Under Stars

Under Stars is the fourth album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, and was released on 17 February 2017. The album's lead single, "Dream On", was released on 6 January 2017. Macdonald's official website and official Facebook fanpage confirmed the album for release on 25 November 2016. Album title and tracklist were confirmed the same day by both sites.[1]

This article is about the Amy Macdonald album. For the Aurora song, see Aurora (singer).

Under Stars
Studio album by
Amy Macdonald
Released17 February 2017 (2017-02-17)
RecordedOctober 2015 – August 2016
StudioRAK Studios (London)
Genre
Length38:59
Label
Producer
Amy Macdonald chronology
Life in a Beautiful Light
(2012)		 Under Stars
(2017)		 Under Stars (Live in Berlin)
(2017)
Amy Macdonald studio album chronology
Life in a Beautiful Light
(2012)		 Under Stars
(2017)		 The Human Demands
(2020)
Singles from Under Stars
  1. "Dream On"
    Released: 6 January 2017
  2. "Automatic"
    Released: 24 March 2017
  3. "Down by the Water"
    Released: 11 July 2017

Background

Macdonald began writing songs for the album in early 2014, two years after the release of Life in a Beautiful Light. In May 2014, she performed four new songs live.[2] She also sang "Leap of Faith" during the Scottish independence referendum in September 2014.[3] In March 2015, Macdonald announced via Twitter she was finishing the songwriting of the album, but had not yet started recording.[4] On 28 October 2015, she announced via Twitter she started the recording sessions for the album.[5] Later, she stated on 9 December 2015 via her Instagram account that she had finished the songwriting for the album and that she hoped the album would be finished sometime in 2016.[6] On 9 August 2016, Macdonald announced via Instagram her fourth album was finished and would be released early 2017.[7]

Macdonald said although it was two and a half years in the making, which is the longest she has ever taken with an album, she was glad to have taken the time and she feels the album has "the TLC that it deserves".[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Daily Express[9]
London Evening Standard[10]
Pop Magazine[11]
Renowned for Sound[12]
The Scotsman[13]

The album up to now has gathered mixed to positive reviews, receiving a score of 3 out of 5 stars at the London Evening Standard, describing the album as "a tuneful collection that doesn't mess with the formula".[10]

Singles

"Dream On" was released as the lead single from the album on 6 January 2017. The song has peaked to number 37 on the Scottish Singles Chart. The song also charted in Belgium.

"Automatic" was released as the second single off the album on 24 March 2017. The accompanying music video was released on her Vevo channel on 17 March 2017.

"Down by the Water" was released as the third single from the album on 11 July 2017, on the same day as the accompanying music video. An acoustic version of the song was previously released in late 2016 as a promotional single from the album before its release.

Track listings

Standard edition
Under Stars track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)[14]Length
1."Dream On"
  • Andrew Britton
  • Mikey Rowe
  • Ash Howes
3:19
2."Under Stars"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Cameron Blackwood
  • Tim Bran
  • Roy Kerr
3:41
3."Automatic"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Blackwood
  • Bran
  • Kerr
3:16
4."Down by the Water"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Bran
  • Kerr
  • Parker
  • Sims
3:27
5."Leap of Faith"
  • Macdonald
  • Blackwood
  • Bran
  • Kerr
3:03
6."Never Too Late"
  • Macdonald
  • Adam Falkner
  • Shannon Harris
  • Blackwood
  • Bran
  • Kerr
4:06
7."The Rise & Fall"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Britton
  • Rowe
3:13
8."Feed My Fire"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Blackwood
  • Bran
  • Kerr
3:15
9."The Contender"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Blackwood
3:36
10."Prepare to Fall"
  • Macdonald
  • Blackwood
4:30
11."From the Ashes"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Bran
  • Kerr
3:36

Deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)[15]Length
1."Dream On"
  • Andrew Britton
  • Ash Howes
  • Mikey Rowe
3:19
2."Under Stars"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Cameron Blackwood
  • Tim Bran
  • Roy Kerr
3:41
3."Automatic"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Blackwood
  • Bran
  • Kerr
3:16
4."Down by the Water"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Bran
  • Kerr
  • Parker
  • Sims
3:27
5."Leap of Faith"
  • Macdonald
  • Blackwood
  • Bran
  • Kerr
3:03
6."Never Too Late"
  • Macdonald
  • Adam Falkner
  • Shannon Harris
  • Blackwood
  • Bran
  • Kerr
4:06
7."The Rise & Fall"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Britton
  • Rowe
3:13
8."Feed My Fire"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Blackwood
  • Bran
  • Kerr
3:15
9."The Contender"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Blackwood
3:36
10."Prepare to Fall"
  • Macdonald
  • Blackwood
4:30
11."From the Ashes"
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Bran
  • Kerr
3:36
12."Under Stars" (acoustic)
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Parker
3:40
13."Dream On" (acoustic)
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Parker
3:16
14."Prepare to Fall" (acoustic)
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
4:03
15."Leap of Faith" (acoustic)
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
3:10
16."Automatic" (acoustic)
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Parker
3:05
17."Down by the Water" (acoustic)
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Parker
3:28
18."The Rise & Fall" (acoustic)
  • Macdonald
  • Parker
  • Sims
  • Parker
3:34
19."I'm on Fire" (acoustic)
  • Parker
2:20

Super deluxe box set

A super deluxe box set was also released that contains:[16]

  • Deluxe edition of the album
  • DVD of 8 live acoustic versions
  • 4 art images (one signed by Macdonald)
  • Handwritten printed lyric sheets
  • Embossed black envelope

Charts

Certifications
Sales certifications for Under Stars
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[35] Gold 100,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[36] Gold 10,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Announcing 'Under Stars' – the new album!". Amy Macdonald official Facebook fanpage. Retrieved 18 February 2017 – via Facebook.
  2. "The 4th Album". Amy Macdonald Daily. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  3. "Scottish independence: Musicians back independence". The Scotsman. Catriona Webster. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  4. "Amy Macdonald on Twitter: "@alan_ferg pretty much finished the writing. Just need to record and plan now but no idea how long that will take"". Twitter. Amy Macdonald. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  5. "Amy Macdonald on Twitter: "Album 4 recording session. Day 1!"". Twitter. Amy Macdonald. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  6. "Amy Macdonald on Instagram: "Final writing session in the bunker. The album should be finished early next year. Exciting times..."". Instagram. Amy Macdonald. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  7. "Amy Madonald on Instagram: "FINALLY!!! After many months of hard work yesterday my new album was officially finished. I'm so proud of it..."". Instagram. Amy Macdonald. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  8. "Under Stars - Amy Macdonald". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  9. Townsend, Martin (12 February 2017). "Album reviews: Ryan Adams, Nick Cave and more". Daily Express. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  10. Smyth, David (17 February 2017). "Amy Macdonald - Under Stars review: 'a tuneful connection'". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  11. Rae, Katherine (23 February 2017). "Review: Amy Macdonald - Under Stars". Pop Magazine. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  12. Scarsbrook, Rachael. "Album reviews: Amy Macdonald". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  13. Hodgkinson, Will. "Album reviews: Amy Macdonald". The Scotsman. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  14. "Under Stars - Amy Macdonald". Qobuz - Musique illimitée et Téléchargements Hi-Res 24-Bit. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  15. "Under Stars (Deluxe) - Amy Macdonald". Qobuz - Musique illimitée et Téléchargements Hi-Res 24-Bit. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  16. "Limited Edition Deluxe CD Box Set (Signed)". Amy MacDonald. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  17. "Austriancharts.at – Amy Macdonald – Under Stars" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Amy Macdonald – Under Stars" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  19. "Ultratop.be – Amy Macdonald – Under Stars" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Amy Macdonald – Under Stars" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  21. "Lescharts.com – Amy Macdonald – Under Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Amy Macdonald – Under Stars" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  23. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Amy Macdonald". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  24. "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  25. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  26. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  27. "Spanishcharts.com – Amy Macdonald – Under Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  28. "Swisscharts.com – Amy Macdonald – Under Stars". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  29. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  30. "Ö3 Austria Top 40 – Album-Charts 2017". oe3.orf.at. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  31. "Jaaroverzichten 2017". Ultratop. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  32. "Rapports Annuels 2017". Ultratop. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  33. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  34. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade Alben 2017 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  35. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Amy Macdonald; 'Under Stars')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  36. Medwedeff, Frank (25 August 2017). "Amy Macdonald erntet Schweizer Gold" (in German). musikwoche.de. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
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