Anna Calvi is the debut album of British singer-songwriter Anna Calvi, released on 14 January 2011, by Domino Records.[1][2] In Autumn, 2010, Calvi entered Black Box studio in France with producer Rob Ellis[3] and, using vintage analogue equipment, created "a velvet Wall of Sound that justified the hype in the buildup to its 2011 release."[4] The album peaked at No. 40 in the UK Album Charts[5] reached No. 17 in France,[6] and entered several European charts. The album has been nominated for the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize.
| Anna Calvi | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 14 January 2011 | |||
| Recorded | Autumn 2010 | |||
| Genre | Art rock | |||
| Length | 39:17 | |||
| Label | Domino | |||
| Producer | Rob Ellis, Anna Calvi | |||
| Anna Calvi chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Anna Calvi | ||||
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History
editThe debut album's material had been written in Anna Calvi's parents' attic, using eight-track equipment. Of Rob Ellis, best known for his work with PJ Harvey, she said:
He’s old-school rock‘n roll… you know, 'Hit the drums harder!' Which I love. We both share a love of classical music...he loves the same composers as I do. So I didn’t have to explain what I meant when I said that I wanted I wanted a guitar or a shaker to sound like an orchestra. It was great to find someone who understood.[7]
Calvi herself said she was proud with the album and picked out two songs where she felt she'd got close to what she ultimately wanted to achieve: "Love Won’t Be Leaving" (noted for microscopic sound detailisation) and "The Devil". "I see music very visually. And I want the music itself to express the story as much, if not more, than the lyrics. I think I achieved that on Love Won’t Be Leaving," she commented on the former. As for the latter, "It’s a good example of how I wanted to make the guitar sound like another instrument. I wanted the middle-section to sound like the strings on a Hitchcock soundtrack. It crescendos towards an explosion, but in a real and honest way. It's not about bravado," she added.[7]
Singles
edit"Blackout" with the cover of Surrender (classic Neapolitan song, originally Torna a Surriento, adapted for Elvis Presley in 1961 by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, with lyrics by Claude Aveling) was released as the first single from the album on 21 March 2011[8] and was debuted on Pitchfork in the US.[9] "Desire" was the second single (backed with a reworking of Leonard Cohen's "Joan of Arc") and was released on 20 June 2011. The track was available on 7" (RUG412) and via digital download (RUG412D).[10] "Suzanne & I" (backed with the cover of the Shirelles "Baby It's You") was released as the third single from the album on 12 September 2011.
Reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10[11] |
| Metacritic | 80/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Evening Standard | [13] |
| Financial Times | [14] |
| The Guardian | [15] |
| The Irish Times | [16] |
| Mojo | [17] |
| NME | 9/10[18] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[19] |
| Q | [20] |
| Uncut | [21] |
Upon its release, Anna Calvi received generally positive reviews from music critics. Aggregating website AnyDecentMusic? reports a score of 7.6 based on 29 professional reviews.[11]
Reviewer Eamonn Seoige (IHeart AU), called the album "fully-formed and... an instantly engaging body of work", argued that its "key strength is honest, raw power." Describing Calvi's songs as "poetic, free-flowing, often incorporating multiple styles that frame her distinctive and kaleidoscopic vocal range," he added: "A gifted musician, possessor of a unique voice and writer of inimitable songs, Calvi is already primed for greatness."[22] Matt James of PopMatters described Calvi as "eternally glamorous, but perennially doomed nightclub torch-song singer with a skeleton army in their closet" and her debut, never "afraid to be fantastical, striking," as "rich and strange".[23] NME called the debut "perhaps the first great record of 2011."[18] According to Jon O'Brien of AllMusic, this "ambitious and always intriguing debut... heralds the arrival of a unique and inventive addition to the plethora of U.K. female singer/songwriters."[1]
Mojo placed the album at number 8 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011."[24]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Anna Calvi
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rider to the Sea" | 2:40 |
| 2. | "No More Words" | 3:51 |
| 3. | "Desire" | 3:51 |
| 4. | "Suzanne & I" | 4:11 |
| 5. | "First We Kiss" | 3:05 |
| 6. | "The Devil" | 4:34 |
| 7. | "Blackout" | 4:05 |
| 8. | "I'll Be Your Man" | 3:10 |
| 9. | "Morning Light" | 4:13 |
| 10. | "Love Won't Be Leaving" | 5:37 |
Personnel
edit- Anna Calvi – lead vocals, bass guitar, guitar, organ, piano, production, string arrangements, strings, violin
- Brian Eno – piano, backing vocals (tracks 3, 4)
- Mally Harpaz – drums, harmonium, percussion
- Daniel Maiden-Wood – bass, drums, backing vocals
- Dave Okumu – backing vocals (track 2)
Technical personnel
- Peter Deimel – engineering
- Rob Ellis – production
- David Odlux – assistant
- Chris Potter – mastering
- Jimmy Robertson – engineering
- Craig Silvey – mixing
- Pritpal Soor – mixing, production
- Emma Nathan - artwork
Charts
edit| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[25] | 33 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] | 9 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27] | 36 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[28] | 68 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[29] | 17 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] | 70 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[31] | 72 |
| Irish Independent Albums (IRMA)[32] | 7 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[33] | 93 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[34] | 66 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[35] | 55 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] | 40 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[37] | 40 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[38] | 3 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[39] | 42 |
Sales
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France | — | 35,000[40] |
| Summaries | ||
| Worldwide | 170,000[41] | |
References
edit- ^ a b c O'Brien, Jon. "Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ Domino Record Company, Retrieved 18 January 2011. Archived 20 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Perry, Andrew (10 January 2011). "Anna Calvi: giving voice to passion and desire". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011.
- ^ AllMusic biography. Archived 6 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ UK Albums Chart – Week: 23 January 2011, Retrieved 27 January 2011.
- ^ lescharts.com – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi @ lescharts.com. Archived 21 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Anna Calvi's profile. Domino Records. Archived 20 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Domino | News | Anna Calvi Announces New Single 'Blackout' Archived 20 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Pitchfork: Forkcast: Anna Calvi: Blackout. Archived 24 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Desire to be next single. – www.annacalvi.com Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Anna Calvi by Anna Calvi reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ "Reviews for Anna Calvi by Anna Calvi". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ "CDs of the week". Evening Standard. 14 January 2011. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (15 January 2011). "Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ Costa, Maddy (13 January 2011). "Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ Carroll, Jim (21 January 2011). "Shape shifter". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ "Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi". Mojo (208): 96. March 2011.
- ^ a b Cooper, Leonie (17 January 2011). "Album Review: Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi". NME. Archived from the original on 11 October 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ Ashurst, Hari (1 March 2011). "Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ Mongredien, Phil (February 2011). "Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi". Q (295): 113.
- ^ "Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi". Uncut (165): 94. February 2011.
- ^ Anna Calvi review. IHeart AU Archived 12 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Matt James Anna Calvi PopMatters review. Archived 29 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "MOJO's Top 50 Albums Of 2011". Stereogum. 2 December 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Anna Calvi". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Top 10 Independent Artist Albums, Week Ending 27 January 2011". Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "Anna Calvi Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Ruelle, Yohann (6 October 2013). "Anna Calvi joue les esprits fantômes dans le clip aérien de "Sing to Me"". chartsinfrance. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ^ Gibsone, Harriet (13 October 2014). "Mercury nominees 2014: Anna Calvi". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2018.