Birdy (Birdy album)
2011 studio album by Birdy
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Birdy is the debut studio album by English musician Birdy, released on 4 November 2011 by 14th Floor Records and Atlantic Records. The album includes the singles "Skinny Love", "Shelter", "People Help the People" and "1901". It reached the top ten of the music charts in six countries.
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- Jim Abbiss
- Rich Costey
- James Ford
- Alex H. N. Gilbert
- Paul 'P-Dub' Walton
| Birdy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 November 2011 | |||
| Length | 44:02 | |||
| Labels | ||||
| Producers |
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| Birdy chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
.png) Deluxe edition cover | ||||
| Singles from Birdy | ||||
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Singles
"Skinny Love" was released on 30 January 2011 as the first single from the album,[1] which was a cover of a song by American indie folk band Bon Iver. The cover reached a peak of number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. "Shelter" was released as the second single from the album on 3 June 2011. The song covers a track by English indie pop group The xx and peaked at number 50 in the UK.
"People Help the People" was released as the album's third single on 28 October 2011.[2] The song is a cover of the song by English indie rock band Cherry Ghost and peaked at number 33 in the UK. "1901" was released in the UK on 9 March 2012 as the album's fourth and final single. It is a cover of the song by French indie rock band Phoenix.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 5.9/10[3] |
| Metacritic | 61/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [6] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| MusicOMH | [8] |
| NME | 5/10[9] |
| The Observer | [10] |
| PopMatters | 5/10[11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| Uncut | [13] |
Birdy received lukewarm reception from critics. At Metacritic, the album received a score of 61 out of 100, based on 10 critics.[4] AllMusic's Jon O'Brien wrote that "this stripped-back collection of lesser-known hits and album tracks reads like a who's who of lo-fi hipster indie rock", praising Birdy's "youthful and fragile" voice and concluding that "thanks to her haunting tones and a tasteful yet compelling production, it impressively avoids being the try-hard affair you'd expect."[5] The BBC's Nick Levine called the album a "clever covers set... which points to a great future" for the singer.[14] "With a voice that defies her tender years, Birdy... has found herself very quickly touted as one of the brightest up-and-coming talents in the UK," Andy Baber of MusicOMH wrote.[8] Hermione Hoby of The Observer praised her covers of "Skinny Love" and "Shelter", while noting that the self-written track "Without a Word" "suggests she might become even more than just a startling voice."[10]
While praising "Birdy's simple piano/guitar arrangements and her own sweet voice", The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan found the album to be "pleasant but pointless".[7] James Lachno of The Daily Telegraph wrote that the album "consolidates the buzz with more sparse, affecting covers, and a lone original track that is adequately folkish, but for now Birdy remains a novelty."[6] Chris Conaton of PopMatters wrote that Birdy "proves that she can really sing; but [her] appeal may depend on how much enjoy desperate, aching piano ballads, because there are a lot of them here."[11] Duncan Gillespie of NME dismissed the album as "an album of wet-indie covers".[9] Rolling Stone critic Jody Rosen was more critical, panning the album as "the most boring music ever recorded by a teenager" and concluding, "No one so young should have such flawless taste in Quality Indie Rock, or sound this bummed out."[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "1901" (by Phoenix) |
| Rich Costey | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Skinny Love" (by Bon Iver) | Justin Vernon | Alex H. N. Gilbert | 3:23 |
| 3. | "People Help the People" (by Cherry Ghost) | Simon John Aldred | James Ford | 4:16 |
| 4. | "White Winter Hymnal" (by Fleet Foxes) | Robin Noel Pecknold | Ford | 2:17 |
| 5. | "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" (by the Postal Service) | Jim Abbiss | 4:44 | |
| 6. | "I'll Never Forget You" (by Francis and the Lights) | Francis Farewell Starlite | Abbiss | 3:47 |
| 7. | "Young Blood" (by the Naked and Famous) |
| Costey | 4:04 |
| 8. | "Shelter" (by The xx) |
| 3:44 | |
| 9. | "Fire and Rain" (by James Taylor) | James V. Taylor | Ford | 3:07 |
| 10. | "Without a Word" | Jasmine van den Bogaerde | Costey | 4:46 |
| 11. | "Terrible Love" (by the National) | Costey | 4:43 | |
| Total length: | 44:02 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Comforting Sounds" (by Mew) |
| Costey | 8:57 |
| 13. | "Farewell and Goodnight" (by the Smashing Pumpkins) | James Iha | Abbiss | 2:02 |
| 14. | "People Help the People" (RAK Studios Session) | Aldred | 4:17 | |
| Total length: | 59:18 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Just a Game" | Van den Bogaerde | T Bone Burnett | 3:51 |
| 13. | "What You Want" (by John Butler Trio) | John Butler | Abbiss | 4:12 |
| Total length: | 52:05 | |||
Notes
- ^[a] signifies an additional producer.
Personnel
Credits were adapted from the liner notes.[17]
- Birdy – vocals, piano
- Jim Abbiss – drum machine, production
- Leo Abrahams – effects, guitar
- Ben Baptie – mixing assistance
- Jess Barratt – management
- Rupert Bogarde – engineering
- James Brown – engineering
- Ian Burdge – cello
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Matt Chamberlain – drums, percussion
- Alessandro Cortini – synthesisers
- Rich Costey – engineering, mixing, noise, production, strange noises, synthesisers
- Paul Craig – management
- Neil Cowley – organ, piano
- Dan Curwin – back cover photograph
- Ian Dowling – engineering
- Lauren Dukoff – photography
- Tom Elmhirst – mixing
- James Ford – drums, guitar, percussion, production
- Alex H. N. Gilbert – additional production, executive production, production, studio photography
- Kirk Hellie – guitar
- Gareth Henderson – engineering
- Chris Kasych – assistant engineering
- Alex MacNaghten – bass
- Stephen Webster Mair – double bass
- Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards, piano, synthesisers
- Audrey Riley – string arrangements, string conducting
- Lucy Shaw – cello
- Christian Tattersfield – executive production
- Christopher Tombling – orchestra leader
- Paul 'P-Dub' Walton – additional production, engineering, mixing
- Richard Woodcraft – engineering
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[52] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[53] | Gold | 10,000* |
| Belgium (BRMA)[54] | Platinum | 30,000* |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[55] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| France (SNEP)[56] | 3× Platinum | 300,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[57] | Platinum | 200,000‡ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[58] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[59] | Platinum | 15,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[60] | Gold | 10,000* |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[61] | Platinum | 30,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[62] | Gold | 180,457[63] |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (IFPI)[64] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 4 November 2011 | Warner | [65] |
| Ireland | [66] | ||
| United Kingdom | 7 November 2011 | [67] | |
| Netherlands | 11 November 2011 | Warner | [68] |
| United States | 20 March 2012 | Warner Bros. | [69] |
| Germany | 23 March 2012 | Warner | [70] |
| Poland | 26 March 2012 | [71] | |
| Australia | 20 April 2012 | [72] | |
| France | 30 April 2012 | [73] |