Call off the Search

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For the title song, see Call off the Search (song).

Professional reviews
Call off the Search

Studio album by Katie Melua
Released	3 November 2003 (UK)
Genre	Jazz/Blues
Length	43:44
Label	Dramatico
Producer(s)	Mike Batt
All Music Guide link
Katie Melua chronology
	Call off the Search (2003)	Piece by Piece (2005)

Call off the Search is the debut album by Georgian-born British jazz and blues singer Katie Melua, released in 2003 (see 2003 in music).

1 Recording and release
2 Track listing
3 Personnel
4 Production
5 Charts

[edit] Recording and release

British songwriter, producer and arranger Mike Batt signed Melua to his Dramatico recording and management label after she performed at a showcase at the Brit School for the Performing Arts in early 2003. Batt was looking for a young artist capable of "performing jazz and blues in an interesting way". Melua went into the studio soon after with Batt as the producer. She recorded songs written by herself, Batt, John Mayall, Randy Newman and James Shelton ("Lilac Wine"). Melua wrote "Faraway Voice" about singer Eva Cassidy, who many people have compared Melua to. "Belfast (Penguins and Cats)" refers to Melua's upbringing in Belfast, Northern Ireland: "Penguins" referring to Protestants and "Cats" to Catholics.

Call off the Search was released in the UK on 3 November 2003. It became a hit, reaching number one on the UK album chart in January 2004 and the top twenty of the Australian album chart in June 2004. First single "The Closest Thing to Crazy", written by Batt, reached the top five in Ireland, top ten in the UK, top twenty in Norway and top fifty in Australia. The second single from the album was the title track, "Call off the Search", which gave Melua her second UK top twenty hit. The third single, a cover of Mayall's "Crawling up a Hill", was top twenty on a composite world jazz tracks chart as of early July 2004 and was released on 18 July as the third single in the UK. In the UK the album sold 1.2 million copies within its first five months of release, making it four times platinum. It spent six weeks at the top of the chart.

[edit] Track listing

"Call off the Search" (Mike Batt) – 3:24
"Crawling up a Hill" (John Mayall) – 3:25
"The Closest Thing to Crazy" (Batt) – 4:12
"My Aphrodisiac Is You" (Batt) – 3:34
"Learnin' the Blues" (Delores J. Silver) – 3:23
"Blame It on the Moon" (Batt) – 3:47
"Belfast (Penguins and Cats)" (Katie Melua) – 3:21
"I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (Randy Newman) – 2:30
"Mockingbird Song" (Batt) – 3:06
"Tiger in the Night" (Batt) – 3:07
"Faraway Voice" (Melua) – 3:13
"Lilac Wine" (James Alan Shelton) – 6:42

[edit] Personnel

Katie Melua - guitar, vocals
Mike Batt - organ, piano, conductor
Jim Cregan - guitar
Tim Harries - bass
The Irish Film Orchestra - orchestra
Michael Kruk - drums
Alan Smale - leader
Chris Spedding - guitar
Henry Spinetti - drums

[edit] Production

Producer: Mike Batt
Engineer: Steve Sale
Arranger: Mike Batt
Photography: Simon Fowler
Cover photo: Michael Halsband

[edit] Charts

Chart (2004)	Peak position
United Kingdom	1
Australia	13
U.S. Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz	3
U.S. Billboard 200	161
U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers (U.S.)	7

Katie Melua Bebo Band Oage

Katie Melua
Albums
Call off the Search \| Piece by Piece
Singles
"The Closest Thing to Crazy" \| "Call off the Search" \| "Crawling up a Hill" \| "Nine Million Bicycles" \| "I Cried for You" \| "Spider's Web" \| "It's Only Pain" \| "Shy Boy"