The Architect | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 17 November 2017 | |||
Recorded | March 2015 – July 2017 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 48:42 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Paloma Faith chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Architect | ||||
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Singles from Zeitgeist Edition | ||||
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The Architect is the fourth studio album by British singer Paloma Faith,released by Sony Music Entertainment on 17 November 2017. [1]
Faith stated,"The Architect is a social observation record. I was adamant that I wouldn't write about love. I wanted to look outside of myself. I'm coming at politics from the perspective of the common man or woman,observing why people are suffering. Each song on the record is about a different pocket of the socio-political world that I've been delving into. I wanted to write something more modern. On previous albums I've been more concerned with the past,but now I'm looking forward because of motherhood and wanting to change things for a better future. It's a marriage of old and new."
The Architect debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart,selling 40,000 copies, [2] becoming Faith's first UK chart-topping album and pushing Reputation by Taylor Swift from the top spot. [3] Following the release of the Zeitgeist Edition in November 2018,The Architect re-entered the UK Albums Chart Top 40 at number twenty-two. [4]
In June 2015,during her Glastonbury Festival performance,Faith confirmed having started the process of creating her fourth studio album. "Now we're going to bring to your attention what I've been listening to a lot when making album number four," she told the crowd,before performing a cover of "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix. [5] In addition to the inspiration from Hendrix,Faith has also stated she has been listening to "a lot of psychedelic rock",including Janis Joplin. [6] In another interview Faith stated she is very happy and hasn't "anything to moan about" in her current relationship,which led her to conclude that "there's a lot of things going on in the world that are [just] as important as love". As a result,Faith attempted to write songs which "aren't about love or heartache",something the singer found challenging. [7] In a Facebook post dated 10 June 2016,Faith indicated that the new album would have a full orchestra on part of it,"composed by David Arnold". [8]
On 22 August 2016,in a letter to fans (handwritten by Faith) was posted on her website,announcing that she was pregnant,after spending her "whole life" wanting to be a mother. The "Update" also says that,after working with the "amazing" Jesse Shatkin her fourth album would be entitled "The Architect" and released in 2017. [9] After her maternity break,Faith said she would return "full of energy and excited to come and sing for you again".
Faith released the first single from the album,"Crybaby" on 31 August 2017, [10] in the process announcing the release date,before putting the album up for pre-order on 22 September 2017,along with the tracklisting and album artwork. She also confirmed a collaboration with actor Samuel L. Jackson.
The album's first single was the disco-tinged "Crybaby",written in collaboration with the producer Starsmith. It was made available for streaming and download on 31 August 2017. The song's dystopian-themed music video was directed by Thomas James,and was released on 22 September 2017 alongside the album pre-order and the release of tour dates for Faith's 2018 UK arena tour. The song peaked at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart. On 22 October it was announced that "Guilty" would be the second single. [11] On 24 January,Faith announced through an Instagram post that "'Til I'm Done" would be released the following day as the third single from the recording; [12] this information was later posted on different websites,in which it was stated that the single would impact radio stations on 16 February [13] while a remix EP would be released on 2 February. [14] Faith's cover of "Make Your Own Kind of Music" was announced in April 2018 to be included on the album's digital track listing,thus becoming its fourth official single. The song was included on the track listing on 20 April 2018,over a month after the cover's original release date. [15] "Warrior" was released as the fifth single on 6 July 2018. "Loyal" was released as the first single from the Zeitgeist Edition with an accompanying lyric video on 11 October 2018.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.1/10 [16] |
Metacritic | 72/100 [17] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [18] |
The Guardian | [19] |
NME | [20] |
At Metacritic,which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,The Architect received an average score of 72 based on six reviews,indicating "generally favourable reviews". [17]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Evolution" (featuring Samuel L. Jackson) |
| 1:04 | |
2. | "The Architect" |
|
| 3:25 |
3. | "Guilty" | 4:19 | ||
4. | "Crybaby" |
| Starsmith | 3:53 |
5. | "I'll Be Gentle" (with John Legend) |
|
| 4:15 |
6. | "Politics of Hope" (featuring Owen Jones) | Faith |
| 0:54 |
7. | "Kings and Queens" |
|
| 3:51 |
8. | "Surrender" |
|
| 3:33 |
9. | "Warrior" |
| 3:44 | |
10. | "Til I'm Done" |
|
| 3:44 |
11. | "Lost and Lonely" |
|
| 3:41 |
12. | "Still Around" |
|
| 3:47 |
13. | "Pawns" (featuring Baby N'Sola, Janelle Martin & Naomi Miller) |
|
| 0:51 |
14. | "WW3" |
|
| 3:10 |
15. | "Love Me as I Am" |
|
| 4:31 |
Total length: | 48:42 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
16. | "Make Your Own Kind of Music" |
| 2:43 |
Total length: | 51:25 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
16. | "Power to the Peaceful" |
|
| 3:18 |
17. | "Tonight's Not the Only Night" |
|
| 3:47 |
18. | "My Body" |
|
| 3:48 |
19. | "Price of Fame" |
| 3:00 | |
Total length: | 62:35 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
20. | "Make Your Own Kind of Music" |
| 2:43 |
Total length: | 65:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
20. | "Loyal" |
|
| 3:40 |
21. | "Final Breath" |
|
| 3:12 |
22. | "Your Ex" |
|
| 3:36 |
23. | "Older" |
| Starsmith | 3:06 |
24. | "Make Your Own Kind of Music" |
|
| 2:43 |
25. | "Lullaby" (with Sigala) |
|
| 3:24 |
Notes
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [34] | Platinum | 450,000 [35] |
"Make Your Own Kind of Music" is a song by American singer Cass Elliot released in September 1969 by Dunhill Records. The song was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, while production was helmed by Steve Barri. In the United States, "Make Your Own Kind of Music" was a Top 40 hit, in which it peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Paloma Faith Blomfield is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. After signing to Epic Records in 2008, Faith released her debut studio album, Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? (2009), which was certified double platinum in the UK. Her second studio album, Fall to Grace (2012), charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and earned her another double platinum certification. The album also spawned her first UK top ten single, "Picking Up the Pieces", the top twenty cover version of INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart", and earned her two Brit Award nominations.
English singer and songwriter Paloma Faith has released six studio albums, 40 singles and 36 music videos. Faith made her debut in September 2009 with the studio album Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?, which peaked at number nine in the United Kingdom and was later certified double-platinum. Its first two singles, "Stone Cold Sober" and "New York", both peaked within the top twenty in the United Kingdom. The album spawned three more original singles: "Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?", "Upside Down" and "Smoke & Mirrors".
Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? is the debut studio album by English recording artist Paloma Faith. It was released on 28 September 2009 by Epic Records. Its first two singles from the album, "Stone Cold Sober" and "New York", both peaked within the top twenty in the United Kingdom. The album spawned three more singles: "Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?", "Upside Down" and "Smoke & Mirrors".
"New York" is a song by English recording artist Paloma Faith from her debut studio album Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? (2009). It was released on 13 September 2009. The song features a sweeping gospel chorus by the London-based Souls of Prophecy Gospel Choir. The song was re-released in a new remix featuring rapper Ghostface Killah.
"Stone Cold Sober" is the debut single by English recording artist Paloma Faith from the album Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? (2009). It was released on 15 June 2009 and entered the UK chart at number 17.
Fall to Grace is the second studio album by English singer Paloma Faith, released on 28 May 2012 by RCA Records. She worked on the album with producer Nellee Hooper, who previously worked with artists such as Madonna, Björk, Massive Attack, and Gwen Stefani. Fall to Grace was received positively by most critics. A deluxe edition was released the same day, which contains acoustic versions of five songs from the album.
"Picking Up the Pieces" is a song by English recording artist Paloma Faith from her second studio album Fall to Grace. Produced by Nellee Hooper and written by Faith, Wayne Hector and Tim Powell, it was released as the album's first single on 18 May 2012. Faith revealed "Picking Up the Pieces" was inspired by the issues and insecurity of dating someone who is recovering from a previous relationship. The artwork for the single was revealed on 5 April 2012.
"30 Minute Love Affair" is a song performed by English recording artist Paloma Faith. It was released on 10 August 2012, by RCA Records, as the second single from her second studio album Fall to Grace (2012). The song was written by Faith and Chris Braide, while Nellee Hooper produced it. Faith explained that the concept of the song is based on a real-life encounter she had with a busker when she was fourteen. The singer said that she wanted the song to have a similar feel of freedom and escape that the 2011 film Drive evokes.
"Can't Rely on You" is a song by English singer Paloma Faith, written by Faith and American singer and producer Pharrell Williams. The single, available for purchase from 23 February 2014, serves as the lead single from her third studio album, A Perfect Contradiction, which was released in early March.
Pia Mia Perez is an American singer, actress, and model. She began her career posting song covers on YouTube, after which she was discovered by Babyface in 2010. Three years later, she signed with Interscope Records and worked closely with record producer Nic Nac to release her debut extended play (EP), The Gift (2013), which gained popularity from and included her cover of Drake's 2013 single, "Hold On, We're Going Home".
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