Read My Lips (Sophie Ellis-Bextor album)
Read My Lips | ||||
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Studio album by Sophie Ellis-Bextor | ||||
Released | 27 August 2001 | |||
Recorded | 2000–01 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:04 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer |
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Sophie Ellis-Bextor chronology | ||||
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Singles from Read My Lips | ||||
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Read My Lips is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released on 27 August 2001 by Polydor Records. After the disbandment of the Britpop group Theaudience, in which Ellis-Bextor served as its 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.
Critical response to Read My Lips was polarized, with music critics denouncing its content that was, according to many of whom, of lesser quality than "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)"—the singer's collaboration with Italian DJ Spiller. The album reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, and has since been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. It spawned four singles: "Take Me Home", "Murder on the Dancefloor", double A-side single "Get Over You"/"Move This Mountain" and "Music Gets the Best of Me".
Background
Following the disbandment of Britpop group Theaudience, Ellis-Bextor provided vocals for the song "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" by Italian DJ Spiller.[3] The song was a commercial success,[4] and Ellis-Bextor signed to Polydor. She was contacted by director Baz Luhrmann, who offered her a role in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, but the singer refused in order to focus on her career as a recording artist.[5] The success of "Groovejet" also prompted American musician Moby to notice Ellis-Bextor, and revealed interest in working with her due to her "amazing" voice, as he described it.[2] He instructed his record company to "track" Ellis-Bextor "down" so they could start working as soon as Moby finished his tour.[2] The two ultimately wrote five songs in New York, which did not make the final cut of Read My Lips.[5][6] Furthermore, she also recorded with band Blur bassist Alex James, former frontman of the New Radicals, while Damian LeGassick was recruited for working with programming and keyboards.[6]
The album title was chosen due to the fact of the singer had used strong lipstick for the video of "Take Me Home" and for the LP artwork.[7] The album photography was shot by Mert Alas.[8]
Composition
An "eclectic" album, Read My Lips, is a collection of 1980s electronica and 1970s disco.[5] The album opener and first single is a cover version of Cher's 1979 song "Take Me Home", described as a "disco groove".[9] Betty Clarke from The Guardian observed that her voice in the song is reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle (in the movie My Fair Lady).[10] "Move This Mountain", co-written by Alex James, is a "vibrant" ballad with a trip hop-influenced sound.[9] Following track and second single, "Murder on the Dancefloor", is a dance-pop and disco record, that utilizes bass guitar and piano in its instrumental.[10][11][12] "Sparkle" has "speeding beats and equally speeding keyboards",[10] while "Final Move" contains "tinny beats" and "electro swirls".[10] The latter was deemed a "subdued version" of "Murder on the Dancefloor" with "similar kaleidoscope synth".[1] "I Believe" was described as "funky" and "live-sounding",[10] while "Leave the Others Alone" involves "cold beats" and "big, full-throttle keyboards".[10] "By Chance" was particularly noted for showcasing Ellis-Bextor's accent.[1] Rerelease new song "Get Over You" is a "polite" Euro disco take on "I Will Survive".[13]
Singles and promotion
Promotion for Read My Lips launched with the release of "Take Me Home", a cover of the song by singer Cher, which was released on 13 August 2001.[14] Although its production and Ellis-Bextor's vocal performance in the song were heavily criticized,[15] the single reached number two on the UK Singles Chart.[16] After the release of the album, "Murder on the Dancefloor" was serviced as its second single on 3 December 2001.[17] It peaked within the top 10 of the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.[18][19] A double A-side single including new re-release song "Get Over You" and original album track "Move This Mountain" was released on 10 June 2002, in a set of two CD singles.[20][21]
Ellis-Bextor, who had previously felt uncomfortable with the idea of touring, confirmed a UK-only tour in January 2001, to go on from April to May.[22] Later, in July 2002, other dates of the tour were revealed for 2003.[23]
Critical reception
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Blue Coupe | Positive[9] |
Entertainment.ie | [24] |
The Guardian | Negative[10] |
The Independent | Mixed[25] |
Q | [26] |
Yahoo! Music | [27] |
Toby Manning from Q cited "Take Me Home" and "Move This Mountain" as the album's highlights, but, overall, he thought that the record failed to live up to the standard set by the previous collaboration with Spiller.[26] He also found that the album's music and the distinctive pronunciation of Ellis-Bextor's vocal delivery did not work to complimentary effect.[26] Betty Clarke from The Guardian described the album as a "sophisticated package" but said "there's little to love and even less fun to be had".[28] Kelvin Hayes from AllMusic dubbed it "a disappointing debut from Ellis-Bextor, fusing Human League synth with beats and cinematic strings", but described "Murder on the Dancefloor" as the "shimmering highlight" from the album.[1] A critic from entertainment.ie said "the material on her debut solo album only rarely does justice to her distinctive upper-crust voice", and said that "most of the songs sound laboured and plod where they should swing".[24]
In contrast to the previous reviews, Andrew Arora from Blue Coupe had a more positive response to the record. Arora said "it lands somewhere between Pet Shop Boys' synth-pop faculty and Blondie's Parallel Lines album", although he claimed that fans of "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" "should not expect much from this album, but it does deliver a dynamic electro disco sound that is sometimes analogous to her breakthrough-hit single".[9]
Commercial performance
Read My Lips debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 23,023 copies, peaking 41 weeks later at number two.[29] On 21 June 2002, the album was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[30] Read My Lips had sold 833,968 copies as of January 2014.[29]
Track listing
Original release | ||||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
1. | "Take Me Home" |
|
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4:07 |
2. | "Lover" |
|
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3:24 |
3. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
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4:45 |
4. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
|
3:50 |
5. | "I Believe" |
|
|
4:04 |
6. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
7. | "By Chance" |
|
|
4:13 |
8. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
9. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
|
4:25 |
10. | "Everything Falls Into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
German reissue bonus tracks[31] | |||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
11. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (radio edit) |
|
3:43 |
12. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (original version) |
|
6:16 |
13. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (BMR's Club Cut) |
|
6:57 |
14. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (Spiller's Extended Vocal Mix) |
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7:27 |
15. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (Todd Terry's In House Remix) |
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6:47 |
16. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (Ray Roc's Trackworks Remix Part II) |
|
8:10 |
UK edition[32] | ||||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
1. | "Take Me Home" |
|
|
4:07 |
2. | "Lover" |
|
|
3:24 |
3. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
|
4:45 |
4. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
|
3:50 |
5. | "Sparkle" |
|
|
4:31 |
6. | "Final Move" |
| Rakascan | 4:44 |
7. | "I Believe" |
|
|
4:04 |
8. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
9. | "By Chance" |
|
|
4:13 |
10. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
11. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
|
4:25 |
12. | "Everything Falls Into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
2002 reissue | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
1. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
|
3:50 |
2. | "Take Me Home" |
|
|
4:07 |
3. | "Lover" |
|
|
3:24 |
4. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
|
4:45 |
5. | "Music Gets the Best of Me" |
|
|
3:39 |
6. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
7. | "I Believe" |
|
|
4:04 |
8. | "Get Over You" |
| Korpi & Blackcell | 3:15 |
9. | "By Chance" |
|
|
4:13 |
10. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
|
4:25 |
11. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
12. | "Everything Falls Into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
13. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (live version) |
|
|
4:00 |
Brazilian edition bonus track[33] | ||
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No. | Title | Length |
14. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" (Jewels & Stone Mix) |
UK reissue[34] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
1. | "Murder on the Dancefloor" |
|
|
3:50 |
2. | "Take Me Home" |
|
|
4:07 |
3. | "Lover" |
|
|
3:24 |
4. | "Move This Mountain" |
|
|
4:45 |
5. | "Music Gets the Best of Me" |
|
|
3:39 |
6. | "Sparkle" |
|
|
4:31 |
7. | "The Universe Is You" |
| Rakascan | 3:37 |
8. | "I Believe" |
|
|
4:04 |
9. | "Get Over You" |
| Korpi & Blackcell | 3:15 |
10. | "By Chance" |
|
|
4:13 |
11. | "Is It Any Wonder" |
|
|
4:25 |
12. | "Leave the Others Alone" |
| Rakascan | 4:09 |
13. | "Final Move" |
| Rakascan | 4:44 |
14. | "Everything Falls Into Place" |
| Rakascan | 3:44 |
15. | "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (live version) |
|
|
4:00 |
- Notes
Personnel
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Charts
Weekly charts |
Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[59] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
France (SNEP)[60] | Gold | 78,400[61] |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[62] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[63] | Gold | 20,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] | 2× Platinum | 833,968[29] |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI)[64] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
Tour
Tour by Sophie Ellis-Bextor | |
Cover of the rare tour programme. | |
Associated album | Read My Lips |
---|---|
Legs | 2 |
No. of shows |
8 in United Kingdom 30 in Europe Total: 38 |
Sophie Ellis-Bextor concert chronology |
Read My Lips Tour was the first concert tour by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, in support of her debut studio album. Beginning January 2003, the tour visited the European continent. As of 2013, it's the biggest tour Ellis-Bextor has ever headlined.[28]
Background
The Read My Lips tour is the biggest tour Ellis-Bextor has ever gone on, having 38 dates and 2 legs.[65]
Setlist
- "Sparkle"
- "The Universe Is You"
- "Lover"
- "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed"
- "By Chance"
- "Final Move"
- "Is It Any Wonder"
- "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)"
- "Everything Falls Into Place"
- "Murder on the Dancefloor"
- "Move This Mountain"
- Encore
- "Get Over You"
- "Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me)"
Tour dates
Date | City | Country | Venue | |
---|---|---|---|---|
UK 2002 Leg | ||||
23 April 2002 | Warrington | England | Parr Hall | |
25 April 2002 | Ipswich | Regent Theatre | ||
26 April 2002 | Norwich | Norwich U.E.A. | ||
27 April 2002 | Folkestone | Leas Cliff Hall | ||
29 April 2002 | Basingstoke | The Anvil | ||
30 April 2002 | Leicester | Leicester University | ||
1 May 2002 | Bristol | Colstol Hall | ||
3 May 2002 | London | Shepherd's Bush Empire | ||
4 May 2002 | ||||
European 2003 Leg | ||||
17 January 2003 | Preston | England | Preston Guildhall | |
19 January 2003 | Glasgow | Scotland | Glasgow Clyde Auditorium | |
23 January 2003 | Newcastle | England | Newcastle City Hall | |
24 January 2003 | Nottingham | Nottingham Royal Centre | ||
25 January 2003 | Sheffield | Sheffield City Hall | ||
27 January 2003 | Liverpool | Liverpool Royal Court | ||
28 January 2003 | Wolverhampton | Wolverhampton Civic Hall | ||
29 January 2003 | Cambridge | Cambridge Corn Exchange | ||
31 January 2003 | Cardiff | Wales | Cardiff International Arena | |
1 February 2003 | Manchester | England | Manchester Apollo | |
2 February 2003 | Plymouth | Plymouth Pavilions | ||
4 February 2003 | Brighton | Brighton Centre | ||
5 February 2003 | London | Hammersmith Apollo | ||
9 February 2003 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Melkweg | |
11 February 2003 | Stockholm | Sweden | Stockholm Nalem | |
12 February 2003 | Oslo | Norway | Oslo Rockefeller Music Hall | |
13 February 2003 | Gdynia | Poland | Ucho Music Club | |
14 February 2003 | Aarhus | Denmark | Aarhus Train | |
15 February 2003 | Copenhagen | Copenhagen Amager Bio | ||
17 February 2003 | Brussels | Belgium | Brussels Ancienne Belgique | |
18 February 2003 | Cologne | Germany | Cologne Love Music Hall | |
21 February 2003 | Hamburg | Hamburg Grosse Freihett | ||
22 February 2003 | Berlin | Berlin Universal Hall | ||
24 February 2003 | Darmstadt | Darmstadt Central Station | ||
25 February 2003 | Munich | Munich Elserhalle | ||
26 February 2003 | Zürich | Switzerland | Zurich Volkshaus | |
28 February 2003 | Milan | Italy | Milan Propaganda | |
1 March 2003 | Marseille | France | Marseille Theatre du Moulin | |
2 March 2003 | Lyon | Lyon Transborder | ||
3 March 2003 | Paris | Paris Elysée Montmartre |
The Shepherd's Bush Empire gig was recorded, later being released in Ellis-Bextor's first video album, Watch My Lips.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Hayes, Kelvin. "Read My Lips – Sophie Ellis-Bextor". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- 1 2 3 "MOBY SEEKS AUDIENCE WITH SOPHIE". NME. IPC Media. 22 November 2000. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ↑ "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)". NME. IPC Media. 26 September 2000. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ↑ "Strictly Come Dancing - Sophie Ellis-Bextor". BBC One. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- 1 2 3 "READ HER LIPS - SOPHIE'S A SINGER!". NME. IPC Media. 6 June 2001. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- 1 2 "SOPHIE SO GOOD...". NME. IPC Media. 20 March 2001. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ↑ Cronin, Wayne (29 April 2002). "Sophie talks to ShowBiz Ireland...". ShowBiz.ie. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ↑ "Read My Lips - Sophie Ellis-Bextor | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Arora, Andrew (May 2002). "Review: Read My Lips - Sophie Ellis Bextor". Blue Coupe. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Clarke, Betty (31 August 2001). "Chill of the ice maiden". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor "Murder on the Dancefloor" Sheet Music". MusicNotes.com Universal Music Publishing Group. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ↑ Read My Lips (Media notes). Sophie Ellis-Bextor. England: Polydor Records. 2001.
- ↑ Robinson, John (7 June 2002). "Ellis-Bextor, Sophie : Get Over You". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
- ↑ "Take Me Home". Amazon.com. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ Carlson, Dean. "Take Me Home [US CD] – Sophie Ellis-Bextor". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "Five Earns Another No. 1 In The U.K.". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ↑ "Murder On The Dancefloor". Amazon.com. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Murder on the Dancefloor". Australian-Charts. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "Get Over You [CD 1]". Amazon.com. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "Get Over You [CD 2]". Amazon.com. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "BEXTOR TAKES TO THE DANCEFLOORS". NME. IPC Media. 11 January 2002. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "READ MY LIPS LIVE!". NME. IPC Media. 26 July 2002. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- 1 2 "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". entertainment.ie. 3 September 2001. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ↑ Price, Simon (2 September 2001). "Review: Album: Sophie Ellis Bexter (sic)". The Independent. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- 1 2 3 Manning, Toby. "Review: Sophie Ellis Bextor - Read My Lips". Q (Q181, September 2001): 109.
- ↑ Crossing, Gary (3 September 2001). "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – 'Read My Lips'". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 6 January 2006. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- 1 2 Clarke, Betty. (31 August 2001). CD of the week: Sophie Ellis Bextor. The Guardian. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- 1 2 3 Jones, Alan (27 January 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Goulding reclaims No.1 album spot with 21,000 sales". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 28 January 2014. (subscription required (help)).
- 1 2 "British album certifications – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". British Phonographic Industry. 21 June 2002. Enter Read My Lips in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑
- ↑ "Read My Lips". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑
- ↑ "Read My Lips [Extra tracks]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ↑ "ARIA Dance – Week Commencing 22nd July 2002" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Pandora Archive. p. 13. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". danishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
- ↑ "European Top 20 Charts – Week Commencing 8th July 2002" (PDF). Billboard. Pandora Archive. p. 22. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Read My Lips" (in German). charts.de. Media Control. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 31 January 2002". Chart-Track. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
- ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 20–26 January 2002. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ↑ "Sophie Ellis-Bextor" (select "Albums" tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2001". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Dance Albums 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2002" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2002" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 2002". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ↑ "Certifications Albums Or – année 2003" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 9 April 2003. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "Les Albums Or" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Read My Lips". Recorded Music NZ. 27 October 2002. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Sophie Ellis-Bextor; 'Read My Lips')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2002". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ↑ Read My Lips Tour. Sophie Online. Retrieved 15-08-2013.
External links
- Read My Lips at MusicBrainz
- Review + Details
- Watch My Lips at the Internet Movie Database
- Read My Lips Tour dates