Heaven (Rebecca Ferguson album)
Encyclopedia
Heaven is the debut album by British singer-songwriter Rebecca Ferguson
. The album will be released on 5 December 2011. The lead single from Heaven, "Nothing's Real but Love
" was be released on 20 November. The album track "Fairytale (Let Me Live My Life This Way)" was released as a digital single on November 11.
, who has previously worked with Adele
, Duffy
and James Morrison
. Talking about the album she said:
She revealed that her split from Zayn Malik inspired her debut album. She said that the breakup, along with her previous relationships, inspired her to co-write every song on the album. In an interview with Daily Star Sunday she said:
On 16 November Rebecca revealed that she told label boss Simon Cowell
that she wanted to write her debut album. She admitted that she refused to record material written for her as she wanted to create her own songs for new LP Heaven. She is quoted by The Sun as saying:
gave the album 5 out of 5 stars. They said: There is nothing about this record I don’t like. After 12 years, reality TV has finally turned out someone who not only has the hallmarks of a real star, but is also an artist in her own right.
It is not often you hear someone in a song moaning about that most unglamorous of British life experiences: the queue. The opening lines of Rebecca Ferguson’s debut find her sighing wearily about “Standing in a line wondering why it don’t move” while an acoustic guitar strums. The song unfolds with a simple, stately gospel-soul backing, and you can almost feel the shuffle of the dole queue, the deadening weight of a life of benefits, as the plucky singer tries to lift her troubles by proudly declaring “nothing’s real but love”. It is an interesting notion for someone who comes from so-called reality television.
Ferguson actually sounds as if she belongs in the real world, with real people and real emotions, making music that reaches back to an era before Simon Cowell’s karaoke competitions spewed their overproduced, over-emoting drivel all over the pop charts. Last year’s X Factor runner up, the timbre of Ferguson’s voice is very distinctive, a husky tone somewhere between a less annoying Macy Gray and less squeaky Minnie Riperton. She has tremblingly intimate low notes, long yearning high notes and little growls of soul power. Not prone to the pyrotechnic displays favoured by modern r & b divas, Ferguson sings with an understated restraint so filled with emotion it sounds as if she’s about to burst. But then the songs themselves clearly carry a weight of meaning for her, whether it’s the punchy r & b wisdom of Glitter & Gold, the fragile optimism driving the disco groove of Fairytale or the swirling melodic confusion of Shoulder to Shoulder’s gripping portrait of dysfunctional love. Ferguson is credited on every song, most of which are co-written with Eg White, a collaborator who helped bring out the best in Adele and Duffy. Ferguson is in the same Brit-soul terrain, a retro sound made commercially viable by Amy Winehouse, but doesn’t really sound like any of them. She sounds like herself.
Trash Lounge website also commented how Ferguson's debut album has a lot more artistic license than her fellow X Factor Series 7 contestants who have released albums this year, including winner Matt Cardle , One Direction , Cher Lloyd and Mary Byrne (singer) . The review also credits her songwriting, as well as her vocals, especially 'Shoulder to Shoulder'. They conclude by saying Heaven is flawless and that Rebecca could be the best artist discovered by a reality television show.
" was released on 20 November 2011 and the video released showed Ferguson peforming the song live. On 23 November an offical video of the single was released on her offical website. Ferguson performed on the current series
of The X Factor
and also peformed "Fairytale" on sister show The Xtra Factor.
Rebecca Ferguson (singer)
Rebecca Ferguson is an English singer-songwriter born in Liverpool, who became notable as the runner-up of the seventh series of The X Factor to Matt Cardle in 2010. She released her debut single "Nothing Real but Love" on 20 November 2011...
. The album will be released on 5 December 2011. The lead single from Heaven, "Nothing's Real but Love
Nothing's Real But Love
"Nothing's Real but Love" is the debut single by English singer Rebecca Ferguson, from her debut studio album Heaven. It was originally meant to be released in the UK on 27 November 2011, but was brought forward a week to 20 November in order to coincide with her first official performance of the...
" was be released on 20 November. The album track "Fairytale (Let Me Live My Life This Way)" was released as a digital single on November 11.
Background
On 21 October 2011 Rebecca confirmed the title of her debut album, Heaven and would be released in the UK on 5 December 2011. She co-wrote the album with songwriters including Eg WhiteEg White
Francis Anthony "Eg" White is a British musician, songwriter and producer. White is primarily known for his work with successful commercial pop acts such as Adele, Duffy, Will Young and James Morrison...
, who has previously worked with Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
, Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
and James Morrison
James Morrison (singer)
James Morrison is a BRIT Award-winning English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Rugby, Warwickshire. In 2006, his debut single "You Give Me Something" became a hit in Europe, Australia, and Japan, peaking in the top five in the UK and New Zealand. His debut album, Undiscovered, debuted at the...
. Talking about the album she said:
She revealed that her split from Zayn Malik inspired her debut album. She said that the breakup, along with her previous relationships, inspired her to co-write every song on the album. In an interview with Daily Star Sunday she said:
On 16 November Rebecca revealed that she told label boss Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
that she wanted to write her debut album. She admitted that she refused to record material written for her as she wanted to create her own songs for new LP Heaven. She is quoted by The Sun as saying:
Critical Reception
NewsroundNewsround
Newsround is a BBC children's news programme, which has run continuously since 4 April 1972, and was one of the world's first television news magazines aimed specifically at children...
gave the album 5 out of 5 stars. They said: There is nothing about this record I don’t like. After 12 years, reality TV has finally turned out someone who not only has the hallmarks of a real star, but is also an artist in her own right.
It is not often you hear someone in a song moaning about that most unglamorous of British life experiences: the queue. The opening lines of Rebecca Ferguson’s debut find her sighing wearily about “Standing in a line wondering why it don’t move” while an acoustic guitar strums. The song unfolds with a simple, stately gospel-soul backing, and you can almost feel the shuffle of the dole queue, the deadening weight of a life of benefits, as the plucky singer tries to lift her troubles by proudly declaring “nothing’s real but love”. It is an interesting notion for someone who comes from so-called reality television.
Ferguson actually sounds as if she belongs in the real world, with real people and real emotions, making music that reaches back to an era before Simon Cowell’s karaoke competitions spewed their overproduced, over-emoting drivel all over the pop charts. Last year’s X Factor runner up, the timbre of Ferguson’s voice is very distinctive, a husky tone somewhere between a less annoying Macy Gray and less squeaky Minnie Riperton. She has tremblingly intimate low notes, long yearning high notes and little growls of soul power. Not prone to the pyrotechnic displays favoured by modern r & b divas, Ferguson sings with an understated restraint so filled with emotion it sounds as if she’s about to burst. But then the songs themselves clearly carry a weight of meaning for her, whether it’s the punchy r & b wisdom of Glitter & Gold, the fragile optimism driving the disco groove of Fairytale or the swirling melodic confusion of Shoulder to Shoulder’s gripping portrait of dysfunctional love. Ferguson is credited on every song, most of which are co-written with Eg White, a collaborator who helped bring out the best in Adele and Duffy. Ferguson is in the same Brit-soul terrain, a retro sound made commercially viable by Amy Winehouse, but doesn’t really sound like any of them. She sounds like herself.
Trash Lounge website also commented how Ferguson's debut album has a lot more artistic license than her fellow X Factor Series 7 contestants who have released albums this year, including winner Matt Cardle , One Direction , Cher Lloyd and Mary Byrne (singer) . The review also credits her songwriting, as well as her vocals, especially 'Shoulder to Shoulder'. They conclude by saying Heaven is flawless and that Rebecca could be the best artist discovered by a reality television show.
Singles
Album track "Fairytale (Let Me Live My Life This Way)" was released as a digital single on November 11. The lead single from Heaven, "Nothing's Real But LoveNothing's Real But Love
"Nothing's Real but Love" is the debut single by English singer Rebecca Ferguson, from her debut studio album Heaven. It was originally meant to be released in the UK on 27 November 2011, but was brought forward a week to 20 November in order to coincide with her first official performance of the...
" was released on 20 November 2011 and the video released showed Ferguson peforming the song live. On 23 November an offical video of the single was released on her offical website. Ferguson performed on the current series
The X Factor (UK series 8)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The eighth series began airing on ITV on 20 August 2011. Louis Walsh is the only judge from the previous series to return, as the other three, Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole, all left to join other...
of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
and also peformed "Fairytale" on sister show The Xtra Factor.
Tracklist
Tour
- February 20 - Manchester, The Bridgewater Hall
- February 21 - Gateshead, The Sage
- February 22 - Glasgow, Clyde Auditorium SECC
- February 24 - Oxford, New Theatre
- February 25 - Sheffield, City Hall
- February 27 - Nottingham, Royal Centre
- February 28 - Portsmouth, Guildhall
- March 1 - Birmingham, Symphony Hall
- March 2 - York, Barbican Centre
- March 3 - Blackpool, Opera House
- March 5 - Belfast, Waterfront Hall
- March 8 - Cardiff, St. David's Hall
- March 9 - Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
- March 10 - Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
- March 12 - Bristol, Colston Hall
- March 13 - London, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
5 December 2011 | Digital Download, CD | Syco Music, Epic 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... |