Lisa Stansfield (album)

Lisa Stansfield
Studio album by Lisa Stansfield
Released 21 March 1997 (1997-03-21)
Recorded 1996–1997
Genre
Length 77:02
Label Arista
Producer
Lisa Stansfield chronology
In Session
(1996)		 Lisa Stansfield
(1997)		 The Remix Album
(1998)
Alternative cover
North American cover
Singles from Lisa Stansfield
  1. "People Hold On (The Bootleg Mixes)"
    Released: 6 January 1997
  2. "The Real Thing"
    Released: 10 March 1997
  3. "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up"
    Released: 9 June 1997
  4. "The Line"
    Released: 22 September 1997
  5. "Never Gonna Fall"
    Released: 27 October 1997
  6. "Don't Cry for Me"
    Released: 17 November 1997
  7. "I'm Leavin'"
    Released: 9 February 1998

Lisa Stansfield is the fourth album by British singer Lisa Stansfield, released by Arista Records on 21 March 1997. It was her first new studio album since 1993's So Natural. Stansfield co-wrote most songs for the album with her husband Ian Devaney. The tracks were produced by Devaney and Peter Mokran. Lisa Stansfield garnered favourable reviews from music critics and was commercially successful reaching number two in the United Kingdom and receiving Gold certification. In the United States, it spawned four number-one singles on the Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs. Lisa Stansfield was re-released as a deluxe 2CD + DVD set in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2014 and in Europe on 21 November 2014.

Background

Lisa Stansfield released her eponymous album in March 1997, almost four years after her previous studio album, So Natural. It does not feature contribution from Andy Morris, who worked on Stansfield's previous releases. Between So Natural and Lisa Stansfield, she recorded and released two singles from the 1994 soundtracks: "Make It Right" from Beverly Hills 90210: The College Years and "Dream Away" (duet with Babyface) from The Pagemaster.

Content

Lisa Stansfield was produced by Ian Devaney and Peter Mokran. It includes sixteen songs, mainly written by Stansfield and Devaney. Four songs were co-written by Richard Darbyshire, member of the British band Living in a Box. "I Cried My Last Tear Last Night" was written by Diane Warren. The album also contains two covers: Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" and Phyllis Hyman's "You Know How to Love Me." In Europe and North America, Lisa Stansfield was released with bonus remixes of "The Real Thing" and "People Hold On." In Japan, bonus tracks included "People Hold On" (Bootleg Mix) and a cover of Player's song, "Baby Come Back." In 2003, the album was remastered and re-released with three bonus songs: "People Hold On" (Bootleg Mix), "Baby Come Back" and "Breathtaking," B-side of the withdrawn single "Don't Cry for Me."

Lisa Stansfield was remastered and expanded, and was re-released as a deluxe 2CD + DVD set in November 2014. This edition was expanded to feature rare tracks and 12" mixes plus videos, live footage and a specially recorded interview with Stansfield. The twenty-eight-page booklet features photos, memorabilia, lyrics and brand new sleeve notes. The set was issued in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2014 and in Europe on 21 November 2014. It was also released as a part of The Collection 1989–2003 at the same time. The 2014 reissue of Lisa Stansfield includes previously unreleased track, "The Real Thing" (Silk's Real House Thang). Additionally, People Hold On ... The Remix Anthology features the following previously unreleased remixes of songs from Lisa Stansfield: "Never Gonna Fall" (Wyclef Remix) and three remixes of "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" (Frankie's Classic Club Mix, Franktified Off the Hook Dub and After Hours Mix).

Singles

In January 1997, Arista Records released "People Hold On" (The Bootleg Mixes) as a single. The song, originally recorded by Coldcut and Stansfield in 1989, was remixed by the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The remix version reached number one on the Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs, number four on the UK Singles Chart and number fifteen on the Irish Singles Chart. After this success, "People Hold On" (Bootleg Mix) was included on Lisa Stansfield as a bonus track. The first proper single form the album, "The Real Thing" was released in Europe, Australia and Japan in March 1997. The song peaked at number nine in the United Kingdom. "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" was chosen as the next single in Europe, Australia and Japan, and first proper single in North America. It was released in June 1997. The song reached number twenty-five in the United Kingdom, number seventy-four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In September 1997, "The Line" was issued as a single in Europe and peaked at number sixty-four in the United Kingdom. "Never Gonna Fall" (remixed by Junior Vasquez and Victor Calderone) was chosen as next promotional single in the United States and released in October 1997, also reaching number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs (for two weeks). The single "Don't Cry for Me," set for the release in Europe in November 1997, was withdrawn at the last minute. After the success on the dance charts in the United States, Arista Records issued one more promotional single, "I'm Leavin'" (remixed by Hex Hector) which also topped the Hot Dance Club Songs, becoming fourth song from Lisa Stansfield to do so. Because of that, The Remix Album was released in June 1998.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert Christgau[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB-[3]
Q[4]
Rolling Stone[5]

Lisa Stansfield received positive reviews from music critics. According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic, the album finds Stansfield at the top of her game, turning in a stylish set of smooth, disco-inflected dance-pop. The songs, from a cover of Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up" and "Never Gonna Fall" to the ballad "I Cried My Last Tear Last Night," are uniformly strong and the singer's voice is seductive and sexy, making the album a small gem in her catalogue. Josef Woodard from Entertainment Weekly wrote that Stansfield plays her old-school R&B straight, unleashing white-soul-queen riffs over disco grooves or pop-soul ballads spiced with horns, strings, and backup vocals. She does right by Phyllis Hyman's hit "You Know How to Love Me" with one foot in the happy-face '70s. Q stated that Stansfield's excellent singing remains on a par with the best American female R&B and the songs are consistently superior. According to Natasha Stovall from the Rolling Stone, unlike many of her peers from England, Stansfield is not jumping on the latest UK dance trend. On her new album, the bass thumps quaintly along, and the drums are "as mellow as tea and biscuits." The heat comes from Stansfield, who belts her heart out in a voice that's smooth and pliant when she's falling in love again ("The Real Thing") but edgy – even harsh – when she's staring, eyes appropriately red-rimmed, at a broken affair ("I'm Leavin'"). Stovall added that Stansfield will always fit more smoothly in a smoky piano bar than in the strobe-lit warehouse of a moody DJ star.

Commercial reception

Lisa Stansfield performed well on the charts peaking at number two in the United Kingdom and being certified Gold. It also reached top ten in Belgium, peaking at number six in Belgium Flanders and number seven in Belgium Wallonia. Lisa Stansfield was certified Gold in Switzerland and Spain, where it reached numbers eleven and twenty-three respectively. The album also peaked inside top forty in other European countries, including number twelve in Austria, number thirteen in France and Germany, number fourteen in Sweden, number eighteen in the Netherlands, number thirty-four in Hungary and thirty-eight in Finland. In other parts of the world, Lisa Stansfield reached number forty in Japan and was certified Gold. It also reached number forty-one in Australia, number forty-six in New Zealand and ninety-nine in Canada. In the United States, it peaked at number fifty-five on the Billboard 200 and number thirty on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Never Gonna Fall"  Lisa Stansfield, Ian DevaneyIan Devaney, Peter Mokran 5:16
2. "The Real Thing"  Stansfield, DevaneyDevaney, Mokran 4:20
3. "I'm Leavin'"  Crayge Lindesay, Telisa StinsonDevaney, Mokran 4:38
4. "Suzanne"  Stansfield, DevaneyDevaney, Mokran 4:59
5. "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up"  Barry WhiteDevaney, Mokran 5:02
6. "Don't Cry for Me"  Stansfield, Devaney, Cory Rooney, Mark MoralesDevaney, Mokran, Rooney, Morales 5:03
7. "The Line"  Stansfield, Devaney, Terry GamwellDevaney, Mokran 4:26
8. "The Very Thought of You"  Stansfield, Devaney, Richard DarbyshireDevaney, Mokran 5:23
9. "You Know How to Love Me"  Reggie Lucas, James MtumeDevaney, Mokran 5:32
10. "I Cried My Last Tear Last Night"  Diane WarrenDevaney, Mokran 4:13
11. "Honest"  Stansfield, Devaney, DarbyshireDevaney, Mokran 4:54
12. "Somewhere in Time"  Stansfield, Devaney, DarbyshireDevaney, Mokran 4:44
13. "Got Me Missing You"  Stansfield, DevaneyDevaney, Mokran 4:43
14. "Footsteps"  Stansfield, Devaney, Darbyshire, Frank MuskerDevaney, Mokran 3:48

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 41
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[7] 12
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] 6
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] 7
Canadian Albums (RPM)[10] 99
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[11] 18
European Albums (Top 100)[12] 8
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 38
French Albums (SNEP)[14] 13
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 13
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[16] 34
Italian Albums (Hit Parade Italia)[17] 11
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[18] 40
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[19] 46
Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] 20
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[21] 23
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 14
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 11
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 2
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[25] 1
US Billboard 200[26] 55
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[27] 30

Year-end charts

Chart (1997) Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] 73
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[29] 71
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] 56
Italian Albums (Hit Parade Italia)[17] 68
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] 34
UK Albums (OCC)[32] 78

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Japan (RIAJ)[33] Gold 100,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[34] Gold 50,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[35] Gold 25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Gold 100,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Credits and personnel

Credits taken from AllMusic.[37]

  • Gareth Ashton – assistant engineer
  • Jon Bailey – assistant engineer
  • Dan Bewick – remixer, producer
  • Vivien Birdsall – strings
  • Mark Burdett – art direction
  • Martin Clark – strings
  • Luis Conte – percussion
  • Gary J. Crockett – bass
  • Richard Darbyshire – arranger
  • Snake Davis – saxophone, flute, horn arrangements
  • Ian Devaney – producer, arranger, keyboards, guitar, programming, mix, horn arrangements, string arrangements
  • Clare Dixon – strings
  • Kate Evans – strings
  • Matt Frost – remixer, producer
  • Stephanie Glyden – assistant engineer
  • Ricky Graham – assistant engineer
  • Gary Grant – trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Andy Grassi – assistant engineer
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Drusilla Harris – strings
  • Jerry Hey – trumpet, flugelhorn, horn arrangements
  • Dan Higgins – flute, saxophone
  • Julia Hoyle – strings
  • Rita Karidis – design
  • Neil Kirk – photography
  • Conal Markey – assistant engineer
  • Aidan McGovern – engineer
  • Aileen McLaughlin – background vocals
  • Doug Michael – assistant engineer
  • Peter Mokran – producer, arranger, keyboards, guitar, programming, mix
  • Des Moore – guitar
  • Mark Morales – producer
  • Jan Nossek – strings
  • Michael O'Donovan – assistant engineer
  • Sean O'Dwyer – assistant engineer
  • Louise Peacock – strings
  • Christopher Marc Potter – assistant engineer
  • Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin – guitar
  • Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone
  • Cory Rooney – producer
  • Anna Ross – background vocals
  • Richard Simpson – assistant engineer
  • Snowboy – percussion
  • Lisa Stansfield – vocals, background vocals, arranger
  • Neil Stubenhaus – bass
  • Richard Thirlwell – strings
  • John Thirkell – trumpet, horn arrangements
  • Simon Vance – strings
  • Min Yang – strings

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog
Japan 21 March 1997 Arista CD BVCA-725
Europe 24 March 1997 74321 45851 2
Australia 15 April 1997
North America 29 July 1997 07822 18738 2
Europe 2 June 2003 28765 22392 8
United Kingdom[38] 10 November 2014 Edsel 2CD+DVD EDSG 8056
Europe 21 November 2014

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield". AllMusic. Retrieved on 5 July 2010.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Lisa Stansfield". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  3. ↑ Woodard, Josef (1 August 1997). "Lisa Stansfield Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 5 July 2010.
  4. ↑ "Lisa Stansfield CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  5. ↑ Stovall, Natasha (23 July 1997). "Lisa Stansfield: Lisa Stansfield : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 January 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  7. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  10. ↑ "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 65, No. 23, August 11, 1997". RPM. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  13. ↑ "Lisa Stansfield: Lisa Stansfield" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  15. ↑ "Lisa Stansfield - Lisa Stansfield" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  16. ↑ "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 1997. 22. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  17. 1 2 "Gli album più venduti del 1997". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  18. ↑ リサ・スタンスフィールドのアルバム売り上げランキング (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  20. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  21. ↑ "1997 Albumes (1ª parte)". PROMUSICAE. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  22. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  23. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  24. ↑ "Lisa Stansfield | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  25. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  26. ↑ "Lisa Stansfield – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Lisa Stansfield. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  27. ↑ "Lisa Stansfield – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Lisa Stansfield. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  28. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1997". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Ultratop & Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  29. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 1997". ultratop.be (in French). Ultratop & Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  30. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  31. ↑ "Swiss Year-End Charts – 1997". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  32. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 - 1997". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  33. ↑ "Japanese album certifications – リサ・スタンスフィールド – リサ・スタンスフィールド" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1997年5月 on the drop-down menu
  34. ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  35. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Lisa Stansfield; 'Lisa Stansfield')". Hung Medien.
  36. ↑ "British album certifications – Lisa Stansfield – Lisa Stansfield". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Lisa Stansfield in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  37. ↑ "Lisa Stansfield > Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  38. ↑ "Lisa Stansfield CD+DVD, Box set". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
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