Testament (album)

Last updated

Testament
All Saints - Testament cover art.png
Studio album by
All Saints
Released27 July 2018 (2018-07-27)
Studio
Genre
Length47:01
Label AS
Producer
All Saints chronology
Red Flag
(2016)		Testament
(2018)
Singles from Testament
  1. "Love Lasts Forever"
    Released: 31 May 2018
  2. "After All"
    Released: 26 July 2018

Testament is the fifth album by English girl group All Saints. It was released on 27 July 2018 through AS Recordings, the group's independent record label. The album was preceded by the release of the singles "Love Lasts Forever" and "After All". It debuted at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and received generally favourable reviews from music critics upon release.

Contents

Background and development

Following a hiatus of nearly 10 years, All Saints released their fourth album Red Flag in April 2016. [3] It received generally positive reviews from music critics and entered the UK Albums Chart at number three. [4] [5] After the group embarked on the Red Flag Tour in October 2016, a sold-out headlining tour in support of the album, member Shaznay Lewis began working on demos for Testament. [6] [7]

The album is the band's first to feature production by George Moore. All Saints favoured working with him because being their tour managing director, he had knowledge of their voices, sound and what songs would translate in a live setting. [8] During her first studio session with Moore after the Red Flag Tour, Lewis wrote "Who Do You Love" and liked the drama in its music. [7] However, Lewis felt it was missing something until she read an extract from poet Lang Leav's book, The Universe of Us, which became the song's introduction. [9] [10] Among the first tracks recorded for Testament, "Three Four" came about during a late-night open mic Lewis, and group members Melanie Blatt and Nicole Appleton had over drinks with their long-time producer Karl "K-Gee" Gordon. [11] [12]

All Saints found inspiration from music Gordon played in the studio or songs they listened to on tour. Lewis made use of a dictaphone to record sounds that inspired her. She recorded the melody for "I Would" on her phone in an empty sauna. [9] "Don't Look Over Your Shoulder" was written in Blatt's house in Ibiza. [13] It was inspired by "Super Rich Kids" by Frank Ocean featuring Earl Sweatshirt; both songs sample the thumping piano line of Elton John's "Benny and the Jets". [9] Blatt referred to it as being the punch line of another song Lewis wrote that ultimately did not make the album's final track listing. [13] The original production of "Footprints" which Lewis composed with producer Fred Ball was scrapped in favour of a version Gordon sent that turned down the backing track for the group to approve vocals. They chose this version inspired by the minimalism of Chloe x Halle's The Kids Are Alright . [14] "Fumes" was among the last tracks developed for Testament. Lewis said its backing track "kind of sat around for a while and once we sort of came up with an idea, it happened quite quickly." [15] "Glorious" was recorded when All Saints thought the album was complete. [16] Recording for the album took place at Manley Court Studios in Stoke Newington and Sunhatch II Studios. [10]

William Orbit sessions

In May 2018, All Saints confirmed that they had worked with producer William Orbit for the first time since their second album, Saints & Sinners (2000). [17] Orbit had focused on art instead of music for the last 10 years of his career, and it was not until Lewis and Nicole Appleton ran into him one night in Soho that he suggested working with the band again. [18] [19] Recording with Orbit would involve the group doing numerous vocal takes through trial and error, instead of him "chopping up the vocals and piecing them together." [17]

Orbit co-wrote and produced two songs for Testament. [10] The first, "Testament In Motion", was a revisited demo that he wrote with Lewis in 2008 during the band's second hiatus. [20] Lewis kept the demo throughout her time of writing for other singers and bands, believing it was an All Saints song. Blatt was the most reluctant to like the track and found it dated. She gave a lot of musical input and spent time in the studio, picking the song apart and honing in on instruments Lewis never took notice of. These instruments were then enhanced and took the track in a new direction, making it sound completely different to the demo. [9] [20] "After All" was the most challenging song on Testament to finish. Lewis wrote the track with Hutch, who produced the group's 2016 single "One Strike", but felt its sound did not fit with the rest of the album and asked Orbit to rework it. [9] The song went through many mixes with Lewis not playing some to the rest of the band because she saw no point. [21]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 6.1/10 [22]
Metacritic 61/100 [23]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Arts Desk Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [24]
Classic Pop Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [25]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Evening Standard Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [26]
God Is in the TV 8/10 [27]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [28]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [29]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [30]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [31]

Testament received generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from publications, it received a weighted average score of 61, based on 5 reviews. [23] AnyDecentMusic? gave the album 6.1 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [22]

God Is in the TV 's Jonathan Wright called it "a stylish and confident album full of their usual majestic vocals and strong character" that "reveals its depth the more you listen" and "solidified their return as one of the most pleasing comebacks of recent times." [27] Andre Paine of the Evening Standard argued that "closer listening reveals sonic innovation underpinning the melodies," and concluded, "With this assured album, you might realise just how much you've missed them." [26] Thomas H. Green of The Arts Desk wrote that "alongside solid songwriting, it consistently showcases a proud upbeat sense of unforced optimism that's welcome." [24] The Independent 's Elizabeth Aubrey believed All Saints evolved their sound and regarded Testament as "a welcome and judicious follow on from Red Flag." [29]

In a mixed review, The Daily Telegraph music critic Neil McCormick called it the band's best album in two decades, writing that it "elegantly updates" their sound, but felt its "looking-for-a-man stuff is out of kilter with their independent swagger". [2] Phil Mongredien of The Observer thought the album "finds them going some way to recapturing past glories" but is "let down by a few too many unremarkable ballads". [30] Writing for Q magazine, Michael Cragg commented that although Testament "produces occasional magic", it is "often suffocated by vaguely outré production flourishes". [31] Laura Snapes of The Guardian was less impressed, writing that the group were "drowned out by digital clutter". She described the album as "clenched and over-serious" and "mostly weak Lemonade ." [28]

Chart performance

Testament debuted at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart, with first-week sales of 3,486 units. [32]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Who Do You Love"
 Karl "K-Gee" Gordon 4:13
2."Three Four"
  • Lewis
  • Gordon
  • Ben Cullum
Gordon4:28
3."Love Lasts Forever"
  • Lewis
  • Gordon
Gordon4:06
4."Nowhere to Hide (Interlude)"Lewis 0:31
5."No Issues"
  • Lewis
  • Moore
  • Moore
  • Gordon [a]
3:47
6."After All"
4:36
7."I Would"
  • Lewis
  • Moore
Moore3:47
8."Don't Look Over Your Shoulder"
  • Moore
  • Gordon
3:56
9."Fumes"
  • Lewis
  • Gordon
Gordon4:13
10."Testament in Motion"
  • Lewis
  • Orbit
  • Orbit
  • Rowkins [a]
3:53
11."Breathe and Let Go (Interlude)"Lewis 0:53
12."Glorious"
  • Lewis
  • Gordon
Gordon4:09
13."Footprints"
Gordon4:29
Total length:47:01
Notes

Charts

Chart (2018)Peak
position
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA) [33] 11
Scottish Albums (OCC) [34] 15
UK Albums (OCC) [35] 15
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [36] 1

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaznay Lewis</span> English singer and songwriter

Tricia Marie "Shaznay" Lewis is an English singer and songwriter. She is a member of the girl group All Saints. She has co-written most of the group's songs, including number one singles: "Bootie Call", "Pure Shores" and international hit single "Never Ever".

<i>Saints & Sinners</i> (All Saints album) 2000 studio album by All Saints

Saints & Sinners is the second studio album by English girl group All Saints. It was released three years after their debut album, All Saints. The album reached number one in the UK, their only album to do so. Three tracks on the album were produced by William Orbit, best known for his work with Madonna on her Ray of Light album. The album received mixed reviews from music critics, praising the singles and the new direction of music, while some felt it was too similar to the Spice Girls and Madonna's album Ray of Light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pure Shores</span> 2000 single by All Saints

"Pure Shores" is a song by English girl group All Saints, released on 14 February 2000 as the lead single from The Beach: Motion Picture Soundtrack and their second studio album, Saints & Sinners (2000). Group member Shaznay Lewis and producer William Orbit wrote the song for a scene in the 2000 film, The Beach, where co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Virginie Ledoyen swim underwater. Eschewing the R&B sound of All Saints' previous releases, it is a dream pop song with ambient and electronic production, and a syncopation of synth delays, arpeggiated guitar and ethereal sound effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War of Nerves</span> 1998 single by All Saints

"War of Nerves" is a song by English girl group All Saints, released by London Records on 23 November 1998 as the fifth and final single from their debut album, All Saints. Group members Shaznay Lewis, Natalie Appleton and Nicole Appleton wrote the song with producers Cameron McVey and Magnus Fiennes. It is a ballad concerning mortality, inspired by the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. "War of Nerves" debuted at number seven on the UK Singles Chart, making it the group's fifth consecutive single to chart in the top 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Coffee (All Saints song)</span> 2000 song by British girl group All Saints

"Black Coffee" is a song by English girl group All Saints from their second studio album, Saints & Sinners (2000). It was released on 2 October 2000 by London Records as the album's second single. The track was produced by William Orbit, and written by Tom Nichols, Alexander von Soos and Kirsty Bertarelli, initially intended as a single for Kirsty under the title "I Wouldn't Wanna Be". It is a mellow electropop song, unique for its production-laden sound featuring breathy keyboards, glitching electronics and elements of acid techno, ambient and R&B music. A wistful love song, its lyrics stem from Kirsty's relationship with Swiss entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli, detailing feelings of love at first sight and contentment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Steady (All Saints song)</span> 2006 single by All Saints

"Rock Steady" is a song performed by English-Canadian recording girl group All Saints from their third studio album, Studio 1 (2006). It was co-written by group member Shaznay Lewis in collaboration with the track's producer Greg Kurstin. The song was released by Parlophone on 6 November 2006. All Saints collaborated with Kurstin on a number of songs; six were chosen for the album. "Rock Steady" was released as the first single from it. The song contains prominent 2 tone, dance-pop, reggae fusion, rocksteady and ska musical characteristics. It is lyrically influenced by the personalities of the group members themselves.

<i>Studio 1</i> (album) 2006 studio album by All Saints

Studio 1 is the third studio album by English-Canadian girl group All Saints, released on 10 November 2006, by Parlophone. It was released following a five-year hiatus during which the bandmembers had pursued solo careers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butterjack</span> British singer

Aiden Samuel Grimshaw is an English singer, songwriter and actor who is better known by his stage name Butterjack. He successfully made it to the live shows in the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010 and finished ninth. After his elimination, Grimshaw was signed by RCA Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Nesbitt</span> Scottish singer, songwriter (born 11 July 1994)

Nina Nesbitt is a Scottish singer and songwriter. She has two top 40 singles, and is known for her single "Stay Out", which peaked at No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2013, and No. 11 on the Scottish Singles Chart

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AJR (band)</span> American pop band

AJR is an American indie pop trio composed of multi-instrumentalist brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan Metzger. Their most successful songs include "I'm Ready", "Sober Up", "Burn the House Down", "Way Less Sad", "100 Bad Days", "Weak", "World's Smallest Violin", "Bang!", "I Won't" and “The DJ Is Crying For Help”. In 2019, their third album Neotheater debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200, and hit number one on the Top Rock Albums chart. "Bang!" is their highest-charting song and only song to reach the top 10 in the United States, peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 20, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alessia Cara</span> Canadian singer and songwriter (born 1996)

Alessia Caracciolo, known professionally as Alessia Cara, is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Mississauga, Canada, to Italian parents, she began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploading acoustic covers of songs such as "Love Yourself" and "Sweater Weather" online, she signed with EP Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings in 2014 and released her debut single, "Here", the following year. It peaked at number 19 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and was a sleeper hit in the US, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cupcakke</span> American rapper

Elizabeth Eden Harris, known professionally as Cupcakke, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. She is known for her hypersexualized, brazen, and often comical persona and music.

"Low Lights" is a song by American recording artist Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). It was produced by West, DJDS and Mike Dean, while the lyrics were written by West, Dean, Jerome Potter, Samuel Griesemer and Sandy Rivera. DJDS worked on the album for three consecutive weeks after meeting West, with the latter sharing a snippet of the song on Saturday Night Live the day before release in February 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Saints (group)</span> British girl group

All Saints are an English girl group formed in London in 1993. They were founded as All Saints 1.9.7.5 by music manager Ron Tom, who later also founded Sugababes, with members Melanie Blatt, Shaznay Lewis, and Simone Rainford. The group struggled to find commercial success upon being signed to ZTT Records and were dropped by the label shortly after Rainford left the group. In 1996, the group were joined by Canadian-born sisters Nicole and Natalie Appleton and signed to London Records under their shortened name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Capaldi</span> Scottish singer-songwriter (born 1996)

Lewis Marc Capaldi is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was nominated for the Critics' Choice Award at the 2019 Brit Awards. In March 2019, his single "Someone You Loved" topped the UK Singles Chart where it remained for seven weeks, and in November 2019, it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; it was nominated at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and won the 2020 Brit Award for Song of the Year. Capaldi also won the 2020 Brit Award for Best New Artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Lasts Forever (All Saints song)</span> 2018 single by All Saints

"Love Lasts Forever" is a song by English girl group All Saints from their fifth studio album, Testament (2018). Written by group member Shaznay Lewis and producer K-Gee, it premiered as the album's lead single on BBC Radio 2's The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on 31 May 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Petras discography</span>

German singer Kim Petras has released 2 LP records, 1 compilation album, 1 demo album, 3 extended plays (EPs), one 2-track single,28 Singles s(including seven as featured artist), fifteen promotional singles and has made guest appearances on three non-single songs. Petras began releasing several promotional singles from 2008 to 2014. Petras' debut single "I Don't Want It at All" was released in 2017 and reached the top 60 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, as would her 2018 "Heart to Break". The singer premiered her second extended play Turn Off the Light, Vol. 1 on October 1, 2018, charting on the US Independent and Heatseekers Albums charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Half Alive (band)</span> American pop/rock band

Half Alive is an American band from Long Beach, California. The band was formed in 2016 and consists of lead singer Josh Taylor, drummer Brett Kramer and bassist J. Tyler Johnson. The trio are best known for their single "Still Feel" and its choreographed music video. Their first EP, 3, was released in 2017, while their debut studio album, Now, Not Yet, was released on August 9, 2019.

<i>In Stereo</i> (Bananarama album) 2019 studio album by Bananarama

In Stereo is the eleventh studio album by English musical duo Bananarama. It was released on 19 April 2019 and was the group's first full-length release in 10 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">After All (All Saints song)</span> 2018 single by All Saints

"After All" is a song by English-Canadian girl group All Saints from their fifth studio album, Testament (2018). Written by group member Shaznay Lewis along with Peter Hutchings and William Orbit, whilst produced by the latter, it was released as the album's second single on 26 July 2018, by AS Recordings.

References

  1. ↑ "All Saints, interview: 'I thought we'd be living on a farm by now'". inews.co.uk. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 McCormick, Neil (28 July 2018). "All Saints, Testament, review: their best album in two decades". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  3. ↑ "All Saints announce Newcastle tour date". Shields Gazette . 25 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  4. ↑ "Red Flag by All Saints". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  5. ↑ "All Saints miss out on album top spot". BBC News . 15 April 2016. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  6. ↑ McGoran, Peter (9 April 2019). "All Saints to headline Bulmers Live at Leopardstown 2019". Hot Press . Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  7. 1 2 All Saints [@AllSaintsOffic] (29 July 2018). "Testament Track 1. Who Do You Love Out now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ All Saints [@AllSaintsOffic] (29 July 2018). "Testament Track 5. No Issues Out now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 All Saints (1 August 2018). "'All Saints' Chat About Their Latest Album 'Testament'" (Interview). Interviewed by Matt Bagwell. London: BUILD Series LDN. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Testament (Media notes). All Saints. AS Recordings. 2018. p. 10. ASRCD1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ↑ AllSaints [@AllSaintsOffic] (29 July 2018). "Testament Track 2. Three Four Out now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ↑ Lewis, Shaznay [@ShazAllSaints] (29 June 2018). "We had a late night open mic session in the studio with @melblatt and @Nicole_Appleton .. Karl made the track up and I sang ideas down the mic and we built the song from there. With a little 🥂🍸🥂💃🏾💃🏾👯♀️👯♀️😃😃❤️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. 1 2 All Saints [@AllSaintsOffic] (29 July 2018). "Testament Track 8. Dont Look Over Your Shoulder Out now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ↑ All Saints [@AllSaintsOffic] (31 July 2018). "Testament Track 13. Footprints Out now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ↑ All Saints [@AllSaintsOffic] (29 July 2018). "Testament Track 9. Fumes Out now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ↑ All Saints [@AllSaintsOffic] (31 July 2018). "Testament Track 12. Glorious Out now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. 1 2 Levine, Nick (29 May 2018). "All Saints: 'We always felt like we were the outsiders'". Dazed . Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  18. ↑ Brash, Tallah (7 December 2018). "All Saints on friendship and new album Testament". The Skinny . Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  19. ↑ "All Saints talk about what Pride season means to them". Attitude . 20 July 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  20. 1 2 All Saints [@AllSaintsOffic] (31 July 2018). "Testament Track 10. Testament In Motion Out now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ↑ All Saints [@AllSaintsOffic] (29 July 2018). "Testament Track 6. After All Out now" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. 1 2 "Testament by All Saints reviews". AnyDecentMusic? . Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  23. 1 2 "Testament by All Saints Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 7 March 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  24. 1 2 Green, Thomas H. (26 July 2019). "CD: All Saints - Testament review - blissed up fifth album". The Arts Desk . Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  25. ↑ Wallace, Wyndham (23 September 2018). "Review: All Saints – Testament" . Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  26. 1 2 Paine, Andre (27 July 2018). "Albums of the week: All Saints, Kyle Falconer and Mt. Joy". Evening Standard . Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  27. 1 2 Wright, Jonathan (31 July 2018). "All Saints – Testament (London)". God is in the TV . Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  28. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (27 July 2018). "All Saints: Testament review – smoothies drowned out by digital clutter". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  29. 1 2 Aubrey, Elizabeth (11 July 2018). "All Saints - Testament, album review: back with aplomb". The Independent . Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  30. 1 2 Mongredien, Phil (29 July 2018). "All Saints: Testament review – past glories partially recaptured". The Observer . Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  31. 1 2 Cragg, Michael (September 2018). "All Saints - Testament". Q . p. 110.
  32. ↑ Jones, Alan (3 August 2018). "Charts analysis: Blockbuster sales for Mamma Mia!" . Music Week . Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  33. ↑ "Ireland Top 20 Independent Albums - Week 31 2018 - Week Ending 3 Aug 2018". Irish Recorded Music Association . Archived from the original on 2 September 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  34. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  35. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  36. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.