Spirit (Leona Lewis album)
| Spirit | |||||
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| Studio album by Leona Lewis | |||||
| Released | 9 November 2007 (see release history) |
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| Recorded | 2007 London, England Atlanta, Georgia Los Angeles, California Miami, Florida New York City, New York Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Genre | Pop, R&B | ||||
| Length | 52:39 (Intl. version) 51:40 (U.S. version) |
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| Label | Sony BMG, Syco, J | ||||
| Producer | Walter Afanasieff, Josh Alexander, Dallas Austin, Louis Biancaniello, Simon Cowell (executive), Clive Davis (executive), Dr. Luke, Eric Hudson, The Jam, Steve Mac, Michael Mani, Novel, Jordan Omley, J. R. Rotem, The Runaways, Stargate, Billy Steinberg, Ryan Tedder, Sam Watters, Wayne Wilkins; Maddscientist, Akon | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Leona Lewis chronology | |||||
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| Alternate covers | |||||
 Deluxe Edition Cover |
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| Singles from Spirit | |||||
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Spirit is the debut album by British singer, Leona Lewis, released by Syco Music in November 2007 (see 2007 in music) in the British Isles and worldwide during early 2008. The release of the album marks Lewis as the first winner of a major television talent show in both the UK and USA to be given a major global launch with a debut album.
Lewis says she named the album Spirit because “it is my heart and soul and the voice within that says everything is possible.”
Spirit debuted at number one in nine countries, including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, New Zealand and Germany. It also holds the record for the biggest digital album sales in a week ever for a new artist, male or female.
Contents
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History
On 25 April 2007, a press release was sent out revealing that Simon Cowell and Clive Davis, chairman and CEO of J Records, would work together in a first-of-its-kind partnership on both the song and producer selection for the album. Writing began in London with Steve Mac and then moved on to Atlanta, Georgia, Los Angeles and Miami, Florida. Lewis also performed a showcase for several American music executives at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
The album was delayed due to Lewis suffering from tonsillitis and waiting for producers to become available. It was said to have a September 2007 deadline, but was finally released in November 2007 (see release history).
Production and songs
Lewis recorded the album in several locations, the first being London, England, where she worked with Steve Mac, who produced the songs “Homeless” and “Footprints in the Sand”. “Footprints in the Sand”, a “massive power ballad”, was played on an episode of the fourth series of The X Factor and was written by Per Magnusson, David Kreuger, Richard Page and Simon Cowell. It is based on the poem “Footprints”. “Homeless” is a song written by Jörgen Elofsson, previously recorded by Swedish singer Darin, and has been described as “a moody piano-heavy trembler” and a “haunting, blues-style ballad”.
Most of the songs were recorded in Los Angeles, California. There, Lewis teamed up with OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder, with whom she recorded two songs, “Bleeding Love” and “Take a Bow”. “Bleeding Love” was written by Tedder and Jesse McCartney and produced by Tedder. It was the first song confirmed to be appearing on the album, and was released as the album’s lead single, which went straight to number one in both the UK and Irish Singles Charts. “Take a Bow” was written and produced by Tedder, Louis Biancaniello, Wayne Wilkins, Sam Watters and The Runaways. It has been described as starting with an “ice-cool synth riff” and having “big, crunchy beats and powerhouse chorus”. Watters, Biancaniello and The Runaways also wrote “Yesterday”, with Jordan Omley, Michael Mani, The Jam, and Nina Woodford. “Yesterday” has been described as “a smoochy R&B slow jam”. “Better in Time” was also recorded in Los Angeles with producer J. R. Rotem, who wrote the song along with Andrea Martin. Lewis also co-wrote “Here I Am” with Walter Afanasieff and Brett James in LA. “I Will Be” is a cover of an Avril Lavigne song, written by Lavigne, Dr. Luke and Max Martin, that was released as an iTunes bonus track and on the Limited edition of her album The Best Damn Thing. “The Best You Never Had”, which was written and produced by Billy Steinberg and Josh Alexander, was also recorded in LA.
In Atlanta, Georgia, Lewis worked with producers Alonzo “Novel” Stevenson and Dallas Austin on the song “Whatever It Takes”, which Lewis co-wrote together with Novel and Tony Reyes. The song has been described as a “chipper slice of soul-pop, anchored by a surprisingly bone-shaking beat”. “I’m You” was recorded in Atlanta with Ne-Yo, The song features “delicate harps, echoey vocals and skittering beats”. “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, a cover of the Ewan MacColl song, was recorded in both Atlanta and Los Angeles. It was produced by Wayne Wilkins, Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello and The Runaways.
In Miami, Florida, Lewis worked with Salaam Remi, and “Forgiveness” was recorded. It was written by Lewis, Remi and Kara DioGuardi, but was chosen as the B-side to “Bleeding Love” rather than an album track on the UK edition. “Angel”, a Stargate production, was written by Stargate and Johnta Austin, and recorded in New York.
Lewis’s debut single, a cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This”, is included as a bonus track on releases in the UK, Ireland and Japan. The U.S. release of the album features two songs recorded in 2008, in order to help the album appeal more to an American audience: “Forgive Me”, which was written and produced by Akon, and “Misses Glass” written by Mad Scientist and RockCity.
Her latest single ‘Forgive Me’ will be released on the 26 October 2008 in the United Kingdom. The music video premiered in the UK and UK music channels on the 16 September 2008, and was uploaded on Yahoo and YouTube on the same day.
Syco managing director, Sonny Takhar, states that they have at least five singles from the record, and that “every track is a potential single — we really are spoiled for choice.”
Style and lyrical content
Lewis described the album’s style as “classic songs with a contemporary edge,” containing R&B and “fresh pop” styles, ballads and “soulful up-tempo numbers”. It has an American style, with some electronic 1980s sounds. However, the songs are not beat-driven or following the latest trends, but are songs that can be performed acoustically.
Promotion
On 24 September 2007, Lewis performed a special album launch party at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge, London. She performed “Bleeding Love”, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”, “Homeless” and “Whatever It Takes”.
Lewis went on a two-day UK regional radio tour to promote the album and single “Bleeding Love” on 11 and 12 October. This was followed by an appearance on This Morning on 15 October. Lewis performed “Bleeding Love” live on the fourth series of The X Factor on 20 October 2007.
From 29 October 2007, Spirit was BBC Radio 2’s Album of the Week.
During February and March, Lewis promoted the album in Europe. In April 2008, she went on a promotional tour of Australia.
Sonny Takhar states that Lewis will not be touring until “the tail end of 2008″, so she can focus on the album. Lewis has since stated that she is planning a £15 million, 24-date world tour in 2010.
Reception
Critical reception
Reaction to Lewis’ debut album was generally favourable. IGN described Spirit as the “perfect showcase for her fantastic skills”. MSN Entertainment concurred, saying the “highly impressive debut” album was worth the wait.
The Guardian and The Times were less complimentary, each giving the album a two-star (out of five) rating. The Guardian was disappointed by saying Lewis “has clearly invested every scrap of energy into these songs but being able to belt ‘em out is only half the story, and if there’s a personality here, it’s well hidden.” The Times review concluded by saying, “If Lewis is looking for the greatest love of all — public adoration — she will have to do better than this.”
The Daily Star’s review was more positive, saying, “Fans of her sweet, soaring vocals and power ballads won’t be disappointed.” The Evening Standard review said that Spirit will be “a very successful album with some much-needed grit.”
Popjustice’s review was brief, summing up that “It has four absolutely blinding tracks on it, three far better than average tracks on it, and some others which are quite good. There are no totally chronic songs on ‘Spirit’ apart from ‘A Moment Like This’.” Digital Spy gave it four out of five stars, claiming that although Lewis had a pallet of different producers working with her, they managed to prevent her from sounding “too fusty or old-fashioned.”
Sales and chart performance
In its first day of release in the UK, Spirit was reported to be outselling its nearest rival, the Spice Girls’ Greatest Hits album, by two-to-one. It sold over 130,000 copies on 12 November 2007, and entered the UK Albums Chart on 18 November 2007 at number one, having sold 375,872 copies. It was the fastest selling debut album in the UK since records began, beating Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, and the fourth fastest selling album of all time. Sales of the album averaged around 200 per minute on the first day of release in the UK. In its fourth week of release, Spirit sold around 180,000 copies. In its fifth week it sold around 228,000 copies and in its sixth it sold around 286,000. Spirit stayed at the top of the UK Albums Chart for seven weeks, and as of 30 December 2007 has sold 1,590,000 copies in the UK.
The album became the second biggest selling album in the UK of 2007, and the fastest million-seller by a solo female in the UK in just 29 days. It was certified three-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry on 16 November 2007, five-times platinum on 14 December 2007, and six-times platinum on 18 January 2008, meaning it has shipped 1,800,000 copies. During the release of Lewis’ double A-Side single, “Better in Time”/”Footprints in the Sand”, sales of the album climbed and consequently the album climbed back into the UK Albums Chart top ten to position #2.
Spirit entered the Irish Albums Chart at number one, breaking a record by being the fastest selling debut album ever, beating the Arctic Monkeys by a margin of 6,000 sales. It remained at the top of the chart for two weeks before being knocked off by Shayne Ward’s Breathless. The album has since gone 7x platinum.
In February 2008, the album debuted at number one on the Australian ARIA Chart, New Zealand RIANZ chart, and the album charts of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Within a few hours of its release in the USA, the Deluxe edition of Spirit reached #1 on the iTunes Store, while the standard edition peaked at #2. Spirit also reached #1 on the iTunes Store in Canada on the day of its release. Several album tracks have made an impact on the U.S. iTunes Top Songs chart such as I Will Be (#58), Yesterday (#61), and Better In Time (#12). “I Will Be” debuted at #99 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. On the first official week of release Spirit went straight to number one on the Billboard Hot 200, making her the only British solo artist to start at No. 1 with their debut effort in the United States, selling 205,000 copies. In its second week the album sold 96,000 units, then another 96,000 units in its 3rd week. The album slipped to #3 on the Billboard 200 in its 4th week with 81,803 units sold. The album has so far sold 1,234,157 units in the US. As of June 30 2008 the album has been certified platinum.
Track listing
Audio samples:
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“Bleeding Love” “Take a Bow” - Problems listening to the files? See media help.
- International track listing
- “Bleeding Love” (Ryan Tedder, Jesse McCartney) – 4:24
- “Whatever It Takes” (Alonzo “Novel” Stevenson, Tony Reyes, Leona Lewis) – 3:27
- “Homeless” (Jörgen Elofsson) – 3:50
- “Better in Time” (Jonathan Rotem, Andrea Martin) – 3:54
- “Yesterday” (The JAM - Jordan Omley & Michael Mani, The Runaways - Sam Watters & Louis Biancaniello, Nina Woodford) – 3:54
- “Take a Bow” (Tedder, Wayne Wilkins, The Runaways - Watters & Biancaniello) – 3:54
- “I Will Be” (Avril Lavigne, Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald) – 3:59
- “Angel” (Johnta Austin, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Hermansen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjorklund) – 4:14
- “Here I Am” (Walter Afanasieff, Brett James, Leona Lewis) – 4:52
- “I’m You” (Eric Hudson, Shaffer Smith) – 3:48
- “The Best You Never Had” (Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg) – 3:43
- “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” (Ewan MacColl) – 4:26
- “Footprints in the Sand” (Richard Page, Per Magnusson, David Kreuger, Simon Cowell) – 4:08
- UK bonus track
- “A Moment Like This” (Elofsson, John Reid) – 4:17
- Re-release edition
- “Forgive Me” (Aliuane Thiam, Claude Kelly, Giorgio Tuinfort) – 3:41
- “Misses Glass” (Theron & Terry Thomas) – 3:41
- “Run” - 5:15
- Japanese bonus tracks
- “A Moment Like This” (Elofsson, John Reid) – 4:17
- “Forgiveness” (Lewis, Salaam Remi, Kara DioGuardi) – 4:19
- “You Bring Me Down” (Lewis, Remi, Taj Jackson) – 3:55
- North America track listing
- “Bleeding Love” – 4:23
- “Better in Time” – 3:54
- “I Will Be” – 3:59
- “I’m You” – 3:48
- “Forgive Me” (Aliuane Thiam, Claude Kelly, Giorgio Tuinfort) – 3:41
- “Misses Glass” (Theron & Terry Thomas) – 3:41
- “Angel” – 4:14
- “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” – 4:26
- “Yesterday” – 3:54
- “Whatever It Takes” – 3:27
- “Take a Bow” – 3:54
- Bonus Tracks
- “Footprints in the Sand” – 4:08
- “Here I Am” – 4:52
- iTunes bonus tracks
- “The Best You Never Had” – 3:43 (iTunes US Deluxe Bonus Track)
- “You Bring Me Down” – 3:54 (iTunes US Deluxe Bonus Track)
- “Bleeding Love (Jason Nevins Extended Mix)” – 5:56 (iTunes US Bonus Track - Pre-order only)
Spirit: The Deluxe Edition
Spirit will be re-released on 17 November in the UK following the release of “Forgive Me”. It will also include “Misses Glass” from the American version of the album, and Lewis’ cover of Snow Patrol’s “Run”, which she originally covered on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge.
In addition to the extra tracks, the deluxe will feature a DVD containing all of Lewis’ music videos as well as “Making The Video” of “Forgive Me” and “Run”.
Charts and certifications
| Chart | Providers | Peak position |
Year end position 2007 |
Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart | ARIA | 1 | Platinum | 70,000+ | |
| Austrian Albums Chart | IFPI | 1 | — | Gold | 10,000 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | ABPD | 1 | Platinum | 100,000 | |
| French Top 200 Albums Chart | IFOP | 21 | 55,000 | ||
| German Top 40 Album Chart | Media Control | 1 | Platinum | 200,000+ | |
| Greek Albums Chart | IFPI | 3 | |||
| Hungarian Top 40 Albums | Mahasz | 28 | |||
| Irish Albums Chart | IRMA | 1 | 1 | 7× Platinum | 105,000 |
| Italian Albums Top 100 | FIMI | 5 | Platinum | 74,130 | |
| Japan Oricon Album Chart | RIAJ | 5 | Platinum | 200,000 | |
| Mexican Top 100 Albums Chart | AMPROFON | 69 | |||
| Netherlands NVPI Album Chart | Megacharts/NVPI | 4 | |||
| New Zealand RIANZ Album Chart | RIANZ | 1 | Platinum | 15,000+ | |
| Norwegian Albums Top 40 | VG-lista | 10 | |||
| Polish Top 50 Albums | OLiS | 4 | Gold | 10,000+ | |
| Portugal Albums Top 30 | AFP | 12 | |||
| Spanish Top 100 Albums | PROMUSICAE | 26 | |||
| Sweden Albums Top 60 | Sverigetopplistan | 2 | — | Gold | 20,000 |
| Switzerland Albums Top 100 | Media Control | 1 | Platinum | 30,000 | |
| UK Albums Chart | BPI/OCC | 1 | 2 | 6× Platinum | 1,957,365 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | Billboard 200 | 1 | Platinum | 1,234,157 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 9 November 2007 | Syco Music | CD | 88697185262 |
| United Kingdom | 12 November 2007 | |||
| Sweden | 23 January 2008 | Sony BMG | CD | 88697222432 |
| New Zealand | 25 January 2008 | Syco | CD | 88697222432 |
| Italy | Sony BMG | CD | ||
| Korea | Sony BMG | CD | 8803581113907 | |
| Taiwan | Sony BMG | CD, digital download | 88697222432 | |
| Germany | Sony BMG | CD | 88697222432 | |
| Switzerland | Sony BMG | CD | 88697222432 | |
| Australia | 26 January 2008 | Sony BMG | CD | 88697222432 |
| Hong Kong | 28 January 2008 | Syco | CD | 88697222432 |
| Greece | Sony BMG | CD | 88697222432 | |
| Poland | Sony BMG | CD | 88697222432 | |
| Singapore | Sony BMG | CD, digital download | 88697222432 | |
| Thailand | 29 January 2008 | Sony BMG | CD | |
| Spain | 19 February 2008 | Epic Records | CD | 886972224329 |
| France | 10 March 2008 | Sony BMG | CD | |
| China | Sony BMG | CD | 9787799427188A | |
| Mexico | 24 March 2008 | Sony BMG | CD | 886972224329 |
| Canada | 8 April 2008 | Sony BMG | CD | |
| United States | Sony BMG | CD | 88697025542 | |
| Japan | 23 April 2008 | BMG Japan | CD / CD+DVD | BVCP24129 |
| Brazil | 24 April 2008 | Syco/Sony BMG | CD | 88697222432 |
| Australian Edition | 6 September 2008 | Syco/Sony BMG | CD | 88697367672 |
| Australia (Deluxe Edition) | 8 November 2008 | Sony BMG | CD/ CD+DVD | 88697359692 |
| Europe (Deluxe Edition) | 14 November 2008 | Sony BMG | CD / CD+DVD | |
| United Kingdom (Deluxe Edition) | 17 November 2008 | Syco Music | CD / CD+DVD | |
| Japan (Deluxe Edition) | 19 November 2008 | BMG Japan | CD / CD+DVD |
