Life with You, released in 2007, is the seventh studio album by the Proclaimers. It appeared on W14, a joint venture label between Universal Records and John Williams, the man who gave the Proclaimers their first recording contract on Chrysalis Records. The album reached number 13 in the UK Albums Chart, and No. 1 in the duo's native Scotland where it spent 17 weeks on chart. The album attracted a generally favourable reception,[1] and has been certified Silver by the BPI.
| Life with You | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 September 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2005–2007[citation needed] | |||
| Studio | Rockfield Studios, Wales | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 47:40 | |||
| Label | W14/Universal | |||
| Producer | Steve Evans | |||
| The Proclaimers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Life with You | ||||
| ||||
The album's lyrics focused strongly on emotive topics including war, racism and politics, Life With You's political slant being compared to Elvis Costello and The Specials, with some songs relating to relationships and heartbreak.[2][3]
Recording
editLife with You was recorded in Wales at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire.[4] The album was produced by Steve Evans, who had worked with Siouxsie Sioux and with Robert Plant on "Shine It All Around" (2005).
Themes and style
editThe lyrics of Life with You covered a variety of emotionally charged topics, including consumerism,[2] racism,[2] political leaders and war.[2] "Here it Comes Again" condemned misogynistic attitudes in pop music,[2] York Press opined "The Long Haul" to "lacerate" US President George Bush,[3] while "S-O-R-R-Y" was a disgusted reflection on Tony Blair and warmongering media during the Iraq War.[3][5] Other themes on the record surrounded love and relationships,[3] such as "Harness Pain" which Charles Hutchinson described as "[embracing] heartbreak like R.E.M.".[3]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| PopMatters |   [2] |
| The Boston Globe | favourable[7] |
| York Press | [3] |
Life with You received an aggregate score of 65/100 from Metacritic suggesting "generally favorable reviews" according to 7 critics.[1] Linda Gaban of the Boston Globe was praising of the political nature of the album, commenting "as in-you-face as [the band's hits] are, the Proclaimers are at their best when, well, proclaiming and protesting vehemently over simple melodies", declaring the political ballad "S-O-R-R-Y" to be an "essential" cut.[7]
Regardless, Maura Walz of PopMatters was dismissive of the record, opining that "the production feels mostly flat and the album as a whole never comes alive", and that the lyrics, while "heartfelt", were "nimble as a steamroller".[2]
Charles Hutchinson of York Press gave a lauding, 4-out-of-5-star review of Life with You, opining the band's melodies to "still roll like Scottish mist", and praising the Proclaimers' lyrics to "nail political folly in a manner feared lost since the peak of The Specials and Elvis Costello".[3]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Craig and Charlie Reid, except "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World" by Eric Goulden
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Life with You" | 3:22 |
| 2. | "In Recognition" | 3:05 |
| 3. | "New Religion" | 2:43 |
| 4. | "S-O-R-R-Y" | 4:11 |
| 5. | "No-One Left to Blame" | 4:30 |
| 6. | "Here It Comes Again" | 3:51 |
| 7. | "Blood Lying on Snow" | 3:50 |
| 8. | "Harness Pain" | 4:27 |
| 9. | "The Long Haul" | 2:31 |
| 10. | "The Lover's Face" | 3:38 |
| 11. | "Whole Wide World" | 3:55 |
| 12. | "Calendar on the Wall" | 2:54 |
| 13. | "If There's a God" | 4:48 |
| Total length: | 47:40 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "She Wanted Romance" | 2:44 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Born Innocent" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Hate My Love" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 2:38 |
| 3. | "Let's Get Married" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 4:03 |
| 4. | "You Meant It Then" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 4:20 |
| 5. | "Should Have Been Loved" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 3:10 |
| 6. | "There's a Touch" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 3:03 |
| 7. | "The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Blood Lying on Snow" (Acoustic version) | 3:45 |
| 9. | "Calendar on the Wall" (Acoustic version) | 2:43 |
| 10. | "A Woman's Place" (Acoustic version) | 3:11 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "Life With You by The Proclaimers". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Walz, Maura (12 May 2008). "The Proclaimers: Life With You". PopMatters. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hutchinson, Charles (20 September 2007). "The Proclaimers, Life With You - W14/Universal". York Press. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ The liner notes describe Life with You as having been recorded at Rockfield Studios.
- ^ Mclean, Craig (21 August 2007). "The sun is shining again on the Proclaimers". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- ^ Mawer, Sharon. "The Proclaimers - Life With You - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ a b Gaban, Linda (22 April 2008). "More Proclaiming, Please". The Boston Globe. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ "British album certifications – Proclaimers – Life With You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 July 2020.