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Amy MacDonald: Life in a Beautiful Light

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Mercury Records
Released: 2012.06.11
Time:
 49:54
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Pete Wilkinson
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.amymacdonald.co.uk
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2014
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] 4th of July (A.MacDonald) - 3:48
[2] Pride (A.MacDonald) - 3:22
[3] Slow It Down (A.MacDonald) - 3:52
[4] The Furthest Star (A.MacDonald) - 3:29
[5] The Game (A.MacDonald) - 4:24
[6] Across the Nile (A.MacDonald) - 3:19
[7] The Days of Being Young and Free (A.MacDonald) - 4:09
[8] Left That Body Long Ago (A.MacDonald) - 4:49
[9] Life in a Beautiful Light (A.MacDonald) - 4:35
[10] Human Spirit (A.MacDonald) - 2:06
[11] The Green and the Blue (A.MacDonald) - 3:53
[12] In the End / Two Worlds (A.MacDonald) - 8:05 *

* - Hidden track.

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Amy MacDonald - Acoustic Guitar, Lead Vocals

Pete Wilkinson - Piano, Producer, Arrangements
Mark Kulke - Acoustic Guitar
Steve Cradock - Acoustic Guitar
Stuart Ross - Bass Guitar, Drums
Mark Kulke - Electric Guitar
Steve Cradock - Electric Guitar
Joe Fields - Electric Guitar
Shannon Harris - Percussion
Steve Cracknall - Trumpet
Tim Hutton - Trumpet

Strings  on [1,5,9,10]:
Audrey Riley - Cello, Strings Conductor
Ann Lines - Cello
Peter Lale - Viola
Sue Dench - Viola
Chris Tombling - Violin
Greg Warren Wilson - Violin
Laura Melhuish - Violin
Leo Payne - Violin

Paul Adam - Executive-Producer
Joe Fields - Engineer on [1-7,9-12a]
Manon Grandjean - Assistant Engineer on [1-7,9-12a]
Simon Hayes - Pro-tools Editor on [1-7,9-12a]
Bob Clearmountain - Mixing on [1-7,9-12a]
Geoff Pesche - Mastering

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Track 12 features a hidden track, starting at 4:11.



Macdonald’s a fine songwriter, but her performances lack a singular, standout appeal.

Three albums down and Amy Macdonald is acquiring an air of always-the-bridesmaid. The 24-year-old’s previous long-players’ combined sales total around four million, but it’s a rare listener who’d name her alongside Adele or Amy Winehouse in terms of recognisably successful modern UK artists.

Listening to this third album, recorded after Macdonald took a year off to recharge batteries drained touring 2010’s A Curious Thing, it’s easy to hear why superstar status has eluded her. She’s just too plain to stand out in the contemporary pop landscape, with nothing in her arsenal that other singers offering middle-of-the-road strum-alongs can’t provide.

The most striking aspect of her voice is, simply, that there’s an accent in there – she hails from East Dunbartonshire. Think what you like about Jessie J’s histrionics, but at least hers is an instantly recognisable identity. The most Macdonald can hope for, vocally, is to step out from the shadows cast by Annie Lennox and KT Tunstall while said performers are on downtime.

If Macdonald’s wordplay excited, her presence would benefit considerably; but uninspired couplets stick in the craw, if not the mind. While lyrical simplicity is welcomed when attached to music that dazzles, here it regularly sounds predictable. The Furthest Star’s “I tried to wish upon that star / It didn’t get me very far” is the sort of rhyme that a writer with Macdonald’s experience might’ve outgrown by now.

Clichés abound, with talk of a house of cards, of giving up the ghost. Human Spirit’s sentiments are in the right place – whatever the ills humanity subjects itself to, something deeper and meaningful prevails – but its articulation is awkward, the song cloying before its two minutes are up.

Highlights do present themselves. Slow It Down skips along at a merry pace, kicking up dust enough for it to suit a band like The Killers. It also finds Macdonald pushing herself vocally, stretching while elsewhere she remains within an unmoving comfort zone.

The Days of Being Young and Free will appeal to fans of The Band Perry and their pop-country cousins, and the title track gusts with no little power or poise. But these are small victories on a set that, mostly, leaves an objective listener puzzled as to Macdonald’s commercial triumphs. 

One wonders if Macdonald’s songs wouldn’t be better served by more charismatic vocalists, as while there’s nothing wrong with this set’s blueprints, the build quality sees it slip into indifference.

Mike Diver, 2012
BBC Review



A lot has happened since Amy Macdonald released her debut album in 2007 which gave her hits in the shape of 'Mr Rock and Roll' and 'this is the life'. She toured around the world, released that difficult second album, got engaged and split up again. However the musical landscape has also changed in between her touring and recording stints. The likes of Adele and Jessie J are the dominant female artists in the UK, with the former going on to conquer the US charts and Grammy awards and eclipsing just about every other mainstream act in terms of sales.
Amy Macdonald Life In A Beautiful Light Album

Although you could say things have been quiet for Macdonald before the release of third album 'Life In A Beautiful Light' in the UK she has enjoyed huge success in Continental Europe. Especially in Germany, where she has even beaten Adele off to win some Music awards there. Unlike someone like Jessie J, whose ego perhaps puts people off, Amy Macdonald has her acoustic guitar and songs whilst retaining a certain likeability that makes everyone give her a fair chance.

'Life In A Beautiful Light' kicks off a slice of American Apple pie in '4th of July with the drums driving the song along in the background. 'Slow It Down,' the first single of the album sounds could be a perfect way to describe what has happened in her life over the past couple years. She toured extensively in support of her second album 'A Curious Thing' and recently split up with partner Steve Lovell. But 'Slow It Down' shows that Macdonald has not lost that ability to carve out a catchy song in the vein of 'This Is The Life'.

What this album does attempt to do is try and give the songs a more epic sounding musical landscape. This trait clearly witnessed on 'Across the Nile' which is reminiscent of Something of U2's 'Unforgettable Fire'. It also shows a maturity in Composition from Macdonald.

The best way to explain this would be to think of 'Poison Prince' from her debut album, her rousing little sing-along about the demise of The Libertines' Pete Doherty.

'Life In A Beautiful Light' represents another strong piece of work from Macdonald.

Although it may not reach the heights of the current crop of female performers on the scene this album will be enjoyable for fans but even those who are not initiated with her previous albums will find something to enjoy. The quality of the musicianship is first rate and although her voice has been compared to Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries, Amy Macdonald's voice is still recognisable. The one thing she does have going for is she hasn't penned an entire album about her break up like Adele or the cockiness that has put a lot of people on top. And that is the problem for 'Life in a beautiful light.' We now have a music industry where it's not the songs that do the talking, it's the PR and marketing.

Shaun Kelly - 23 Jul 2012
© 2015 Contactmusic.com



Life in a Beautiful Light, the third studio outing from Amy MacDonald, finds the Scottish singer/songwriter applying her refreshingly unhindered brogue to a heartfelt, 12-song set that blends the stadium-baiting wail of fellow countrymen Broken Records and Frightened Rabbit with the safe, middle of the road, adult alternative pop of James Blunt and Brandi Carlile. Things get off to a grand start with the spirited "4th of July," an open-road-ready, horn-laden, four-chord love letter to a weekend fling that's equal parts Springsteen and Tunstall, with a little bit of the Proclaimers tossed in for good measure. Elsewhere, "Slow It Down," Life in a Beautiful Light's first tick in the vocal affectation department, and the U2-cribbed "Across the Nile," a political war cry concerning the Arab Spring uprising, are certainly rousing, but feel a bit calculated. In fact, outside of the aforementioned opener and the lush, string-heavy title cut, it all feels a little bit calculated. MacDonald is so beholden to lyrical and melodic clichés, that it can sometimes feel like she's using a template. She's got talent to spare, but Life in a Beautiful Light, at its essence, is the sound of an artist looking for her own voice amidst the deafening roar of her influences.

James Christopher Monger - All Music Guide



Not that anyone is really interested, but if you discount watching the YouTube stream of the Bonnarroo Music Festival, I did stuff-all this past weekend. Sometimes, the batteries just have to be re-charged... No socializing, no work, nothing... Just getting comfortable in your favorite seat with your beverage of choice and letting the time fly by as you listen to some music and watch some television. Of course, when someone subsequently asks what you did over the weekend, there is always that uncomfortable pause before you realize that you are a lazy ass and answer with “just chilled”. A week later and you can’t even remember the particular weekend existed. It’s kind of like Amy Macdonald’s third LP ‘Life In A Beautiful Light’... It’s nice, it’s comfortable and you may even tell someone to get nicked if they attempt to interrupt you. But when all is said and done, it’s a little too forgettable and subsequently makes you feel as if nothing fruitful has been achieved.

Attempting to find a middle ground between the predominantly upbeat acoustic melodies of her superb debut LP and the edgier, more rock-oriented follow-up, the Scottish singer-songwriter clearly has her heart in the right place here. However, those familiar with Macdonald would already presume that, not being fooled into thinking that the “Tales of the USA” themed opener ‘4th of July’ is an attempt to target a greater audience. If anything, the 24 year old is looking for an inter-generational market in much the same way as Adele has struck gold. Initially, all seems to be on track, with the aforementioned opener, the following ‘Pride’ and lead single ‘Slow It Down’ all galloping along in an upbeat manner, and delivering easily recitable choruses. There are even some steel guitar tones and delayed effects, which hint at an interesting updating of Macdonald’s rootsier beginnings. Unfortunately, it all soon evaporates into an inoffensive and borderline bland heap, with many a latter-half track just floating on by and failing to hold interest.

Since there aren’t a great deal of them, it seems easier to highlight those tunes which do stand out. Arguably the album’s most polarizing track, ‘The Game’ is a rousing number, where Macdonald’s vocals are pushed to stretching point over delayed guitars, horns, strings and piano. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the emotional recount of her grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s Disease that is ‘Left That Body Long Ago’ brings an eeriness to proceedings, while hidden track ‘Two Worlds’ is the predictable raw acoustic cut. As always, Macdonald’s voice is simply enchanting, her Scottish accent even lending conviction to clichéd lyrics such as “All my life this is what I was born to do. No sacrifice, I wouldn’t give it up for you”. There is also a reason why the LP is aptly titled ‘Life In A Beautiful Light’, since it is primarily optimistic in mood. Macdonald even finds a positive angle on the infamous Glasgow footballing rivalry on ‘The Green and the Blue’... Doesn’t she know that Rangers are deep in debt and have entered administration?

“I sing from the heart if you listen to me. Everything I do is what I believe”. We believe you Amy, we really do. But the "we" in this instance are already converted fans. Otherwise, many will find 'Life In A Beautiful Light' nothing more than pleasantly worthwhile backing music, which leans too much towards soft-rock... This album may be more The Corrs than The Cranberries! For an artist who has had no filler on her previous releases, the disappointingly uninvolving storytelling contained within, results in quite a bit of it here. Thankfully, Macdonald is such a talented vocalist that she is able to hold it all together... It's almost an effortless performance, which gets back to that word "comfortable". This album just seems too comfortable. "I’ll do anything you ask of me” Macdonald states on 'Pride'. Well, if this lazy ass had his way, it may well be for this prodigy to get a little more uncomfortable. Macdonald is still young, so there is time to right the ship... But her next step may be a little more than interesting; it may be career-defining.

"There's so much more that I could be..."

Davey Boy - June 12th, 2012
Copyright 2005-2014 Sputnikmusic.com



Life in a Beautiful Light is the third album by Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, released on 11 June 2012. The lead single is "Slow It Down" and was released on 20 April 2012. Macdonald's official website confirmed the album for release on 13 April 2012. The track listing was confirmed on Universal Music's store on the same day.

Macdonald began to write Life in a Beautiful Light after having a "lovely year off" following touring in support of A Curious Thing. Macdonald had no time to write songs on her second album as she was touring with This Is the Life. However, Macdonald said she felt that the creation of Life in a Beautiful Light was a more natural process. Two songs from Life in a Beautiful Light were begun before Macdonald's break. "In the End" was written with Macdonald questioning herself whether being a musician was a worthwhile occupation. Macdonald wrote "Human Spirit" inspired by the Chilean miners' rescue.

The album up to now has gathered mixed reviews, earning a collective score of 5.1 out of 10 at AnyDecentMusic?. The Upcoming described the album as a "strong return from Macdonald, interweaving her distinctive voice with splashing cymbals and burbling electronica, but still intermittently flirting with folky affectations". The album received 60/100 on Metacritic, a review aggregator website, signifying "mixed or average reviews".

On 14 June 2012 Life in a Beautiful Light entered the Irish Albums Chart at number 5, making it her highest charting album in Ireland; This Is the Life reached number 16 and A Curious Thing reached number 26. On 17 June 2012 the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 2, making it the second highest charting album that week, only beaten by Gary Barlow's album Sing. Only 1,000 copies separated the top three albums. The album fared better in Scotland, where it debuted at number one.

Wikipedia.org
 

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