Long Road Home (album)

Long Road Home is the second top ten UK studio album by British singer-songwriter Charlie Simpson.

Long Road Home
Studio album by
Released4 August 2014
Recorded2013/2014 in London, England
GenreAcoustic, folk, indie rock, folk rock, indie folk
Length41:00
LanguageEnglish
LabelNusic Sounds
ProducerSteve Osborne
Charlie Simpson chronology
Young Pilgrim
(2011)
Long Road Home
(2014)
Little Hands
(2016)
Singles from Long Road Home
  1. "Haunted"
    Released: 2 June 2014
  2. "Comets"
    Released: 2 October 2014

On 2 February 2013, it was reported that Simpson had finished writing the follow-up to his 2011 solo debut Young Pilgrim and he would be heading into the studio with producer Steve Osborne (U2/Placebo) to start recording in early March.

Simpson spent the summer of 2013 playing on the Vans Warped Tour in the US, which was the first time he has played live as a solo artist in America. During October 2013, Charlie went on a tour of the UK supporting rock band, Deaf Havana. He previewed two new tracks from the forthcoming album "Winter Hymns" and "Ten More Days". In 2014, he be undertook a small run of solo shows in the UK in the lead up to the release of his 2nd solo album.

Simpson said when announcing the release: "The making of this album has been an incredible journey for me, it is probably the hardest record I have ever had to make. It took me a while to find what I was looking for and there were points when I nearly had to go back to the drawing board. However, after taking some much needed time out from writing and all things music related, I came back with a completely fresh perspective and wrote in my opinion, some of the best music I have written in my career so far. It’s an album I am hugely proud of and one I had to fight for which makes it all the more special".[1]

Simpson later revealed that the release date for the album had been delayed until 4 August 2014.[2]

Singles

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  • "Winter Hymns" was the first promotional single released from the album. It was released on 29 April 2014.[3]
  • "Haunted" was the first official single premiered on 14 May 2014 on DIY.[4]
  • "Comets" is the second official single premiered on 2 October 2014.

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Rock Sound[5]          
Fortitude Magazine [6]     
The Guardian[7]     
The Independent[8]     
Sunday Times[9]     

Commercial performance

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On 6 August, Long Road Home entered the UK Albums Chart Midweeks at number four according to figures issued by The Official Charts Company.[10] It would finally chart at number ten on the UK Albums Chart,[11] securing Simpson's second top ten solo album, whilst also entering the UK Independent Albums chart at number one,[12] and the Scottish Albums Chart at number thirteen.[13]

Critical response

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Rock Sound describe the album as "a more focussed effort than 11's Young Pilgrim", also stating that "In a year that he could have taken two steps back, with this album, Charlie Simpson has taken a huge step forward".[5] Fortitude Magazine were similarly complimentary, describing it as "An album well worth the massive wait. It’s difficult to knock a credible musician at his best and that’s what you’re up against with ‘Long Road Home’."[6]

Track listing

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All songs written and composed by Charlie Simpson.[14]

No.TitleLength
1."Long Road Home"3:13
2."Comets"3:22
3."Winter Hymns"4:03
4."Emily"4:35
5."Haunted"3:38
6."Would You Love Me Any Less?"3:37
7."Ten More Days"3:37
8."Blood"3:42
9."Still Young"3:36
10."Forty Thieves"3:44
11."Another Year"4:13
Total length:41:00
iTunes Deluxe Edition[15]
No.TitleLength
12."Wait For Me"4:05
13."Crosses"3:36
14."Track By Track Guide" (Video)13:25
Total length:62:06

References

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  1. ^ "What Charlie says about the album". Charlie Simpson (Charlie Simpson). Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  2. ^ Simpson, Charlie. ""HAUNTED" AVAILABLE NOW". www.charliesimpsonmusic.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  3. ^ "Winter Hymns (Single)". Amazon.co.uk (Amazon.co.uk). Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  4. ^ Jamieson, Sarah. "Premiere: Charlie Simpson Unveils New Video For 'Haunted'". Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  5. ^ a b Hidden, Chris. "Charlie Simpson "Long Road Home"". No. 190. Rock Sound Magazine ltd.
  6. ^ a b Grant, Wynona. "Album Review: Charlie Simpson – Long Road Home". Fortitude Magazine. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  7. ^ Nicholson, Rebecca (31 July 2014). "Charlie Simpson: Long Road Home review – Busted singer finds his indie-folk voice". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Charlie Simpson Long Road Home". The Independent. 2 August 2014.
  9. ^ DC (3 August 2014). "Charlie Simpson Long Road Home". Times Newspapers Ltd.
  10. ^ Copsey, Rob. "Charlie Simpson's Long Road Home set to claim highest new albums entry". www.officialcharts.com. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  13. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  14. ^ "Long Road Home (Deluxe Version)". iTunes (iTunes). Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Long Road Home (Deluxe Edition)". iTunes. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.