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
American musician
Moby (
pictured) sought Ellis-Bextor, so they could work together, due to her "amazing" voice
[2]
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
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
1. |
"Take Me Home" | | |
4:07 |
2. |
"Lover" |
- Ellis-Bextor
- Andy Boyd
- Ross Newell
|
- Gary Wilkinson
- Marco Rakascan[a]
|
3:24 |
3. |
"Move This Mountain" | | |
4:45 |
4. |
"Murder on the Dancefloor" | | |
3:50 |
5. |
"I Believe" | |
- James
- Hillier
- Wheatley[a]
|
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 |
11. |
"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (radio edit) | |
3:43 |
12. |
"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (original version) |
- Spiller
- Ellis-Bextor
- Davis
- Montana
- Walker
|
6:16 |
13. |
"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (BMR's Club Cut) |
- Spiller
- Ellis-Bextor
- Davis
- Montana
- Walker
|
6:57 |
14. |
"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (Spiller's Extended Vocal Mix) |
- Spiller
- Ellis-Bextor
- Davis
- Montana
- Walker
|
7:27 |
15. |
"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (Todd Terry's In House Remix) |
- Spiller
- Ellis-Bextor
- Davis
- Montana
- Walker
|
6:47 |
16. |
"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" (Ray Roc's Trackworks Remix Part II) |
- Spiller
- Ellis-Bextor
- Davis
- Montana
- Walker
|
8:10 |
1. |
"Take Me Home" | | |
4:07 |
2. |
"Lover" | | |
3:24 |
3. |
"Move This Mountain" |
- Ellis-Bextor
- Hillier
- James
| |
4:45 |
4. |
"Murder on the Dancefloor" | | |
3:50 |
5. |
"Sparkle" | | |
4:31 |
6. |
"Final Move" | | Rakascan |
4:44 |
7. |
"I Believe" |
- Ellis-Bextor
- Danvers
- Rockstar
|
- James
- Hillier
- Wheatley[a]
|
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 |
1. |
"Murder on the Dancefloor" | | |
3:50 |
2. |
"Take Me Home" | | |
4:07 |
3. |
"Lover" | | |
3:24 |
4. |
"Move This Mountain" |
- Ellis-Bextor
- Hillier
- James
| |
4:45 |
5. |
"Music Gets the Best of Me" |
- Ellis-Bextor
- Rowe
- Alexander
| |
3:39 |
6. |
"The Universe Is You" | | Rakascan |
3:37 |
7. |
"I Believe" |
- Ellis-Bextor
- Danvers
- Rockstar
|
- James
- Hillier
- Wheatley[a]
|
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 |
14. |
"Murder on the Dancefloor" (Jewels & Stone Mix) |
|
1. |
"Murder on the Dancefloor" | | |
3:50 |
2. |
"Take Me Home" | | |
4:07 |
3. |
"Lover" | | |
3:24 |
4. |
"Move This Mountain" |
- Ellis-Bextor
- Hillier
- James
| |
4:45 |
5. |
"Music Gets the Best of Me" |
- Ellis-Bextor
- Rowe
- Alexander
|
- Rowe
- Alexander
- Osborne
- Wheatley[a]
|
3:39 |
6. |
"Sparkle" | | |
4:31 |
7. |
"The Universe Is You" | | Rakascan |
3:37 |
8. |
"I Believe" |
- Ellis-Bextor
- Danvers
- Rockstar
|
- James
- Hillier
- Wheatley[a]
|
4:04 |
9. |
"Get Over You" |
- Ellis-Bextor
- Davis
- Korpi
- Johansson
- Woodford
| 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) |
- Spiller
- Ellis-Bextor
- Davis
- Montana
- Walker
| |
4:00 |
- Notes
Personnel
- Sophie Ellis-Bextor – vocals
- Matt Rowe – producer
- Gregg Alexander – producer
- Damian LeGassick – producer, programming, keyboards, guitars
- Gary Wilkinson – producer
- Ben Hillier – producer, programming, piano, drums
- Alex James – producer, bass, guitars
- Steve Osborne – producer
- Marko Rakascan – producer, recording, programming, engineer, guitars, mixing
- Henri Korpi – producer, arranger, keyboards, programming
- Blackcell – producer, arranger
- R. Hall – producer, recording
- Jeremy Wheatley – additional production, mixing, remixing
- Yoad Nevo – programming, guitars, percussion, keyboards, drum programming
- Guy Pratt – bass guitar
- John Themis – guitars
- Rosie Wetter – string arrangement
|
- Nick Franglen – programming
- Bacon & Quarmby – recording
- Jake Davies – mix engineer, additional programming, sound design
- Ross Newell – guitars, keyboards, bass
- Juliet Roberts – backing vocals
- Sylvia Mason-James – backing vocals
- Saphena Aziz – backing vocals
- Jennifer John – backing vocals
- Darren Nash – assistant engineer
- Stefan Skarbek – programming
- Rik Simpson – engineer
- Aidan Love – programming, arrangement
- Andrea Wright – assistant engineer
- Niklas Flyckt – mixing
- Gordon Elmquist – assistant engineer
- Nina Woodford – background vocals
- Emma Holmgren – background vocals
- Mathias Johansson – guitar, bass, keyboards, programming
- Ben Thacker – engineer
|
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
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.
- ↑ 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". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. 27 October 2002. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Sophie Ellis Bextor; 'Read My Lips')". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2002". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
External links