Call Off the Search
| Call Off the Search | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Katie Melua | ||||
| Released | 3 November 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:14 | |||
| Label | Dramatico | |||
| Producer | Mike Batt | |||
| Katie Melua chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Call Off the Search | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Stylus Magazine | (C)[2] |
Call Off the Search is the debut studio album by Georgian-British jazz and blues singer Katie Melua, released in 2003.
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 Batt, John Mayall, Delores J. Silver, herself, Randy Newman, and James Shelton. Melua wrote "Faraway Voice" about singer Eva Cassidy. "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 United Kingdom 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. It spent 87 weeks in the ARIA Top 100, certified Platinum for shipments of 70,000+. 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 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.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Call Off the Search" | Mike Batt | 3:24 |
| 2. | "Crawling Up a Hill" | John Mayall | 3:25 |
| 3. | "The Closest Thing to Crazy" | Batt | 4:12 |
| 4. | "My Aphrodisiac Is You" | Batt | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Learnin' the Blues" | Delores J. Silver | 3:23 |
| 6. | "Blame It on the Moon" | Batt | 3:47 |
| 7. | "Belfast (Penguins and Cats)" | Katie Melua | 3:21 |
| 8. | "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" | Randy Newman | 2:30 |
| 9. | "Mockingbird Song" | Batt | 3:06 |
| 10. | "Tiger in the Night" | Batt | 3:07 |
| 11. | "Faraway Voice" | Melua | 3:13 |
| 12. | "Lilac Wine" | James Shelton | 4:11 |
The Japanese release has the extra track "Deep Purple".
Personnel
- Katie Melua – guitar, vocals
- Mike Batt – organ, piano, conducting, arrangements, production
- Jim Cregan – guitar
- Tim Harries – bass
- The Irish Film Orchestra – orchestra
- Michael Kruk – drums
- Alan Smale – leader
- Chris Spedding – guitar
- Henry Spinetti – drums
- Steve Sale – engineering
- Simon Fowler – photography
- Michael Halsband – cover photo
Chart performance
In the United Kingdom, Call Off the Search was the 5th best selling album of 2004 with 1,356,962 copies sold,[3] and has sold over 1.9 million copies in the UK as of January 2013.[4]
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Certifications
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| Preceded by Life for Rent by Dido Feels like Home by Norah Jones |
UK number one album 31 January 2004 – 20 February 2004 6 March 2004 – 26 March 2004 |
Succeeded by Feels like Home by Norah Jones Patience by George Michael |
See also
References
- ↑ Loftus, Johnny. Call Off the Search at AllMusic
- ↑ "Katie Melua - Call Off the Search - Review - Stylus Magazine".
- ↑ Chartwatch Annual Chart Booklets->Year 2003 Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- 1 2 Barstein, Brand (15 January 2013). "The biggest selling Easy Listening albums of the millennium revealed!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "charts.org.nz - Katie Melua - Call Off The Search". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ↑ "The ARIA Report WEEK COMMENCING: 9th February 2004 Issue No: 728" (PDF).
- ↑ "Chartverfolgung". musicline.de. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- 1 2 "Katie Melua - Call Off The Search - Music Charts". acharts.us. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ↑ "R[EItEUET[`". ORICON STYLE.
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- 1 2 "Call off the Search - Katie Melua | Billboard.com". billboard.com. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
- ↑ "Danish album certifications – Katie Melua – Call Off the Search". IFPI Denmark. Click on næste to go to page 36 if certification from official website
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Katie Melua; 'Call Off the Search')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Katie Melua – Call Off the Search" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.
- ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Katie Melua – Call Off the Search". Recorded Music NZ.
- ↑ "Norwegian album certifications – Katie Melua – Call Off the Search" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Katie Melua; 'Call Off the Search')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Katie Melua – Call Off the Search". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Call Off the Search 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
- ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2005". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.