Birdy (Birdy album)

Birdy is the debut studio album by English musician Birdy, released on 4 November 2011 by 14th Floor Records and Atlantic Records. The album includes the singles "Skinny Love", "Shelter", "People Help the People" and "1901".

Birdy
Standard cover
Studio album by
Birdy
Released4 November 2011 (2011-11-04)
Studio
Genre
Length44:02
Label
Producer
Birdy chronology
Birdy
(2011)		 Fire Within
(2013)
Alternative cover
Deluxe edition cover
Deluxe edition cover
Singles from Birdy
  1. "Skinny Love"
    Released: 30 January 2011
  2. "Shelter"
    Released: 3 June 2011
  3. "People Help the People"
    Released: 28 October 2011
  4. "1901"
    Released: 9 March 2012

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?5.9/10[1]
Metacritic61/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Daily Telegraph[4]
The Guardian[5]
MusicOMH[6]
NME5/10[7]
The Observer[8]
PopMatters5/10[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Uncut[11]

Birdy received lukewarm reception from critics. At Metacritic, the album received a score of 61 out of 100, based on 10 critics.[2] AllMusic's Jon O'Brien wrote that "this stripped-back collection of lesser-known hits and album tracks reads like a who's who of lo-fi hipster indie rock", praising Birdy's "youthful and fragile" voice and concluding that "thanks to her haunting tones and a tasteful yet compelling production, it impressively avoids being the try-hard affair you'd expect."[3] The BBC's Nick Levine called the album a "clever covers set... which points to a great future" for the singer.[12] "With a voice that defies her tender years, Birdy... has found herself very quickly touted as one of the brightest up-and-coming talents in the UK," Andy Baber of MusicOMH wrote.[6] Hermione Hoby of The Observer praised her covers of "Skinny Love" and "Shelter", while noting that the self-written track "Without a Word" "suggests she might become even more than just a startling voice."[8]

While praising "Birdy's simple piano/guitar arrangements and her own sweet voice", The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan found the album to be "pleasant but pointless".[5] James Lachno of The Daily Telegraph wrote that the album "consolidates the buzz with more sparse, affecting covers, and a lone original track that is adequately folkish, but for now Birdy remains a novelty."[4] Chris Conaton of PopMatters wrote that Birdy "proves that she can really sing; but [her] appeal may depend on how much enjoy desperate, aching piano ballads, because there are a lot of them here."[9] Duncan Gillespie of NME dismissed the album as "an album of wet-indie covers".[7] Rolling Stone critic Jody Rosen was more critical, panning the album as "the most boring music ever recorded by a teenager" and concluding, "No one so young should have such flawless taste in Quality Indie Rock, or sound this bummed out."[10]

Singles

"Skinny Love" was released on 30 January 2011 as the first single from the album,[13] which was a cover of a song by American indie folk band Bon Iver. The cover reached a peak of number 17 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Shelter" was released as the second single from the album on 3 June 2011. The song covers a track by English indie pop group The xx and peaked at number 50 in the UK.

"People Help the People" was released as the album's third single on 28 October 2011.[14] The song is a cover of the song by English indie rock band Cherry Ghost and peaked at number 33 in the UK.

"1901" was released in the UK on 9 March 2012 as the album's fourth and final single. It is a cover of the song by French indie rock band Phoenix.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."1901" (by Phoenix)
Rich Costey5:11
2."Skinny Love" (by Bon Iver)Justin VernonAlex H. N. Gilbert3:23
3."People Help the People" (by Cherry Ghost)Simon John AldredJames Ford4:16
4."White Winter Hymnal" (by Fleet Foxes)Robin Noel PecknoldFord2:17
5."The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" (by the Postal Service)
Jim Abbiss4:44
6."I'll Never Forget You" (by Francis and the Lights)Francis Farewell StarliteAbbiss3:47
7."Young Blood" (by the Naked and Famous)
Costey4:04
8."Shelter" (by The xx)
  • Abbiss
  • Paul 'P-Dub' Walton[a]
  • Gilbert[a]
3:44
9."Fire and Rain" (by James Taylor)James V. TaylorFord3:07
10."Without a Word"Jasmine van den BogaerdeCostey4:46
11."Terrible Love" (by the National)
Costey4:43
Total length:44:02
Deluxe edition bonus tracks[15]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Comforting Sounds" (by Mew)
Costey8:57
13."Farewell and Goodnight" (by the Smashing Pumpkins)James IhaAbbiss2:02
14."People Help the People" (RAK Studios Session)Aldred 4:17
Total length:59:18
Australian special edition bonus tracks[16]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Just a Game"Van den BogaerdeT Bone Burnett3:51
13."What You Want" (by John Butler Trio)John ButlerAbbiss4:12
Total length:52:05

Notes
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Birdy.[17]

  • Birdy – vocals, piano
  • Jim Abbiss – drum machine, production
  • Leo Abrahams – effects, guitar
  • Ben Baptie – mixing assistance
  • Jess Barratt – management
  • Rupert Bogarde – engineering
  • James Brown – engineering
  • Ian Burdge – cello
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Matt Chamberlain – drums, percussion
  • Alessandro Cortini – synthesisers
  • Rich Costey – engineering, mixing, noise, production, strange noises, synthesisers
  • Paul Craig – management
  • Neil Cowley – organ, piano
  • Dan Curwin – back cover photograph
  • Ian Dowling – engineering
  • Lauren Dukoff – photography
  • Tom Elmhirst – mixing
  • James Ford – drums, guitar, percussion, production
  • Wally Gagel – bass
  • Alex H. N. Gilbert – additional production, executive production, production, studio photography
  • Kirk Hellie – guitar
  • Gareth Henderson – engineering
  • Chris Kasych – assistant engineering
  • Alex MacNaghten – bass
  • Stephen Webster Mair – double bass
  • Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards, piano, synthesisers
  • Audrey Riley – string arrangements, string conducting
  • Lucy Shaw – cello
  • Christian Tattersfield – executive production
  • Christopher Tombling – orchestra leader
  • Paul 'P-Dub' Walton – additional production, engineering, mixing
  • Richard Woodcraft – engineering

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for Birdy
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[52] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[53] Gold 10,000*
Belgium (BEA)[54] Platinum 30,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[55] Platinum 20,000‡
France (SNEP)[56] 3× Platinum 300,000*
Germany (BVMI)[57] Platinum 200,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[58] Platinum 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[59] Gold 7,500^
Poland (ZPAV)[60] Gold 10,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[61] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Gold 180,457[63]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[64] Platinum 1,000,000*

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

Release history
Release history for Birdy
Region Date Label Ref.
Belgium 4 November 2011 Warner [65]
Ireland
[66]
United Kingdom 7 November 2011 [67]
Netherlands 11 November 2011 Warner [68]
United States 20 March 2012 Warner Bros. [69]
Germany 23 March 2012 Warner [70]
Poland 26 March 2012 [71]
Australia 20 April 2012 [72]
France 30 April 2012 [73]

References
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