City of Love is the ninth studio album by Scottish pop rock band Deacon Blue, released through Earmusic on 6 March 2020. It is their first album since 2016's Believers. It was promoted by the lead single, the title track "City of Love".[2]
| City of Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 March 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2019 | |||
| Studio | Gorbals, Glasgow | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:03 | |||
| Label | Earmusic | |||
| Producer |
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| Deacon Blue chronology | ||||
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Background
editSinger Ricky Ross said he thought it would be interesting to record the album in the Gorbals area "right in the heart of Glasgow" after learning that "there are bones reputedly belonging to St Valentine in St Francis' church" there.[3]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Scotsman | |
Reviewing the album for PopMatters, Adam Mason wrote that it features "11 open-hearted and largely sentimental songs with big choruses and traditional rock instruments", describing the band as having written "crowd-pleasers [...] with a firm eye on recapturing their glory days. They aim for singalong tunes that will stand proud with old favorites at their outdoor shows this summer".[2] Brett Callwood of LA Weekly found City of Love to be free of filler, writing that "everything that made their past work so special shines here too [...] It all sounds so effortless, nothing is forced, and yet it's clear that they worked hard about this slab of work".[1] Writing for Belfast Telegraph, Steve Grantham called the album a "solid, well-produced set, with big choruses where they are needed and more subtle contemplation when not. It will, no doubt, please the band's fans and may, given enough exposure, gain them some more."[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "City of Love" | Ricky Ross | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Hit Me Where It Hurts" | Ricky Ross, Gregor Philp | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Weight of the World" | Ricky Ross | 3:39 |
| 4. | "Take Me" | Ricky Ross, Gregor Philp | 3:54 |
| 5. | "In Our Room" | Ricky Ross, Gregor Philp, James Prime | 4:09 |
| 6. | "Intervals" | Ricky Ross | 3:36 |
| 7. | "Keeping My Faith Alive" | Ricky Ross, Gregor Philp, Gordon Kennedy | 3:10 |
| 8. | "A Walk in the Woods" | Ricky Ross | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Come on In" | Ricky Ross, Gregor Philp | 3:26 |
| 10. | "Wonderful" | Ricky Ross, Gregor Philp, Aaron Espe | 3:36 |
| 11. | "On Love" | Ricky Ross | 7:11 |
| Total length: | 44:03 | ||
Charts
edit| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[6] | 1 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[7] | 50 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[8] | 4 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Callwood, Brett (10 March 2020). "Album of the Week: Deacon Blue's City of Love". LA Weekly. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ a b Mason, Adam (5 March 2020). "Deacon Blue: City of Love (album review)". PopMatters. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ English, Paul (17 February 2020). "All you need is love: Deacon Blue's Ricky Ross reveals romantic inspiration". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ Shepherd, Fiona (10 March 2020). "Album reviews: Deacon Blue | Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott | Sergio Mendes | Sound of Yell". The Scotsman. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ^ Grantham, Steve (13 March 2020). "Albums of the week – From Deacon Blue to Circa Waves". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 11: del 6.3.2020 al 12.3.2020" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 March 2020.