The Sea (Melanie C album)
The Sea | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 September 2011 | |||
Genre | Pop[1] | |||
Length | 47:34 | |||
Label |
| |||
Producer |
| |||
Melanie C chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Sea | ||||
|
The Sea is the fifth studio album by English singer
Preceding the album's release, promotional single, and lead single on the German version, "Rock Me" was released for digital download worldwide (and as well as a physical single in Germany, Austria and Switzerland) on 24 June 2011. The single serves as the official song of the popular German TV network ZDF's media coverage of the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. The music video for lead single "Think About It", premiered on 15 July 2011 on her official website and was simultaneously sent to radio stations in the UK.
Recording and production
The album was recorded in London. Chisholm talked about her inspirations and goals for this record:
"I'm very excited about the record because it's quite diverse in styles. I've worked with lots of new writers, people I haven't worked with before. There's still very much a pop element, and I've got some lovely ballads, some rock inspired tracks, some more dancey stuff, some acoustic stuff, and production-wise, there are some very atmospheric moments. So I really think it's going to be a diverse and stronger album. When I started working with this album, I really didn't know what I wanted to achieve, so I wanted to be ambitious and experiment, work with new people, and try on different styles of music. And through doing that I really discovered the way I wanted to express myself and the sound I wanted to create. All that has made it become quite diverse, and it's funny, because I suppose my first studio album, Northern Star, is probably the most similar to this record, in that it does have loads of different styles, although it is fundamentally a pop record."[2]
Concept and artwork
Regarding the concept of The Sea, Chisholm said in a video interview on YouTube that the album is cohesively experimental, mixing many different genres/styles of music into one unified pop album with electronic undertones, therefore naming it The Sea, which encompasses the many species who inhabit beneath the oceans surface. Mel has also described the album as being both harmonic and euphoric in feeling. The cover, which depicts Chisholm standing and emerging from the sea, was photographed on location in Whitby, North Yorkshire.[3]
The cover photography is by Pip, who also provides a couple of the inner location photographs. Additional booklet photography is by long-term collaborator Ray Burmiston. The sleeve is by Ian Ross who also designed Chisholm's two previous solo albums, Beautiful Intentions and This Time.
Composition
Chisholm stated that she worked with a lot of new writers and producers for this album, where she tended to work with the same writers for her previous records, notably Adam Argyle, who co-wrote some material for this record. The album was co-written /produced with the likes of Starsailor's
Singles
"
The lead worldwide single "
In the UK, "
"Let There Be Love" was released in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria on 2 December 2011.[6]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
OK! Magazine | [8] |
Liverpool Echo | (favorable)[9] |
musicOMH | [10] |
Sunday Mercury | (favorable)[11] |
The album received positive reviews from music critics. Jon O'Brien wrote positively for AllMusic that "The Sea is still a huge leap forward from her past three efforts, and had it been released as the follow-up to Northern Star, rather than 12 years down the line, it could possibly have sustained her initial solo success."[4] O'Brien, who rated it three-and-a-half out of five stars, went to praise the tracks "Think About It" and "Stupid Game", which he considered "bombastic Katy Perry/Kelly Clarkson-esque pop/rock anthems which prove she can still compete with those who were barely in their teens during the peak of Spicemania, while the grandiose "Get Out of Here" sounds like Muse's cover of "Feeling Good" crossed with a John Barry's James Bond score."[4]
Pip Elwood from the "Entertainment Focus" was also positive, rating it four out of five stars. He wrote that "The Sea is a strong release from Melanie and one that could return her to her former chart glory. (...) "The Sea is a consistent collection of pop gems that should score her another big hit."
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Sea" |
| Andy Chatterley | 4:51 |
2. | "Weak" |
| Chatterley | 3:24 |
3. | "Think About It" |
|
| 3:47 |
4. | "Beautiful Mind" |
| Chatterley | 3:41 |
5. | "One by One" |
| Greg Hatwell | 4:06 |
6. | "Stupid Game" |
| Chatterley | 3:20 |
7. | "All About You" | Peter-John Vettese | 4:01 | |
8. | "Burn" |
|
| 4:00 |
9. | "Drown" |
| Chatterley | 3:59 |
10. | "Get Out of Here" |
| Vettese | 4:10 |
11. | "Enemy" |
|
| 8:12 |
Total length: | 47:34 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "Let There Be Love" |
|
| 3:33 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Think About It" | 3:47 | ||
2. | "Burn" | 4:00 | ||
3. | "Get Out of Here" | 4:10 | ||
4. | "Weak" | 3:24 | ||
5. | "Stupid Game" | 3:20 | ||
6. | "Let There Be Love" | 3:33 | ||
7. | "Drown" | 3:59 | ||
8. | "All About You" | 4:01 | ||
9. | "The Sea" | 4:51 | ||
10. | "Beautiful Mind" | 3:41 | ||
11. | "One By One" | 4:06 | ||
12. | "Rock Me" |
|
| 3:13 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Think About It (Acoustic Version - Live at Hitradio Ö3)" | 3:23 |
B-sides
Title | Single |
---|---|
"Stop This Train" | "Rock Me" – German CD, digital download |
"Cruel Intentions" | "Think About It" – UK CD, German CD, digital download |
"Stronger" | "Weak" – UK CD, digital download / "Let There Be Love" – German CD, digital download |
Leftover tracks
- "Too Soon" - 3:12
- Released on The Sea – Live DVD[13]
- Released on
- "Rising Sun" - 3:44
- Released on Melanie C's official YouTube channel[14]
Charts
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] | 38 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 16 |
Scottish Albums (OCC)[17] | 69 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 13 |
UK Albums (OCC)[19] | 45 |
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[20] | 29 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[21] | 6 |
Release history
Region | Date | Labels | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|
Austria | 2 September 2011 | Warner Music / 313 Music
|
[22] |
Croatia | [22] | ||
Czech Republic | [22] | ||
Germany | [23] | ||
Serbia | [22] | ||
Slovakia | [22] | ||
Slovenia | [22] | ||
Switzerland | [22] | ||
Denmark | 5 September 2011 | Warner Music | [22] |
Finland | [22] | ||
Norway | [22] | ||
Sweden | [22] | ||
United Kingdom | Red Girl Records
|
[24] | |
United States | |||
Poland | 31 October 2011 | Warner Music | [25] |
Turkey | 12 December 2011 | Warner Music / EMI Turkey | [26] |
References
- ^ a b c Elwood, Pipa. "Melanie C - The Sea - Entertainment Focus". Entertainment Focus. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- YouTube
- ^ "An update from Melanie & 'The Sea' preview 5: 'Drown'". MelanieC.net. 10 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d O'Brien, Jon (6 September 2011). "The Sea - Melanie C". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- YouTube
- ^ a b "New Singles: 'Weak' & 'Let There Be Love'". MelanieC.net. 21 September 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ a b Gage, Simon (2 September 2011). "Express.co.uk - ALBUM REVIEW - MELANIE C: THE SEA". Express. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ OK! Magazine. Archived from the originalon 4 April 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ^ a b Wright, Jade. "Melanie C - The Sea - album review - Liverpool Echo". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ^ Ben Weisz (5 September 2011). "Melanie C – The Sea". musicOMH. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ a b Harries, Nick. "Melanie C - The Sea - album review - Sunday Mercury". Sunday Mercury. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
- ^ a b "iTunes - Music - The Sea by Melanie C". iTunes Store. 4 September 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "Melanie C - The Sea Live DVD - Too Soon (Bonus Track)". YouTube. 9 March 2012.
- ^ "Melanie C - Rising Sun (Full Song)". YouTube. 24 May 2013.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Melanie C – The Sea" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Melanie C – The Sea". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
- ^ "Melanie C | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
- ^ YouTube
- ^ "The Sea: Melanie C: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- ^ "The Sea: Melanie C: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- ^ "Warner Music Poland". Warnermusic.pl. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ "The Sea - Melanie C". Emikent.com.tr. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2014.