The Entertainer (Alesha Dixon album)
Encyclopedia
The Entertainer received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Matthew Chisling from Allmusic rated it 4 stars out of 5 and wrote positively that: "Every line to every song on The Entertainer is brassy, reflecting a more confident and sexy pop star". Chisling further say that: " It's hard to tell so early in Alesha's solo career whether she'll be more of a household name over the next few years, but a follow-up release this promising from a solo pop-hop female vocalist, as Alesha puts it herself, has not been found since Rihanna
's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad
. Alesha isn't just making a claim; an entertainer, she definitely is". Ash Dosanjh of Yahoo! Music
wrote that Dixon "displays an ability to effortlessly fuse mainstream pop with bombastic R&B and dance beats" and noticed that The Entertainer "triumphs as an album surging with mischievous attitude rather than surly aggression". Johnny Dee of Virgin Media
noticed that "it's the full on pop tracks that work best: "Radio
", "Colour" and "Cool With Me" are all huge sing-along anthems, while guest raps from Roll Deep
and Wiley
[...] give the album a little grimy edge". Simon Gage from Daily Express
wrote that Dixon is "still turning out credible pop/dance tracks" and felt that the album "can hold its head up among the Rihannas of this world if not the Lady Gagas".
Michael Ashton of musicOMH
described The Entertainer as "an album of diverse dance floor tracks that emulates some of pop's recent omnipresent female chart toppers such as Rihanna
, Cheryl Cole
and Lady Gaga
" and praised the songs "Radio
" and "Every Part of Me", but ultimately felt that it "fails to satisfy as a coherent album". Sarah-Louise James of the Daily Star described the album as "a club record with a distinctly American feel" that "boasts the kind of precision-tooled pop beats Britney
and Lady Gaga love", but found it "autotuned to the max" and concluded by stating that "a woman in her 30s should leave “I’m the baddest chick”-type posturing to the teens". Andy Gill from The Independent
gave a negative review, saying that "the music is anonymous, nibbling technopop inflated to cumbersome size, over which Alesha's voice is treated into similar anonymity, delivering the usual vapid sentiments with the usual bogus attitude" and awarding the album one out of five stars.
, she performed live during week 7 of series 8
. She appeared on Tamil Television Network
, TTN to promote The Entertainer and her single "Drummer Boy
". In 2010, in order to promote her singles and her new album, Dixon appeared at many festival, including Freedom Festival
She later performed at MOBO Awards 2010 at Liverpool
. Alesha later announced that she will be travelling to the United States
to promote her album, for an April release.
" which was officially released August 23, 2010, was written by Shama Joseph, Nate Walka, Deodrick Jackson, James Riles. The single was heavily praised, by the BBC
, Popjustice
. Fraser McAlpine said he was "delighted to report that it is enjoyment all the way". The single was accompanied by a music video
which was directed by Norwegian director Ray Kay
, with the shoot taking place in Los Angeles
. "Drummer Boy" eventually debuted at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart
. It was announced in the middle of September 2010, that "Take Control
" would be Roll Deep
's third single from their debut album, Winner Stays On
, and Dixon would feature guest vocals on the single. It was Alesha's first collaboration. With very little promotion the single charted at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Radio
" was confirmed at the second official single, released from The Entertainer. Alesha performed the song on Strictly Come Dancing
on November 14, 2010. The single was written by Scottish
singer-songwriter, Emeli Sandé
and Shahid Khan. The reception of the song was positive, with one critic comparing the song to Robyn
's 'Dancing on My Own
'". However, despite promotion in the form of performances on high-profile programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing
, the song was a commercial failure, and stalled outside of the Top 40.
"Every Little Part of Me
" is the third single released from 'The Entertainer'. It features English
urban singer Jay Sean. Dixon confirmed this, just before the release of "Radio". The video was released on 13 January 2011 on Youtube
. It is to be released on 27 February digitally in the United Kingdom, and physically a day after; the song was released onto the United States iTunes
on 22 February.
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad
Good Girl Gone Bad
Good Girl Gone Bad is the third studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released May 30, 2007, on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place during October 2006 to April 2007 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Rihanna worked with producers Christopher "Tricky"...
. Alesha isn't just making a claim; an entertainer, she definitely is". Ash Dosanjh of Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
wrote that Dixon "displays an ability to effortlessly fuse mainstream pop with bombastic R&B and dance beats" and noticed that The Entertainer "triumphs as an album surging with mischievous attitude rather than surly aggression". Johnny Dee of Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
noticed that "it's the full on pop tracks that work best: "Radio
Radio (Alesha Dixon song)
"Radio" is a song by English recording artist Alesha Dixon from her third album, The Entertainer. The song is The Entertainers second single, after "Drummer Boy" and was released on 28 November, coinciding with the album's release...
", "Colour" and "Cool With Me" are all huge sing-along anthems, while guest raps from Roll Deep
Roll Deep
Roll Deep are an Urban Music Awards-winning London-based grime music collective. They were founded in 2002, by a group of MCs including Wiley. Roll Deep were also closely associated with Boy Better Know with members in both. Their debut album, In at the Deep End, was released in June 2005...
and Wiley
Wiley (rapper)
Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...
[...] give the album a little grimy edge". Simon Gage from Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
wrote that Dixon is "still turning out credible pop/dance tracks" and felt that the album "can hold its head up among the Rihannas of this world if not the Lady Gagas".
Michael Ashton of musicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
described The Entertainer as "an album of diverse dance floor tracks that emulates some of pop's recent omnipresent female chart toppers such as Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
and Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
" and praised the songs "Radio
Radio (Alesha Dixon song)
"Radio" is a song by English recording artist Alesha Dixon from her third album, The Entertainer. The song is The Entertainers second single, after "Drummer Boy" and was released on 28 November, coinciding with the album's release...
" and "Every Part of Me", but ultimately felt that it "fails to satisfy as a coherent album". Sarah-Louise James of the Daily Star described the album as "a club record with a distinctly American feel" that "boasts the kind of precision-tooled pop beats Britney
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
and Lady Gaga love", but found it "autotuned to the max" and concluded by stating that "a woman in her 30s should leave “I’m the baddest chick”-type posturing to the teens". Andy Gill from The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
gave a negative review, saying that "the music is anonymous, nibbling technopop inflated to cumbersome size, over which Alesha's voice is treated into similar anonymity, delivering the usual vapid sentiments with the usual bogus attitude" and awarding the album one out of five stars.
Promotion
As a judge on Strictly Come DancingStrictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
, she performed live during week 7 of series 8
Strictly Come Dancing (series 8)
The eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing began with a red carpet launch show on 11 September 2010, and the competitive live shows began on 1 October. The series concluded on 18 December when Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev won the competition...
. She appeared on Tamil Television Network
Tamil Television Network
Tamil Television Network was a France-based Tamil language satellite television channel. Its main audience were Sri Lankan Tamils living in Europe, Australia and the Middle East...
, TTN to promote The Entertainer and her single "Drummer Boy
Drummer Boy (song)
This page is about the song by Alesha Dixon. For the song of the same name by Debi Nova see Drummer Boy ."Drummer Boy" is song by English singer-songwriter Alesha Dixon. It was released on 3 September 2010 as the lead single from her third studio album, The Entertainer...
". In 2010, in order to promote her singles and her new album, Dixon appeared at many festival, including Freedom Festival
Freedom Festival, Hull
The Freedom Festival is an annual Music and Performance Arts Festival held in the city of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.Named in honour of the slave trade abolitionist, MP and son of Hull, William Wilberforce.-2008:...
She later performed at MOBO Awards 2010 at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Alesha later announced that she will be travelling to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to promote her album, for an April release.
Singles
"Drummer BoyDrummer Boy (song)
This page is about the song by Alesha Dixon. For the song of the same name by Debi Nova see Drummer Boy ."Drummer Boy" is song by English singer-songwriter Alesha Dixon. It was released on 3 September 2010 as the lead single from her third studio album, The Entertainer...
" which was officially released August 23, 2010, was written by Shama Joseph, Nate Walka, Deodrick Jackson, James Riles. The single was heavily praised, by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, Popjustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
. Fraser McAlpine said he was "delighted to report that it is enjoyment all the way". The single was accompanied by a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
which was directed by Norwegian director Ray Kay
Ray Kay
Ray Kay is a Norwegian director and photographer, based in Los Angeles.He is one of the most sought-after music video & commercial directors in the world now, and has directed the most watched video on YouTube, Justin Bieber's "Baby" . All in all, his videos have been viewed more than 1 billion...
, with the shoot taking place in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. "Drummer Boy" eventually debuted at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It was announced in the middle of September 2010, that "Take Control
Take Control (Roll Deep song)
"Take Control" is the third single from London-based collective Roll Deep's album, Winner Stays On, and preludes the album release by a week. The song, which features vocals from R&B singer Alesha Dixon, released in the UK on 31 October...
" would be Roll Deep
Roll Deep
Roll Deep are an Urban Music Awards-winning London-based grime music collective. They were founded in 2002, by a group of MCs including Wiley. Roll Deep were also closely associated with Boy Better Know with members in both. Their debut album, In at the Deep End, was released in June 2005...
's third single from their debut album, Winner Stays On
Winner Stays On
-Charts:-Release history:...
, and Dixon would feature guest vocals on the single. It was Alesha's first collaboration. With very little promotion the single charted at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Radio
Radio (Alesha Dixon song)
"Radio" is a song by English recording artist Alesha Dixon from her third album, The Entertainer. The song is The Entertainers second single, after "Drummer Boy" and was released on 28 November, coinciding with the album's release...
" was confirmed at the second official single, released from The Entertainer. Alesha performed the song on Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
on November 14, 2010. The single was written by Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
singer-songwriter, Emeli Sandé
Emeli Sandé
Adele Emeli Sandé , known by her stage name Emeli Sande, is a Scottish R&B and Soul recording artist and songwriter, from Aberdeen, Scotland...
and Shahid Khan. The reception of the song was positive, with one critic comparing the song to Robyn
Robyn
Robin Miriam Carlsson , better known by her stage name Robyn, is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hit "Do You Know " from her debut album Robyn Is Here . She co-wrote the song "Du gör mig hel igen" for...
's 'Dancing on My Own
Dancing on My Own
"Dancing on My Own" is a song by Swedish recording artist Robyn, taken from her fifth studio album, Body Talk Pt. 1 . The song was written and produced by Robyn and Patrik Berger, and was inspired by gay disco anthems by Ultravox, Sylvester and Donna Summer. The song was released as Body Talk Pt....
'". However, despite promotion in the form of performances on high-profile programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
, the song was a commercial failure, and stalled outside of the Top 40.
"Every Little Part of Me
Every Little Part of Me
"Every Little Part of Me" is a song by English recording artist, Alesha Dixon. "Every Little Part of Me" is the third and final single released from Dixon's third studio album, The Entertainer. The single features guest vocals from R&B and fellow English singer, Jay Sean. The single was released...
" is the third single released from 'The Entertainer'. It features English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
urban singer Jay Sean. Dixon confirmed this, just before the release of "Radio". The video was released on 13 January 2011 on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. It is to be released on 27 February digitally in the United Kingdom, and physically a day after; the song was released onto the United States iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on 22 February.
Track listing
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Asylum Records Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell... |
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| United Kingdom | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
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| Italy | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
East West Records East West Records East West Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under WMG's Independent Label Group.-History:... |
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| Japan | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
Asylum Records Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell... |
Charts
Unexpectedly, the album was a commercial failure, with only peaking at number 84 in the UK and failing to chart in Ireland. However, the album did chart in the UK R&B Chart at number 16.| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
84 |
| UK R&B Albums Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
16 |