Stolen Diamonds
Stolen Diamonds is the eighth studio album by Melbourne band The Cat Empire. It was produced by Jan Skubiszewski and released on 15 February 2019 through Two Shoes Records.[1] It debuted at Number 4 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, making it the band's sixth top 10 debut, following Rising with the Sun (2016). To promote the album, the band released a new single on the first of each month leading up to the release, starting with "Ready Now" on 1 July 2018.[2] Next released was "Stolen Diamonds" in August, followed by "La Sirene" in September, "Kila" in October, "Sola" in November, "Barricades" in December, "Oscar Wilde" in January and "Echoes" in February.
| Stolen Diamonds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 15 February 2019 | |||
| Studio | Red Moon Studios | |||
| Length | 53:53 | |||
| Label | Two Shoes | |||
| Producer | Jan Skubiszewski | |||
| The Cat Empire chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Stolen Diamonds | ||||
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It is the band's last album to feature the full original lineup, with Ryan Monro leaving in 2021 and Harry James Angus, Will Hull-Brown and Jamshid Khadiwhala all departing in 2022.
Reception
Melbourne magazine Beat rated the album 7 out of 10, stating: "The album barely takes a break from its upbeat tempo, and flows seamlessly between funk, reggae, and ska...". They went on to say that the album "...sees The Cat Empire take one step closer towards legend status."[3]
Double J presented Stolen Diamonds as its feature album, and was also very positive in its review, saying: "The worst thing about Stolen Diamonds is that you’re gonna need to clear some space around you if you're planning on listening to it. Because this is very much a record that inspires movement."[4]
While giving the album 3 out of 5 stars, The Sydney Morning Herald gave a more critical review, writing: "...the moves are there, the playing is very fine, but nothing lasts once you've stopped moving."[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kila" | Felix Riebl | 3:48 |
| 2. | "Stolen Diamonds" | Harry Angus | 4:23 |
| 3. | "Oscar Wilde" | Riebl, Angus | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Ready Now" | Riebl | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Barricades" | Angus, Jan Skubiszewski, Oliver McGill | 5:18 |
| 6. | "Anybody" | Riebl, Angus | 4:31 |
| 7. | "La Siréne" | Riebl, Eloise Mignon, McGill | 3:18 |
| 8. | "Echoes" | Angus | 4:33 |
| 9. | "Who's That" | Riebl | 3:18 |
| 10. | "Adelphia" | Angus | 5:49 |
| 11. | "Saturday Night" | Riebl, McGill, Ross Irwin | 4:41 |
| 12. | "Bow Down to Love" | Angus | 3:50 |
| 13. | "Sola" | Riebl, Jairo Zavala | 3:23 |
| Total length: | 53:53 | ||
Personnel
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Charts
References
- "Stolen Diamonds – Out Now". The Cat Empire. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- Streader, Kate (9 July 2018). "The Cat Empire reveal new single, 'Ready Now'". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- "'Stolen Diamonds' sees The Cat Empire take one step closer towards legend status". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- Condon, Dan (7 February 2019). "Feature Album: The Cat Empire – Stolen Diamonds". Double J. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- Zwartz, Barry Divola, Kish Lal, Annabel Ross, John Shand, Bernard Zuel and Barney (11 February 2019). "Music reviews: Ariana Grande, the Cat Empire, Woman's Hour and more". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Jazz and Blues Albums 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Jazz and Blues Albums 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Jazz and Blues Albums 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2021.