Make a Scene is the fourth studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released in Russia on 18 April 2011 by Universal Music Group and in the United Kingdom on 13 June 2011 by Ellis-Bextor's own record label, EBGB's. It is her first studio album since Trip the Light Fantastic (2007).
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.
"Young Blood" is a song by English recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor from her fifth studio album Wanderlust (2014). The song was released as the album's lead single on 21 November 2013. It was co-written by Ed Harcourt and Ellis-Bextor; the former also produced it. The song is a chamber pop piano ballad, which features instrumentation from subdued drums and various string instruments. In the track, Ellis-Bextor sings with restrain, incorporating a low register in the verses and hitting her highest note in the chorus. A demo version of the track was offered online in March 2013.
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.
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