Voice (Alison Moyet album)
Voice is the sixth solo studio album by English singer Alison Moyet, released by Sanctuary Records on 6 September 2004 in the United Kingdom and on 12 October 2004 in the United States.[6] It is a covers album, featuring slow-tempo, classic songs from a number of different genres, designed to showcase the singer's voice, with orchestral backing.
| Voice | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 September 2004 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:42 | |||
| Label | Sanctuary | |||
| Producer | Anne Dudley | |||
| Alison Moyet chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Voice | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| The Guardian | Favourable[2] |
| musicOMH | Mixed[3] |
| PopMatters | 4/10[4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
A deluxe edition of Voice was released by Cooking Vinyl on 2 October 2015.[7]
Background
After a performance with the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2003,[8] Moyet approached conductor Anne Dudley with the idea of recording a "collection of classic song". In light of her appreciation of Moyet's distinctive vocal style, Dudley later described the offer of working with her as "irresistible". For her official website, she commented: "We spent many happy hours playing songs on the piano, minutely adjusting keys to suit her voice. We chose a wonderful selection and recorded them organically."[9] The material was recorded at Angel Studios, London, with Dudley as producer and arranger.[10]
Voice was released in September 2004 and reached No. 7 in the UK, spending 12 weeks on the chart.[11] Preceding the album was the single "Windmills of Your Mind", which failed to make a chart appearance.[12] The second and final single, released in December 2004, was a double release of "Almost Blue" and "Alfie".[13] It reached No. 99 in the UK.[11]
Speaking to the BBC News in 2004, Moyet commented: "As a 43-year-old I'm finding that reflective, beautiful songs appeal to me. I am quite a prolific singer, in the sense that I have a versatility and I don't want to be limited purely to the songs that I can write."[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Windmills of Your Mind" | Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand | 3:50 |
| 2. | "The Man I Love" | George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin | 3:48 |
| 3. | "Almost Blue" | Declan Macmanus | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Je Crois Entendre Encore" | Georges Bizet | 3:29 |
| 5. | "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" | Bergman, Bergman, Legrand | 3:14 |
| 6. | "God Give Me Strength" | Bacharach, Macmanus | 5:35 |
| 7. | "The Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies-O!" | Traditional | 3:29 |
| 8. | "Dido's Lament: When I Am Laid in Earth" | Henry Purcell | 3:20 |
| 9. | "La Chanson des Vieux Amants" | Jacques Brel | 5:07 |
| 10. | "Cry Me a River" | Arthur Hamilton | 5:38 |
| 11. | "Bye Bye Blackbird" | Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson | 3:01 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Alfie" | Bacharach, Hal David | 2:57 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Satellite" | Moyet, Glenister | 4:40 |
| 2. | "Mary, Don't Keep me Waiting" | Moyet, Glenister | 3:42 |
| 3. | "Windmills of Your Mind" | 4:02 | |
| 4. | "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" | 3:25 | |
| 5. | "La Chanson des Vieux Amants" | 5:29 | |
| 6. | "Almost Blue" | 3:47 | |
| 7. | "If You Don't Come Back to Me" | Moyet, Glenister | 4:59 |
| 8. | "Cry Me a River" | 4:45 | |
| 9. | "The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies-O!" | 3:49 | |
| 10. | "God Give Me Strength" | 5:24 | |
| 11. | "Dido's Lament: When I Am Laid in Earth" | 3:51 | |
| 12. | "Momma Momma" | Melanie Safka | 4:45 |
| 13. | "Ski" | Moyet, Ballard, Clark, Lewis, Gray | 4:41 |
| 14. | "This House" | Moyet | 3:58 |
| 15. | "You Don't Have to Go" | Moyet, Glenister | 4:51 |
| 16. | "Alfie" | 3:18 | |
| 17. | "Only You" | Vince Clarke | 3:05 |
| 18. | "That Ole Devil Called Love" | Allan Roberts, Doris Fisher | 3:01 |
| 19. | "Should I Feel That It's Over" | Moyet, Glenister | 3:56 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Alison Moyet – lead vocals
- Anthony Pleeth – cello (tracks: 1 to 9, 11)
- Dave Daniels – cello (tracks: 6, 7, 9)
- Martin Loveday – cello (tracks: 6, 7, 9)
- Paul Kegg – cello (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9)
- Nicholas Bucknall – clarinet (tracks: 1, 4, 11)
- Chris Laurence – double bass (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 9)
- Ralph Salmins – drums (tracks: 2, 3, 5 to 7, 10)
- John Parricelli – guitar (tracks: 2, 4 to 7, 10)
- Anne Dudley – piano (tracks: 1 to 7, 9 to 10), electric piano (tracks: 2, 5), glockenspiel (track: 4), organ (track: 6)
- Derek Watkins – trumpet (tracks: 3, 6, 10)
- Andy Parker – viola (tracks: 6, 7, 9)
- Bruce White – viola (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9)
- Peter Lale – viola (tracks: 1 to 9, 11)
- Vicci Wardman – viola (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6, to 9)
- Boguslaw Kostecki – violin (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9)
- Gordon Buchan – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9)
- John Bradbury – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9)
- Julian Leaper – violin (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9)
- Maciej Rakowski – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9)
- Patrick Kiernan – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9)
- Paul Willey – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9)
- Rita Manning – violin (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9)
- Roger Garland – violin (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 9, 11)
- Rolf Wilson – violin (tracks: 1 to 8)
- Simon Baggs – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9)
- Rolf Wilson – violin (leader) (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9)
- Derek Watkins – flugelhorn (tracks: 2, 6)
- Alasdair Malloy – harmonica (glass), percussion (track: 8)
- Victoria Walpole – Cor Anglais (track: 4)
- Alasdair Mallory – marimba (track: 4)
- Steve Pearce – bass (track: 6)
- Jamie Talbot – saxophone (tracks: 6, 10)
- Julian Jackson – harmonica (track: 10)
Production
- Anne Dudley – producer, arranger
- Mat Bartram – sound engineer
- Steve Price – sound engineer
- Roger Dudley – sound engineer, sound mixing
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] | 76 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[15] | 53 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[16] | 8 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[17] | 7 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[18] | 6 |
References
- Allmusic review
- Molloy Woodcraft (4 September 2004). "Other pop: Alison Moyet | Kasabian | Micah P Hinson | Natasha Bedingfield | The Black Keys". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- "Alison Moyet - Voice | Album Reviews". 5 September 2004.
- "Alison Moyet: Voice". PopMatters. 27 September 2005. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- Rolling Stone review
- "Voice". AlisonMoyet.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- "Alison Moyet to Release Deluxe Editions of Hometime, Voice and The Turn". AlisonMoyet.com. 30 July 2015. Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- Bishop, Tom (6 September 2004). "Alison Moyet frees her voice". BBC News. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- "composer for film & tv – Voice – Alison Moyet". AnneDudley.co.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- "Alison Moyet – Voice (CD, Album)". Discogs. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- "Alison Moyet | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- "Alison Moyet – Windmills Of Your Mind (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- "Alison Moyet – Almost Blue / Alfie (CD)". Discogs. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Alison Moyet – Voice" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- "Irish-charts.com – Discography Alison Moyet". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 January 2022.