Wanderlust | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 20 January 2014 | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 40:56 | |||
Label | EBGB's | |||
Producer | Ed Harcourt | |||
Sophie Ellis-Bextor chronology | ||||
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Singles from Wanderlust | ||||
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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. [1]
A double-disc repackaged version was released on 3 November 2014 and included a remix version of the album. [2]
The album's lead single, "Young Blood", was offered as a free download on Ellis-Bextor's official website on 26 March 2013, [3] before being officially released on iTunes on 21 November 2013. [4] The single reached number thirty-four on the UK Singles Chart and number three on the UK Indie Singles Chart. [5] [6] The accompanying music video was directed by Sophie Muller. [7]
On 31 March 2014, "Runaway Daydreamer" was released as the second single from the album. The music video was also directed by Muller. [8] It peaked at number 29 on the UK Indie Chart. [9]
The album's third single, "Love Is a Camera", was released on 23 June, with the video filmed in Florence, Italy on 30 April, again by Muller. [10] The single was added straight onto the BBC Radio 2's A-list playlist. [11]
"The Deer & the Wolf" was released on 24 August as the fourth and final single from the album. The video was shot in London by director Harry Cauty. [12]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 65/100 [13] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [14] |
Clash | 8/10 [15] |
The Daily Telegraph | [16] |
Digital Spy | [17] |
The Guardian | [18] |
The Irish Times | [19] |
musicOMH | [20] |
The Independent | [21] |
The Observer | [22] |
Virgin Media | [23] |
Wanderlust received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 65 based on 12 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", [13] while aggregating website AnyDecentMusic? reports a score of 6.1 based on fourteen professional reviews. [24] Gareth James of Clash found the album "quite remarkable", and described the songs as "grand and ambitious." [15] Matthew Horton of Virgin Media wrote that Ellis-Bextor "has decided on a change of tack [...] that has brought out the best in her," and called the songs "almost without exception, marvelous." [23] John Paul Lucas of So So Gay found Wanderlust "bold, ambitious and frequently surprising" and wrote that it "feels like an arrival, and potentially the most important album of her career." [25] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy described it as "a brave excursion into something surprisingly off-kilter for a traditionally top 40 popstar," however he felt that its lyrics sound "occasionally sappy and sentimental." [17] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian noticed "the preponderance of sweeping string-and-piano arrangements" and noted that "what really sells this album is its forays into eastern European-style pathos." [18]
Louise Bruton of The Irish Times compared the album's sound to the Norwegian folk/pop band Katzenjammer and felt that "as a breakaway from her usual dancefloor dalliances, Sophie chose wisely." [19] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph described Wanderlust as "an odd mix of colourful and melodious songs with thoughtful lyrics and lush, slightly wonky arrangements," while also noticing a "lack [of] an emotional centre." [16] Kate Bennett of musicOMH stated that "Sophie Ellis-Bextor has just abandoned her electropop comfort blanket for a smothering duvet of clichés and ineffectual romanticism," [20] while Hermiony Hobby of The Observer felt that she "sounds like a nine-year-old girl" and called the album's arrangements "more saccharine than stirring." [22] Andy Gill of The Independent noted Wanderlust's "Eastern European flavour" and suggested that Ellis-Bextor is "re-positioning herself in the prim Nordic-diva territory of Agnes Obel and Ane Brun." [21] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times noticed that "she sings with more feeling than her electro-pop days but the album suffers from a plodding pace." [26]
Wanderlust debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number four with 10,844 copies sold in its first week, becoming Ellis-Bextor's highest-charting solo album since 2001's Read My Lips , the revised edition of which peaked at number two in mid 2002. [27] [28] The following week, it fell to number five with sales of 8,520 copies. [29] The album slipped to number nine in its third week, selling 7,231 copies. [30] The album now has the second-longest chart run of any Sophie Ellis-Bextor album (after Read My Lips), having spent fourteen consecutive weeks in the top 75 as of 27 April 2014. [31] It was awarded a Silver certification by the BPI after selling 60,000 copies in the UK. [32]
Ellis-Bextor supported the album's release with a sold-out and critically acclaimed show at the Bush Hall in London on 21 January 2014. [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] She later went to announce a full-UK tour. [38] Festival dates and a second leg of the tour around the UK were announced in late April. [39] The regular setlist consisted on playing most of the songs from the album (frequent exceptions were "Interlude" and "Wrong Side of the Sun") and very little older hits on the encores, mainly "Murder on the Dancefloor", "Groovejet", "Take Me Home" and "Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)". [40]
Sophie won the Best Live Act prize at the AIM Awards held on 2 September 2014 in London. [41]
Tour dates [42] | ||||||||
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Date | City | Country | Venue | |||||
United Kingdom (1st leg) | ||||||||
7 April 2014 | Birmingham | England | Digbeth Institute | |||||
8 April 2014 | Oxford | O2 Academy Oxford | ||||||
10 April 2014 | London | Union Chapel | ||||||
11 April 2014 | ||||||||
13 April 2014 | Bournemouth | O2 Academy Bournemouth | ||||||
14 April 2014 | Brighton | Concorde 2 | ||||||
15 April 2014 | Bristol | O2 Academy Bristol | ||||||
17 April 2014 | Gateshead | The Sage Gateshead | ||||||
18 April 2014 | Manchester | The Ritz | ||||||
19 April 2014 | Glasgow | Scotland | Oran Mor | |||||
20 April 2014 | ||||||||
United Kingdom (2nd leg) [43] | ||||||||
24 September 2014 | Cambridge | England | Junction | |||||
25 September 2014 | Norwich | Waterfront | ||||||
27 September 2014 | Holmfirth | The Picturedome | ||||||
28 September 2014 | Edinburgh | Scotland | Queen's Hall | |||||
29 September 2014 | Milton Keynes | England | The Stables | |||||
1 October 2014 | London | Shepherd's Bush Empire | ||||||
European dates [44] | ||||||||
3 October 2014 | St. Petersburg | Russia | A2 Club | |||||
4 October 2014 | Moscow | Ray Just Arena | ||||||
Festival dates [45] | ||||||||||
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Date | City | Country | Festival | |||||||
Europe | ||||||||||
3 May 2014 | Zurich | Switzerland | Energy Fashion Night | |||||||
27 June 2014 | Pilton, Somerset | England | Glastonbury Festival [46] | |||||||
29 June 2014 | Westport | Ireland | Westport Festival | |||||||
4 July 2014 | Oxfordshire | England | Cornbury Festival | |||||||
6 July 2014 | Kent | Hop Farm Festival | ||||||||
4 July 2014 | Balado | Scotland | T in the Park | |||||||
2 August 2014 | Isle of Wight | England | Camp Bestival | |||||||
3 August 2014 | Oulton Park, Yorkshire | Carfest North | ||||||||
16 August 2014 | Chelmsford | V Festival | ||||||||
17 August 2014 | Staffordshire | V Festival | ||||||||
23 August 2014 | Southsea | Victorious Festival | ||||||||
24 August 2014 | Hampshire | Carfest South | ||||||||
29 August 2014 | Helsinki | Finland | Juhlaviikot Helsinki Festival [47] | |||||||
6 September 2014 | Isle of Wight | England | Bestival [48] | |||||||
Asia | ||||||||||
24 October 2014 | Jakarta | Indonesia | Java Soundsfair [49] |
All tracks are written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Ed Harcourt
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Birth of an Empire" | 3:48 |
2. | "Until the Stars Collide" | 3:39 |
3. | "Runaway Daydreamer" | 4:00 |
4. | "The Deer & the Wolf" | 3:54 |
5. | "Young Blood" | 4:28 |
6. | "-Interlude-" | 2:23 |
7. | "13 Little Dolls" | 3:32 |
8. | "Wrong Side of the Sun" | 3:50 |
9. | "Love Is a Camera" | 4:13 |
10. | "Cry to the Beat of the Band" | 3:38 |
11. | "When the Storm Has Blown Over" | 3:31 |
Total length: | 38:56 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "The Deer & the Wolf (Role Reversal)" | 3:43 |
2. | "Cry to the Beat of the Band (Break Up)" | 4:41 |
3. | "Wrong Side of the Sun (Phoenix Rising)" | 3:43 |
4. | "Runaway Daydreamer (Secret)" | 4:25 |
5. | "Young Blood (Kick It)" | 6:43 |
6. | "Wandermix" (continuous mix) | 23:16 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Wanderlust. [51]
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Chart (2014) | Peak position |
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Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) [52] | 132 |
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) [53] | 88 |
Scottish Albums Chart [54] | 9 |
UK Albums Chart [55] | 4 |
UK Indie Albums Chart [56] | 1 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [57] | Silver | 60,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
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Japan | 20 January 2014 | Digital download | EBGB's | |
Mexico | ||||
Spain | ||||
United States | ||||
Netherlands |
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Sweden | ||||
United Kingdom | ||||
Japan | 22 January 2014 | CD |
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Australia | 24 January 2014 | Digital download | EBGB's | |
Germany |
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Italy | Digital download | EBGB's | ||
France | 27 January 2014 |
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United Kingdom | LP | |||
Australia | 3 February 2014 | |||
Spain |
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Italy | 17 February 2014 | CD | ||
Australia | 21 February 2014 | |||
United Kingdom (reissue) | 3 November 2014 |
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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.
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).
"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).
"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).
"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.
"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.
"Runaway Daydreamer" is a song by the English recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her fifth studio album Wanderlust (2014). The song was released on 31 March 2014 as the second single of the album. Composed by Ed Harcourt with additional writing by Ellis-Bextor, it is a chamber pop track which features percussion and string instruments. Its lyrics, written in a way resemblant of nursery rhymes, expound on escapism and "self discovery".
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.
"The Deer & the Wolf" is a song by English recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor from her fifth studio album Wanderlust (2014). The song was released as the fourth and final single of the album on 25 August 2014. It was co-written by Ed Harcourt and Ellis-Bextor; whilst production was handled by the former. It was remixed under the name of "The Deer & The Wolf " for the Wandermix edition of the album.
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.
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.
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