Smoke (Lisa Lois album)
Encyclopedia
Smoke is the debut album by Dutch
singer Lisa Lois. It was released November 27, 2009, following Lois' victory on the Dutch version of X-Factor
. The album was produced by London
-based production group TMS
. Songs have been written by notable songwriters such as Pixie Lott
, Phill Tornalley and Jessica Cornish.
The album debuted at #6 at the Dutch Albums Chart. It has so far peaked at #4 and has sold over 25,000 copies within the Netherlands.
, soul
and blues
finds its way into the record in the form of "catchy horns" and a "warm, international sound". It also claims that Lois provided all her background vocals herself.
The album contains "powerful ballads" such as I Know Who I Am, as well as pop-influenced songs as No Good For Me. Lois decided to name the album after "one of her favorite tracks [on the album]", the song Smoke.
She supports this decision saying: "I love Smoke, because it doesn't quite fit in. It's the odd one out. I think the tone, music and lyrics are very beautiful."
Furthermore, she supports the album's laid-back overall tone, saying "I like blowing away people with my voice, but on this album I wanted to show I'm also able to sing quite modest, more like telling a story."
's Hallelujah, Lois moved from her hometown Wageningen
to London
, England
to work on her debut album. She hired Tom Barnes, Peter Kelleher and Ben Kohn (production trio TMS
) to produce her debut, commenting: "TMS is a brand that has not yet been estabilished, like me. It feels good to work with such a small team, we became familiar soon enough. It was hard labour, but it got me a beautiful album and three new friends."
The albums' ten tracks were written by notable songwriters, such as Pixie Lott
and Phil Tornalley, who has written for Natalie Imbruglia
.
"Hallelujah" is the album's lead single. It went platinum and topped The Dutch Mega Single Top 100 and The Dutch Top 40
. It was released May 8, 2009. Two music videos have also been released; one supporting the original version, one the acoustic.
No Good For Me
"No Good For Me" is the second single of the album. It was released November 13, 2009. It topped the iTunes
chart of the Netherlands on its first day. In charts, it peaked 26 on the Dutch Top 40
and lasted for 3 weeks. On The Dutch Single Top 100, it peaked at #4.
Promises Promises
"Promises Promises" was released into iTunes
at December 10, 2009. The single was physically released in 2010 and was accompanied by a music video, which has received frequent play on Dutch television broadcast.
Little By Little
"Little By Little" is the fourth single from the album. She performed it on The Dutch X Factor.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
singer Lisa Lois. It was released November 27, 2009, following Lois' victory on the Dutch version of X-Factor
X Factor (Netherlands)
X Factor is a Dutch television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. It is shown Friday evenings on the RTL4 Network in the Netherlands. The first series of the show aired from October 2006 through to February 2007, while the second series of the show...
. The album was produced by London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based production group TMS
TMS
- Organizations :* The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, a professional organization for materials scientists and engineers* Texas Memory Systems, a manufacturer of solid-state drives...
. Songs have been written by notable songwriters such as Pixie Lott
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is an English singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her debut single "Mama Do" was released in June 2009 and went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single "Boys and Girls", also topped the UK charts in September 2009. Her debut album Turn It...
, Phill Tornalley and Jessica Cornish.
The album debuted at #6 at the Dutch Albums Chart. It has so far peaked at #4 and has sold over 25,000 copies within the Netherlands.
Background
Lois' website states that the singer's predilection for popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
finds its way into the record in the form of "catchy horns" and a "warm, international sound". It also claims that Lois provided all her background vocals herself.
The album contains "powerful ballads" such as I Know Who I Am, as well as pop-influenced songs as No Good For Me. Lois decided to name the album after "one of her favorite tracks [on the album]", the song Smoke.
She supports this decision saying: "I love Smoke, because it doesn't quite fit in. It's the odd one out. I think the tone, music and lyrics are very beautiful."
Furthermore, she supports the album's laid-back overall tone, saying "I like blowing away people with my voice, but on this album I wanted to show I'm also able to sing quite modest, more like telling a story."
Production
After gaining a #1 spot in the Dutch charts with a cover of Leonard CohenLeonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
's Hallelujah, Lois moved from her hometown Wageningen
Wageningen
' is a municipality and a historical town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specializes in life sciences. The city has 37,414 inhabitants , of which many thousands are students...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to work on her debut album. She hired Tom Barnes, Peter Kelleher and Ben Kohn (production trio TMS
TMS
- Organizations :* The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, a professional organization for materials scientists and engineers* Texas Memory Systems, a manufacturer of solid-state drives...
) to produce her debut, commenting: "TMS is a brand that has not yet been estabilished, like me. It feels good to work with such a small team, we became familiar soon enough. It was hard labour, but it got me a beautiful album and three new friends."
The albums' ten tracks were written by notable songwriters, such as Pixie Lott
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is an English singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her debut single "Mama Do" was released in June 2009 and went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single "Boys and Girls", also topped the UK charts in September 2009. Her debut album Turn It...
and Phil Tornalley, who has written for Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
.
Singles
Hallelujah"Hallelujah" is the album's lead single. It went platinum and topped The Dutch Mega Single Top 100 and The Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
. It was released May 8, 2009. Two music videos have also been released; one supporting the original version, one the acoustic.
No Good For Me
"No Good For Me" is the second single of the album. It was released November 13, 2009. It topped the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
chart of the Netherlands on its first day. In charts, it peaked 26 on the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
and lasted for 3 weeks. On The Dutch Single Top 100, it peaked at #4.
Promises Promises
"Promises Promises" was released into iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
at December 10, 2009. The single was physically released in 2010 and was accompanied by a music video, which has received frequent play on Dutch television broadcast.
Little By Little
"Little By Little" is the fourth single from the album. She performed it on The Dutch X Factor.
Track list
Charts
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums Top 100 | 4 |