The Sea (Melanie C album)
The Sea is the fifth studio album by English recording artist Melanie C. Made under her own independent record label Red Girl Records, the album marks her first new material in four years, since the reunion with the Spice Girls and giving birth to her first child.
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. Melanie 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."[1]
Concept and artwork
Regarding the concept of The Sea, Melanie 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 ecomphases 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 Melanie standing and emerging from the sea, was photographed on location in Whitby, North Yorkshire.[2]
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 Melanie's 2 previous solo albums, Beautiful Intentions and This Time.
Composition
Melanie stated that she worked with a lot of new writers / producers for this album, where she tended to work with the same writers for her previous records, notably Adam Argyle, whom still has co-written some material for Melanie C this record. The album was co-written /produced with the likes of Starsailor's James Walsh, Guy Chambers, and Spice/Spiceworld producer Richard Stannard, Andy Chatterley (both of whom have worked with artists such as Kylie Minogue, amongst others). Melanie also worked with the Swedish Cutfather producing team. The album has acoustic moments, as well as some rock-driven songs and upbeat dance records.[3]
Critical reception
The album received a positive reaction from most 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."[3] 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."[3] 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."[4]. Ben Weisz from musicOMH was more negative, rating it two out of five stars, and writing: "Mel C takes on too many forms, stretching herself too thin to be effective in any of them. One or two tracks mark out future directions worth pursuing, but they are few and far between on an album which won't rock any boats."[6]. Simon Gage wrote favorably for Express that "This new album, her first in four years, gives that voice a real workout from power ballads and rock-outs to dancefloor fillers."[5] OK! Magazine wrote that "The Sea is easily her most ambitious album yet, blending rock, pop and maybe the tiniest hint of electro."[7]
Track listing
UK Edition/Worldwide Edition
| Writer(s) |
Producer(s) |
| 1. |
"The Sea" |
Ash Howes, Melanie Chisholm, Richard "Biff" Stannard, Seton Daunt |
Andy Chatterley |
4:51 |
| 2. |
"Weak" |
Ina Wroldsen, Jez Ashurt, Chisholm |
Andy Chatterley |
3:24 |
| 3. |
"Think About It" |
Adam Argyle, Daniel Davidsen, Jason Gill, Chisholm, Mich Hansen |
Cutfather, Davidsen, Gill |
3:47 |
| 4. |
"Beautiful Mind" |
Dee Adam, James Earp, Chisholm |
Andy Chatterley |
3:41 |
| 5. |
"One by One" |
James Walsh, Chisholm |
Greg Hatwell |
4:06 |
| 6. |
"Stupid Game" |
Argyle, Martin Brammer, Chisholm |
Andy Chatterley |
3:20 |
| 7. |
"All About You" |
Chuck Harmony, Guy Chambers, Lauren Christie |
Peter-John Vettese |
4:01 |
| 8. |
"Burn" |
Argyle, Davidsen, Gill, Chisholm, Hansen |
Cutfather, Davidsen, Gill |
4:00 |
| 9. |
"Drown" |
Argyle, Jodi Marr, Chisholm |
Andy Chatterley |
3:59 |
| 10. |
"Get Out of Here" |
Chisholm, Vettese |
Vettese |
4:10 |
| 11. |
"Enemy" |
Hatwell, Chisholm |
Andy Chatterley, Hatwell |
8:12 |
| Writer(s) |
Producer(s) |
| 12. |
"Let There Be Love" (iTunes bonus track) |
Peter Plate, Ulf Leo Sommer |
Daniel Faust, Plate, Sommer |
3:32 |
German Edition
| Writer(s) |
Producer(s) |
| 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" |
|
|
3:32 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Release and promotion
Singles
Charts
Release history
References
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| Albums |
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| DVDs |
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| Northern Star |
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| Reason |
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| Beautiful Intentions |
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| This Time |
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| The Sea |
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| Tours |
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| Related articles |
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