Hoodoo (Alison Moyet album)
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone |  [2] |
Hoodoo is the third solo album by singer/songwriter Alison Moyet.
The album includes singles "It Won't Be Long", "Wishing You Were Here", "This House" and "Hoodoo". "This House" was the biggest hit of the four, charting at No. 40 in the UK singles chart.
Moyet's record company wanted the pop hits to continue to flow but this left the singer feeling artistically compromised and under pressure to deliver. This is reflected in the sombre and melancholy Hoodoo which received little support or promotion from Sony, although lead single "It Wont Be Long" secured her a Grammy nomination for best song in 1991.
The album includes contributions from Kirsty MacColl, Steve Lillywhite, Marius De Vries, ex-Fine Young Cannibals Andy Cox and David Steele, and "This House" was originally recorded as a duet with Vince Clarke/Erasure – this version however never surfaced since Sony Music, for reasons unknown, wouldn't allow it to be released.
Track listing
All tracks written by Alison Moyet and Pete Glenister unless otherwise noted.
- "Footsteps" – 4:59
- "It Won't Be Long" – 4:14
- "This House" (Moyet) – 3:56
- "Rise" (Moyet, Irving, Pinder) – 3:46
- "Wishing You Were Here" – 3:57
- "Hoodoo" – 4:43
- "Meeting with My Main Man" – 4:39
- "Back Where I Belong" – 3:51
- "My Right A.R.M." – 4:47
- "Never Too Late" (Moyet, Warren Kennedy, Dean Kennedy) – 3:29
- "Find Me" (Moyet, Gerry Colvin) – 5:25
Chart performance
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| German Albums Chart[3] | 36 | 12 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[4] | 47 | 1 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[5] | 42 | 2 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[6] | 22 | 6 |
| UK Albums Chart[7] | 11 | 6 |
Personnel
- Alison Moyet – vocals, backing vocals (tracks: 1 to 10), programming (tracks: 3, 5, 9, 10), harmonica "Rise", vocals end chorus "Find Me"
- Pete Glenister – guitar, programming (tracks: 1, 3 to 7, 9, 10), backing vocals "(Meeting With My) Main Man", – vocals (end chorus) "Find Me"
- Bob Andrews – keyboards (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 7, 9 to 11), Hammond Organ "Never Too Late", programming "Wishing You Were Here"
- Phil Legg – programming (tracks: 1, 7, 9, 10)
- Dyan Birch – backing vocals "Footsteps"
- Frank Collins – backing vocals "Footsteps"
- Paddie McHugh – backing vocals "Footsteps"
- Kick Horns – horns "Footsteps", "Find Me"
- Jeff Scantlebury – percussion "Footsteps", "Find Me"
- Ben Watkins – programming "Footsteps", "Rise", effects (noises) "Wishing You Were Here", effects (Ergasmatron) "(Meeting With My) Main Man", backing vocals "Never Too Late"
- Mike Gaffey – programming "Footsteps"
- Simon Fowler – backing vocals "It Won't Be Long"
- Steve Cradock – backing vocals "It Won't Be Long"
- John McKenzie – bass "It Won't Be Long" and "Find Me"
- Blair Cunningham – drums "It Won't Be Long" & "Find Me"
- Hugh Burns – guitar "This House"
- Dave Dix – keyboards, piano (Zing) "This House"
- Graham Henderson – piano "This House"
- The Mint Juleps – backing vocals "Rise"
- Rob Rawlinson – bass "Rise"
- Danny Thompson – double bass
- Neil Conti – drums "Wishing You Were Here"
- Kirsty MacColl – vocals (Elysian Chorus) "Wishing You Were Here"
- Steve Sidelnik – percussion "Hoodoo"
- Marius de Vries – programming "Hoodoo"
- Neil Brockbank – programming "Hoodoo"
- Deborah Lewis – backing vocals "Back Where I Belong"
- Michelle Cross – backing vocals "Back Where I Belong"
- David Steele – bass, programming "Back Where I Belong"
- Andy Cox – guitar, programming "Back Where I Belong"
- The Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra – strings "Back Where I Belong"
- George Chandler – backing vocals "Find Me"
- Jimmy Chambers – backing vocals "Find Me"
- Jimmy Helms – backing vocals "Find Me"
- Eugene Ellis – vocals (end chorus) "Find Me"
- Joanne Wakeling – vocals (end chorus) "Find Me"
- Ron "Baby Bio" Aslan – vocals (end chorus) "Find Me"
Production
- Pete Glenister – producer
- Dave Dix, producer, arranger, sound mixing "This House"
- Andy Cox – producer, sound mixing "Back Where I Belong"
- David Steele – producer, sound mixing "Back Where I Belong"
- Alison Moyet – arranger backing vocals, arranger "This House"
- Dave Dix – arranger "This House"
- Fiachra Trench – arranger strings "Find Me"
- Martin Rex – sound engineer (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 11)
- Neil Brockbank – sound engineer (tracks: 1 to 7, 9 to 11)
- Phil Legg – sound engineer (tracks: 7, 9, 10), sound mixing "My Right A.R.M."
- Barry Hammond – sound engineer "This House"
- Chris Dickey – sound engineer "This House"
- John Fryer – sound engineer "This House"
- Dave Anderson – sound engineer "Back Where I Belong"
- Tom Lord Alge – sound mixing (tracks: 1, 4, 7, 10, 11)
- Chris Dickey – sound mixing "This House"
- Neil Brockbank – sound mixing "This House", "Hoodoo"
- Pete Glenister – sound mixing "This House", "Hoodoo"
- Steve Lillywhite – sound mixing "Wishing You Were Here"
Non-album tracks, the Hoodoo era
- "Take of Me" – 4:00
- "Back Where I Belong" (Polite Mix) – 5:26
- "Back Where I Belong" (Soft Mix) – 5:31
- "Back Where I Belong" (Cox & Steele Mix) – 4:07
- "Come Back Home" – 3:21
- "Hoodoo" (Extended Version) – 7:20
- "Hoodoo" (Starlight Dub) – 6:11
- "Hoodoo" (Single Version) – 4:06
- "Hoodoo" (Instrumental) 7:05
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ "charts.de". charts.de. 22 April 1991. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand charts portal". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ "UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive". Chart Stats. Retrieved 6 January 2012.