Pure (No Angels album)

Pure
Studio album by No Angels
Released August 25, 2003
Recorded 2003
Genre Pop, rock pop, dance-pop
Length 71:55
87:23 (limited edition)
Label Cheyenne/Polydor
Producer Thorsten Brötzmann, Lucy Diakovska, Nik Hafemann, T. Lundgren, Perky Park, Peter Ries, Nigel Rush, Twin, Stephan Ullmann
No Angels chronology
When the Angels Swing
(2002)		 Pure
(2003)		 The Best of No Angels
(2003)
Singles from Pure
  1. "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)"
    Released: April 22, 2003
  2. "Someday"
    Released: July 13, 2003
  3. "Feelgood Lies"
    Released: September 22, 2003
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
CDStarts [1]
laut.de [2]

Pure is the third studio album by German pop group No Angels, released by Polydor's subsidiary Cheyenne Records on August 25, 2003 (see 2003 in music) in German-speaking Europe. It features main production by Thorsten Brötzmann and Peter Ries, with additional contribution from Siedah Garrett, Perky Park, Nigel Rush, Twin, and band member Lucy Diakovska among others.

Recorded during Jessica Wahls' pregnancy break (she would officially leave the group prior the release), the album was the band's first studio release as a quartet and their final album before their disbandment in fall 2003. Upon its release, however, it became the No Angels' third consecutive chart-topper on the Germans Media Control albums chart, and peaked at number two and nine in Austria and Switzerland, respectively. Media reception for Pure was generally mixed, although it earned the group their strongest reviews yet.[3][4]

Pure spawned three singles, including the band's fourth number-one hit "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)", summer-lite "Someday" and Twin-produced "Feelgood Lies." It was eventually certified gold by the BVMI.

Contents

Production

After Jessica Wahls' pregnancy break from the group and the end of the Four Seasons Tour, the remaining four members of the No Angels began intensifying work on their then-untitled third studio album. Encouraged to exercise more self-control on the longplayer after their critically acclaimed contribution on predecessor Now... Us!,[5] the band took over responsibility in composing, recording and selecting songs to guarantee a more personal theme on the album — a step that challenged criticism and growing scepticism among the band's label Cheyenne Records and recording company Polydor.[5]

Intermitted by a pause due to Nadja Benaissa's knee operation and a following physical therapy,[5] almost all tracks except parts of the solo songs were entirely recorded at the Department-2-Studios in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.[5] Although the album saw the quartet mainly reuniting with longtime contributors such as Thorsten Brötzmann and Peter Ries, a wider team of foreign producers was consulting. William Orbit also was in negotiations with the label, but plans fell through.[3] "We selected song for us, which are best pop music, sort absolutely well with us, and represent at best what we want to talk about," band member Sandy Mölling said in an interview during the album's release.[5] Impressed by the intensity of the musical output, the group settled on the album title Pure. "The music is very, very pure, [...] there's nothing we had to dissemble for, the album shows who we really are [musically]."[5]

Release and reception

Although receiving a generally mixed reception from critics, Pure became the group's most critically acclaimed album then,[3] drawing comparisons to Madonna's 1998 studio album Ray of Light[3][4] as well as other female groups such as All Saints[4] and the Sugababes.[4] Especially praised for the implementation of the album's ballads,[3] some critics however, criticized the band's third studio album for its "overbalancing status of filling material"[4] and stereotypical boy band/girl group output.[3]

Finally released on August 25, 2003 after several delays, Pure debuted at number-one of the German Media Control albums chart, becoming the band's third consecutive regular studio album to reach the top position on particular chart; number 2 in Austria and number 9 in Switzerland. Although receiving a gold certification by the BVMI for more than 100,000 sold copies,[6] the album was a moderate success in comparison with its predecessors Elle'ments (2001) and Now... Us! (2002), eventually ranking fifty-second on the German albums year-end charts only.[7]

The album produced three singles: Jiant-penned lead single "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)" became the band's fourth number-one hit on the German Singles Chart, and seventh Top 10 entry in Austria. Follow-up "Someday" reached the top of the German Airplay Chart.[8] Plans for a fourth single, a cover titled "Elevent out of Ten," originally by Swedish girl group Play never materialized when the band decided to prepare their official disbandment towards the end of the year and instead went on with the compilation album, The Best of No Angels.[9]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Sister"   Vanessa Petruo, Thorsten Brötzmann, Alexander Geringas Thorsten Brötzmann 3:26
2. "Eleven Out of Ten"   Niclas Molinder, Joacim Persson, Pelle Ankarberg, Charlie Dore Thomas Lundgren 3:37
3. "So What"   D. Adam, Jane Dobbins, Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes Thorsten Brötzmann 3:12
4. "Angel of Mine"   Stephan Browarczyk, Mirko von Schlieffen, Alexandra Prince, Christoph Brüx Thorsten Brötzmann 3:43
5. "Forever Yours"   Fredrik Thomander, Anders Wikström Peter Ries 3:25
6. "Someday"   Thomas Jansson, Niklas Hillbom Thorsten Brötzmann 3:16
7. "You Lied"   Suzanne Smith, Sandy Frederickson, Kit Hain Peter Ries 4:09
8. "Feelgood Lies"   N. Molinder, J. Persson, P. Ankarberg, C. Dore, Maryann Morgan Niclas Molinder, Joacim Persson 3:22
9. "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)"   Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes, Liz Winstanley Perky Park, Nik Hafemann 3:14
10. "Takes a Woman to Know"   C. Dore, Terry Britten Peter Ries 3:36
11. "New Beginning"   Thomas Who, Negin Peter Ries 4:00
12. "Washes Over Me"   Peter Ries Peter Ries 4:13
13. "Venus" (including Pure outtakes) Robbie van Leeuwen Thorsten Brötzmann 3:18
Limited edition bonus CD
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Soft Place to Fall" (Nadja's song) Allan Simpson Peter Ries 3:26
2. "Confession" (Lucy's song) Lucy Diakovska Stephan Ullman, Lucy Diakovska 3:59
3. "How Can We Be Friends" (Sandy's song) Pam Sheyne, Sean Hosein, Dane Deviller Nigel Rush 3:38
4. "Ten Degrees" (Vanessa's song) Vanessa Petruo, Thorsten Brötzmann, Alexander Geringas Thorsten Brötzmann 3:25

Credits and personnel

  • Michael Knauer - keyboards
  • Björn Krumbügel - keyboards
  • Marco Lehmann - keyboards
  • Fredrik Norburg - guitar
  • Peter Ries - keyboards
  • Ben Robbins - keyboards
  • Nigel Rush - keyboards
  • Ossi Schaller - guitar
  • Peter Weihe - guitar

Production

Charts

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart 2
European Top 100 Albums[10] 10
German Albums Chart [10] 1
Swiss Albums Chart 9

Certifications

Region Certification
Germany (BVMI)[6] Gold

References

  1. ^ CDStarts review
  2. ^ laut.de review
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Pure review". laut.de. http://www.laut.de/lautstark/cd-reviews/n/no_angels/pure/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  4. ^ a b c d e "Pure review". CDstarts.de. http://www.cdstarts.de/kritiken/85136-Pure.html. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Band biography". Star Channel. http://www.star-channel.de/bands/n/no-angels/biographie/. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  6. ^ a b "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (No Angels; 'Pure')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=Pure&strInterpret=No+Angels&strTtArt=alben&strAwards=checked. 
  7. ^ "Jahrescharts 2003". Music-Central. http://www.music-central.de/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=53. Retrieved 2007-12-29. 
  8. ^ "German airplay chart". Charts.de. http://www.charts.de. Retrieved 2007-03-22. 
  9. ^ No-Angels.tv newsletter
  10. ^ a b ""Eurochart Looks Blu"". All Business. http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4381321-1.html. Retrieved 2008-01-11. 

External links

No Angels
Studio albums
Elle'ments (2001) · Now ... Us! (2002) · Pure (2003) · Destiny (2007) · Welcome to the Dance (2009)
Live albums
Compilation albums
Singles
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