Version of Me | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 21 October 2016 | |||
Recorded | 2014–2016 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | Pop [1] [2] | |||
Length | 42:21 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Melanie C chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Version of Me | ||||
Version of Me is the seventh studio album by English singer Melanie C. It was released on 21 October 2016 by Red Girl Records to highly positive reviews. [4] [5] It became her highest-charting album since 2005's Beautiful Intentions , debuting at number 25 on the UK Albums Chart. It was released in Germany at a later date in 2017 becoming her first album to chart outside of the top 20.
Melanie C started recording the album in 2014, and it was not her only focus at the time. She elaborated,
"Because in the past, I've gone "Right. It's album time" with back-to-back writing sessions. But, with this record, I had other stuff going on. And actually, I think it's really benefited the record because I never got stale, you know? It just felt like life kept on happening and all of these scenarios kept coming up, and it was really inspiring. I didn't feel like I was repeating myself because I was just taking my time, so that was really cool. One of the songs on the album, as you know, is "Version of Me," and I thought this is a really good album title. Each record has been me at that moment in time, and this is really an expression of what's going on in my life in the last five years. So, that felt really good. I also like the thought that we all do this, we all have versions of ourselves. We're very different speaking to our friends than to our boss, or when we're in school with a teacher. We are this person, but there's so many versions of us". [6]
Musically, Version of Me is a pop album with elements of R&B and electronica. [1] [2]
During two An Intimate Evening with Melanie C special events at Under the Bridge in London, Melanie C performed some songs from Version of Me as well as her old hits. She also performed a set of songs acoustically at her show at G-A-Y on 2 October 2016. On 10 November 2016, Melanie appeared on Celebrity Juice, on what was the last episode of the sixteenth series. On 12 November 2016, Dear Life was played for the first time as a single on Graham Norton's BBC Radio 2 show.
In support of the album, several singles were released. On 29 July 2016, Melanie released "Numb" as the first promotional single for the album. "Anymore" was released as the album's lead single on 6 September 2016. [5] It reached number one on the UK physical chart. [5] "Dear Life" was released as the second single on 16 December. [7] On 17 March 2017, "Hold On" featuring Alex Francis was released as the third single. [8] It was not included on the original version of the album, but featured on the deluxe release.
Melanie announced "Room for Love" as the fourth single on 13 October 2017, with its release scheduled for 20 October. [3]
Melanie embarked on the Version of Me Tour in April 2017. She visited fourteen cities, starting in Glasgow on 4 April and finishing in Stuttgart on 9 May. She also visited Mexico City for the first time in her solo career. [9] [10]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Auspop | [11] |
Daily Express | [2] |
The Independent | [12] |
Music News | [13] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic found that the songs on the album "have strong contours: not necessarily hookier melodies, but arrangements that emphasize movement instead of shimmer. Version of Me still tends to collapse into style, grooving on feel instead of song, but Melanie C actually winds up giving the album a bit of a kick. No matter how anodyne and elegant her electronic surrounds are, she punctures their sheen with her earthiness, and that gives Version of Me an unexpectedly nervy heart." [1] Martin Townsend from The Daily Express called the album "a very deliberate exercise in modern RR&B flavoured pop. This feels, at times, like a mistake: "Numb," in particular, is laden with so much sonic trickery it sounds like builders are working in the studio [but] when the producers calm down and her huskily powerful but always slightly vulnerable voice is allowed to soar, as on the closing quartet of tracks, the results are superb." [2]
Music News's Jeremy Williams-Chalmers called the album "a must-listen" and wrote: "Version of Me is aptly titled. It is definitively Melanie C, but as ever a Melanie C that has not been explored on record previously [...] Teaming up with Sons of Sonix gives Melanie C a sound that is current and straddles a perfect balance between winning over new, younger fans and pleasing the wants of her fans of old [...] As a result the album is more R'n'B anthem heavy than any of Melanie's earlier work, but this is no bad thing." [13] Michael Smith from Renowned for Sound described the album as "an on-trend collection of songs; one that shows her potential place with electronic music in the future, despite still leaning very close to the pop spectrum, and cements her potential versatility simultaneously. Rather than allowing her career to grow stale after seventeen years as a solo artist, Melanie C takes a stab at something a little different with Version of Me and easily pulls it off." [14]
Version of Me debuted and peaked at number 25 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Melanie C's highest-charting album since Beautiful Intentions (2005). [15]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Dear Life" |
| SOS Music | 3:27 |
2. | "Escalator" |
| Wilding | 3:22 |
3. | "Anymore" |
| SOS Music | 3:03 |
4. | "Something for the Fire" |
| Wilding | 3:48 |
5. | "Version of Me" |
| Wilding | 4:00 |
6. | "Numb" |
| SOS Music | 3:30 |
7. | "Room for Love" |
| SOS Music | 3:20 |
8. | "Unravelling" |
| Wilding | 4:41 |
9. | "Loving You Better" |
| SOS Music | 4:44 |
10. | "Our History" |
|
| 3:51 |
11. | "Blame" |
|
| 4:35 |
Total length: | 42:21 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "Hold On" (featuring Alex Francis) |
| Westling | 3:22 |
Total length: | 45:43 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "One Minute" |
|
| 3:14 |
Total length: | 45:35 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Dear Life" (Live from Ronnie Scott's) |
| 3:31 | |
2. | "Version of Me" (Live from Ronnie Scott's) |
| 4:03 | |
3. | "Something for the Fire" (Live from Ronnie Scott's) |
| 3:56 | |
4. | "Never Be the Same Again" (Live from Ronnie Scott's) |
| 3:32 | |
5. | "Anymore" (At Night HiFi remix) |
|
| 5:38 |
6. | "Anymore" (Full Intention dub mix) |
|
| 5:44 |
7. | "Anymore" (Seamus Haji remix) |
|
| 6:00 |
8. | "Dear Life" (Grant Nelson radio edit) |
|
| 3:24 |
9. | "Dear Life" (Grant Nelson dub) |
|
| 6:14 |
10. | "Dear Life" (Reuben Keeney extended mix) |
|
| 4:58 |
11. | "One Minute" |
|
| 3:14 |
Total length: | 50:19 |
Notes
Chart (2016–2017) | Peak position |
---|---|
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [16] | 34 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [17] | 94 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [18] | 28 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [19] | 83 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [20] | 24 |
UK Albums (OCC) [15] | 25 |
UK Indie Albums (OCC) [21] | 2 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 21 October 2016 | Red Girl | [22] |
Melanie Jayne Chisholm, known professionally as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2000, before reuniting for a greatest hits album (2007) and two concert tours: the Return of the Spice Girls (2007–2008) and Spice World (2019). She is known for her unique and distinctive tone.
"2 Become 1" is a song by the British girl group the Spice Girls. Written by the group members, together with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album, Spice (1996). "2 Become 1" is an R&B-influenced pop ballad that features instrumentation from a guitar, an electronic keyboard and string instruments. The lyrics focus on the bonding of two lovers, and also address the importance of contraception. Its Big TV!-directed music video, which features the group performing against time-lapse footage of Times Square in New York City, was completely shot against a blue screen at a studio in London. The backdrop was later superimposed.
Northern Star is the debut solo studio album by English singer and songwriter Melanie C. It was released on 19 October 1999 by Virgin Records.
Reason is the second solo album by English singer Melanie C, released on 10 March 2003 by Virgin Records. It was the follow-up to Northern Star, and reached number five on the UK Albums Chart, selling 30,876 copies in its first week. Although not performing as well as Northern Star, Reason was certified Gold in the United Kingdom, with 101,889 copies sold. The album has sold 500,000 copies worldwide. The album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions. Most reviews for the album were mixed.
"If That Were Me" is a song by English recording artist Melanie C. It was co-written and produced by Rick Nowels for her solo debut studio album Northern Star (1999). The song's lyrics address the issue of homelessness. Selected as the album's fifth and final single, "If That Were Me" was released on 27 November 2000. The song peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Melanie C's first solo single not to reach the top five. The proceeds from its sale went to the Kandu Arts charity.
"I Turn to You" is a song by British singer Melanie C. It was released as the fourth single from her debut solo album, Northern Star (1999), on 7 August 2000 in the United Kingdom and became Melanie's second UK number-one single, selling 120,000 copies in its first week. "I Turn to You" also topped the Austrian Singles Chart, the Danish Singles Chart, the Dutch Top 40, the Swedish Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The main single was released as the "Hex Hector Radio Mix", for which Hex Hector won the 2001 Grammy as Remixer of the Year.
"I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat.
The Sea is the fifth studio album by English singer Melanie C. Made under her own independent record label Red Girl Records. The album marked her first new material in four years, since the reunion with the Spice Girls.
Gabrielle Ann Aplin is an English singer-songwriter. After amassing a following for her acoustic music covers on YouTube, Aplin signed a recording deal with Parlophone in February 2012. She rose to prominence the following November when she was selected to record the soundtrack for a John Lewis television commercial with a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "The Power of Love", which went on to top the UK Singles Chart.
"Dance with Me Tonight" is a single by English singer-songwriter Olly Murs, taken from his second studio album, In Case You Didn't Know. It was released as the album's second single on 18 November 2011 and was written by Murs, Claude Kelly and Steve Robson.
Stages is the sixth studio album by English singer Melanie C, released on 7 September 2012 by Red Girl Records and Universal UK. A cover album, it features a collection of song covers from various musical theatre shows and films, which consequently makes it Chisholm's first studio album where she holds no writing credits whatsoever to any of the tracks. The album was supported by one single, a cover of "I Know Him So Well", featuring fellow English singer and Spice Girls member Emma Bunton.
Melanie Joy Fontana is an American singer, composer and songwriter signed to Universal Music Group.
Melanie Adele Martinez is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Astoria, Queens, and raised in Baldwin, New York, Martinez rose to fame in 2012 after appearing on season 3 of the American television talent show The Voice. Following the show, she was signed to Atlantic Records and released her debut single "Dollhouse", followed by her debut extended play of the same name (2014).
The discography of British singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin, consists of four studio albums, 17 extended plays, three live albums and 20 singles. Her first release was the 5-track Acoustic EP which was released on the iTunes Store on 13 September 2010. Her second EP Never Fade was released on 9 May 2011 and saw Aplin expand her sound, showcasing a more folk rock sound and playing all instruments herself. In April 2011, Aplin was invited to perform for BBC Introducing at Maida Vale Studios, where she played 3 tracks from Never Fade and a cover of the Coldplay song "Fix You". Aplin released her third EP, Home, on 9 January 2012. On 29 February 2012, Aplin announced that she had signed to Parlophone. Aplin was confirmed as the soundtrack to the John Lewis 2012 Christmas television advertisement, covering Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "The Power of Love", the song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.
Alexandra Lilah Denton, known professionally as Shura, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. She is known for her work in the genres of electropop and synth-pop.
Wings of the Wild is the fifth studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem. It was released on 1 July 2016, through Sony Music Australia. A follow-up to her last studio album, Child of the Universe (2012), it was her first studio album in four years.
Kaitlyn "Kaity" Dunstan, known by her stage name Cloves, is an Australian singer-songwriter.
"Anymore" is a song by British singer Melanie C, recorded for her seventh studio album Version of Me (2016). A departure from the pop rock sound on her previous albums, the uptempo electropop song was selected as the album's lead single and premiered on radio presenter Chris Evans' BBC Radio 2 breakfast show on September 6, 2016. It has since reached number one on the UK Physical Singles Sales Chart.
Melanie C is the eighth studio album by English singer Melanie C. It was released on 2 October 2020 by Red Girl Media. The album debuted at number eight on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Melanie C's highest-charting album since Reason (2003). Melanie C was preceded by the singles "Who I Am", "Blame It on Me", "In and Out of Love" and "Fearless", the latter of which features rapper Nadia Rose. On 3 September 2021, a digital deluxe version of the album was released.
"Saturday Night" is a song by Scottish band The Blue Nile, released in 1991 as the third and final single from their second studio album Hats (1989). It was written by Paul Buchanan and produced by the band. "Saturday Night" reached number 50 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for three weeks. It remains the band's highest charting single in the UK.