Beverley Craven is the debut album by British singer Beverley Craven

Beverley Craven

Beverley Craven is a British singer-songwriter best known for her 1991 UK Top 5 hit single "Promise Me". Her most recent album, Close To Home, was released in 2009...

. It was released in July 1990. The album was fully written by Craven herself.

Craven signed to Epic Records

Epic Records

Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

 in 1988, and initially recorded the album with American producer Stewart Levine

Stewart Levine

Stewart Levine is an American record producer. He has worked with such artists as The Crusaders, Minnie Riperton, Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Boy George, Peter Blakeley, Joe Cocker, Oleta Adams, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Jamie Cullum, Aaron Neville, Sly Stone, Hugh Masekela and Killing Joke.Stewart...

 (of Simply Red

Simply Red

Simply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...

 fame). The initial results, however, were not of Craven's liking and, with the agreement of her label, she re-started from scratch working with Paul Samwell-Smith

Paul Samwell-Smith

Paul Samwell-Smith is best known as a founding member and bassist of the 1960s English band, The Yardbirds, a group that spawned such noteworthy musicians as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page...

, who eventually produced the whole album. Levine's production of her songs were eventually released as b-sides to some of her singles, under the label "West Coast Version".

Released in July 1990, the album was initially a flop in the UK, with its singles and the album failing to reach the charts. She found however some success around continental Europe in 1990 and toured there to support the release. Craven made her first UK tour in early 1991, which was successful. In April 1991, the original lead single "Promise Me

Promise Me (song)

"Promise Me" is a 1991 hit song by British singer Beverley Craven. A ballad, it has become Craven's signature song and best known hit.Released as the lead single of her debut album Beverley Craven in 1990, the song initially failed to chart...

" was re-released, and this time it was heavily promoted. Appearances on British TV led to exposure of the single and it eventually peaked at #3 in the UK in May 1991, becoming her biggest hit.

On the back of the success of the single, the album re-entered the charts (it had previously charted at #53 in March 1991), and peaked at #3 in the UK. It spent almost a whole year in the UK charts. Craven's appearance in the 1992 Brit Awards

Brit Awards

The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...

 (where she won the Best Newcomer award), propelled the album back into the UK top ten, at #7. The album eventually went double platinum in the UK and sold over 1.2 million copies worldwide.

Single releases

Six singles were released to promote the album. The first four singles, released in 1990, failed to chart. With the successful re-release of "Promise Me

Promise Me (song)

"Promise Me" is a 1991 hit song by British singer Beverley Craven. A ballad, it has become Craven's signature song and best known hit.Released as the lead single of her debut album Beverley Craven in 1990, the song initially failed to chart...

", previous singles were reissued as its follow-ups: "Holding On" (re-released in July 1991), and "Woman To Woman" (re-released in October 1991), both of which charted within the UK top 40. A new single, "Memories", was released in December 1991. Some countries of continental Europe also got the song "You're Not The First" released as a single.

• "Promise Me
  Promise Me (song)
  "Promise Me" is a 1991 hit song by British singer Beverley Craven. A ballad, it has become Craven's signature song and best known hit.Released as the lead single of her debut album Beverley Craven in 1990, the song initially failed to chart...
  
  " (1990/1991) UK#3
• "Joey" (1990)
• "Woman To Woman
  Woman to Woman (Beverley Craven song)
  Woman To Woman is a song by British singer Beverley Craven, included on her self-titled debut album."Woman To Woman" was released as the album's third single in late 1990. As with the previous singles, it failed to chart in the UK. However, after the success of the single "Promise Me", the single...
  
  " (1990/1991) UK#40
• "Holding On
  Holding On (Beverley Craven song)
  "Holding On" is a ballad by British singer Beverley Craven. The song was released as the album's fourth single in late 1990. This was Craven's first entry in the UK charts, peaking at a low #95 in February 1991. After the success of "Promise Me" in May 1991, "Holding On" was re-released as the...
  
  " (1990/1991) UK#32
• "You're Not the First" (1991)
• "Memories" (1991) UK#68

Track listing

All songs written by Beverley Craven.

1. "Promise Me"
2. "Holding On"
3. "Woman to Woman"
4. "Memories"
5. "Castle in the Clouds"
6. "You're Not the First"
7. "Joey"
8. "Two of a Kind"
9. "I Listen to the Rain"
10. "Missing You"

Personnel

• Produced by Paul Samwell-Smith
  Paul Samwell-Smith
  Paul Samwell-Smith is best known as a founding member and bassist of the 1960s English band, The Yardbirds, a group that spawned such noteworthy musicians as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page...
  
  
• Engineered by Barry Hammond (6, 7) and Toby Alington (5, 9)
• Mixed by Frank Filipetti (1-4, 8, 10) and Toby Alington (5, 9)
• Design and Art Direction by The Leisure Process
• Photography by Graeme Richardson
• Recorded at Chipping Norton Studios