Pure is the third studio album by all-female German pop group No Angels. It was released by Polydor's subsidiary Cheyenne Records on August 25, 2003 in German-speaking Europe and is the band's only album without founding member Jessica Wahls, who later rejoined the group for their The Best of No Angels the same year. Recorded during Wahls's pregnancy break — which would result in officially leaving the group prior to the album's release —, the album marked the No Angels' first studio release as a quartet and their final album before their temporary disbandment in fall 2003.
Production was helmed by frequent collaborators Thorsten Brötzmann and Peter Ries, with additional songwriting and production contribution from Siedah Garrett, Perky Park, Nigel Rush, Twin, and band member Lucy Diakovska. Despite not selling as well as their previous two albums Elle'ments (2001) and Now... Us! (2002), it became the No Angels' third consecutive chart-topper on the German Media Control albums chart and was eventually certified gold by the BVMI. It peaked at number two and nine in Austria and Switzerland, respectively. Media reception for Pure was generally mixed, although it earned the group their strongest reviews yet.[1][2] Pure spawned three singles, including the band's fourth number-one hit "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)", summer-lite "Someday" and Twin-produced "Feelgood Lies."
Production
In June 2002, No Angels released their second album, Now... Us!, which received critical acclaim from many critics who believed the band would not last past their first album.[3][4] Another major commercial success for the group, it debuted at number one on the German Album Chart.[5] Following an exclusive swing concert at the Berlin Tränenpalast in October, No Angels soon followed with a swing album, titled When the Angels Swing, featuring their biggest hits and selected songs from their first two albums, re-arranged by Grammy Award-nominated jazz musician Till Brönner.[6] Critically acclaimed by critics, the album reached number nine of the German Albums Chart, eventually going gold.[5] In November, the girls embarked on their second national concert tour, the Four Seasons Tour, playing sell-out shows in theatres across German-speaking Europe.[7]
After Jessica Wahls' pregnancy break from the group and the end of the tour, the remaining four members of the No Angels began intensifying work on their then-untitled third studio album. Encouraged to exercise more self-control on the longplayer,[8] the band took over responsibility in composing, recording and selecting songs to guarantee a more personal theme on the album — a step that challenged criticism and growing scepticism among the band's label Cheyenne Records and recording company Polydor.[8]
Intermitted by a pause due to Nadja Benaissa's knee operation and a following physical therapy,[8] almost all tracks except parts of the solo songs were entirely recorded at the Department-2-Studios in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.[8] Although the album saw the quartet mainly reuniting with longtime contributors such as Thorsten Brötzmann and Peter Ries, a wider team of foreign producers was consulting. William Orbit also was in negotiations with the label, but plans fell through.[1] "We selected song for us, which are best pop music, sort absolutely well with us, and represent at best what we want to talk about," band member Sandy Mölling said in an interview during the album's release.[8] Impressed by the intensity of the musical output, the group settled on the album title Pure. "The music is very, very pure, [...] there's nothing we had to dissemble for, the album shows who we really are [musically]."[8]
Release and reception
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Although receiving a generally mixed reception from critics, Pure became the group's most critically acclaimed album then,[1] drawing comparisons to Madonna's 1998 studio album Ray of Light[1][2] as well as other female groups such as All Saints[2] and the Sugababes.[2] Especially praised for the implementation of the album's ballads,[1] some critics however, criticized the band's third studio album for its "overbalancing status of filling material"[2] and stereotypical boy band/girl group output.[1]
Finally released on August 25, 2003 after several delays, Pure debuted at number-one of the German Media Control albums chart, becoming the band's third consecutive regular studio album to reach the top position on particular chart; number 2 in Austria and number 9 in Switzerland. Although receiving a gold certification by the BVMI for more than 100,000 sold copies,[11] the album was a moderate success in comparison with its predecessors Elle'ments (2001) and Now... Us! (2002), eventually ranking fifty-second on the German albums year-end charts only.[12]
The album produced three singles: Jiant-penned lead single "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)" became the band's fourth number-one hit on the German Singles Chart, and seventh Top 10 entry in Austria. Follow-up "Someday" reached the top of the German Airplay Chart.[13] Plans for a fourth single, a cover titled "Elevent out of Ten," originally by Swedish girl group Play never materialized when the band decided to prepare their official disbandment towards the end of the year and instead went on with the compilation album, The Best of No Angels.[14]
Track listing
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| 1. | "Sister" | Vanessa Petruo, Thorsten Brötzmann, Alexander Geringas | Thorsten Brötzmann | 3:26 |
| 2. | "Eleven Out of Ten" | Niclas Molinder, Joacim Persson, Pelle Ankarberg, Charlie Dore | Thomas Lundgren | 3:37 |
| 3. | "So What" | D. Adam, Jane Dobbins, Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes | Thorsten Brötzmann | 3:12 |
| 4. | "Angel of Mine" | Stephan Browarczyk, Mirko von Schlieffen, Alexandra Prince, Christoph Brüx | Thorsten Brötzmann | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Forever Yours" | Fredrik Thomander, Anders Wikström | Peter Ries | 3:25 |
| 6. | "Someday" | Thomas Jansson, Niklas Hillbom | Thorsten Brötzmann | 3:16 |
| 7. | "You Lied" | Suzanne Smith, Sandy Frederickson, Kit Hain | Peter Ries | 4:09 |
| 8. | "Feelgood Lies" | N. Molinder, J. Persson, P. Ankarberg, C. Dore, Maryann Morgan | Niclas Molinder, Joacim Persson | 3:22 |
| 9. | "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)" | Pete Kirtley, Tim Hawes, Liz Winstanley | Perky Park, Nik Hafemann | 3:14 |
| 10. | "Takes a Woman to Know" | C. Dore, Terry Britten | Peter Ries | 3:36 |
| 11. | "New Beginning" | Thomas Who, Negin | Peter Ries | 4:00 |
| 12. | "Washes Over Me" | Peter Ries | Peter Ries | 4:13 |
| 13. | "Venus" (including Pure outtakes) | Robbie van Leeuwen | Thorsten Brötzmann | 3:18 |
- Limited edition bonus CD
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| 1. | "Soft Place to Fall" (Nadja's song) | Allan Simpson | Peter Ries | 3:26 |
| 2. | "Confession" (Lucy's song) | Lucy Diakovska | Stephan Ullman, Lucy Diakovska | 3:59 |
| 3. | "How Can We Be Friends" (Sandy's song) | Pam Sheyne, Sean Hosein, Dane Deviller | Nigel Rush | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Ten Degrees" (Vanessa's song) | Vanessa Petruo, Thorsten Brötzmann, Alexander Geringas | Thorsten Brötzmann | 3:25 |
Credits and personnel
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- Michael Knauer - keyboards
- Björn Krumbügel - keyboards
- Marco Lehmann - keyboards
- Fredrik Norburg - guitar
- Peter Ries - keyboards
- Ben Robbins - keyboards
- Nigel Rush - keyboards
- Ossi Schaller - guitar
- Peter Weihe - guitar
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Production
- Supervising producer: Nik Hafemann
- Vocal assistance: Lisa-Marie Brötzmann, Sina Brötzmann, Freda Goodlet, Maryann Morgan, Alexa Phazer, Pam Sheyne, Rick Washington
- Engineers: Justin Broad, Trevor Hurst, Klaus Überlacker, Ulf Zwerger
- Mixing: Jeo, T. Lundgren, Peter Ries, Jörg Steinfadt
- Artwork: Ronald Reinsberg, Berlin
- Photography: Mathias Bothor
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
References
External links
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