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| extra5 = Wayne Wilkins, Sam Watters
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Revision as of 12:53, 3 January 2010

Untitled

3 Words is the debut studio album of British pop singer Cheryl Cole, released 23 October 2009 on Fascination Records.[12] It serves as Cole's first solo release following a break from Girls Aloud after seven years and five studio albums. Cole collaborated largely with Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, with notable contributions from American producers Syience and Wayne Wilkins, Danish production team Soulshock & Karlin, Fraser T. Smith and singer-songwriter Taio Cruz, among others.

It was preceded by the lead single, "Fight for This Love", which became the fastest-selling single of 2009 in the UK.[13] It charted at number one on both the Irish and UK Singles Chart.[14][15] The album entered at the top spot of the UK Albums Chart.[16] On 6 November 2009 the British Phonographic Industry certified the album Platinum denoting shipments 300,000 units.[17]

Background and conception

Cole's first foray into a solo music career occurred when she featured on will.i.am's "Heartbreaker". After taking streetdancing classes during the filming of Passions of Girls Aloud series, Cole was picked to appear in the song's music video. She was later asked to sing the female vocals on the track.[18] Cole's version is featured on her album but does not feature on Will.i.am's album Songs About Girls.

It was confirmed on 27 April 2009 via MTV UK that Cole would be working on solo material. Cole reunited with will.i.am, and also worked with Syience, Taio Cruz, and Wayne Wilkins. Cruz was asked to write two songs for Cole; the first of which, "Break Your Heart", was written especially for Cole but her management could not decide whether they wanted the song. Cruz reclaimed the song and released it as the lead single from his second album Rokstarr. The song went on to be number 1 on the UK Singles Chart.[19] The other song, "Stand Up", did make the album.[19]

Album title and packaging

When asked about the album's title, Cole revealed she had already contemplated an album title which contained the phrase 3 Words before the title track was recorded.[20] She had considered titles like Three Syllables, although the strongest contender was Unveiled as Cole "felt like she didn't have any protection without the girls [Girls Aloud]" and because it coincided with the veil on the album cover.[20]

The album's cover was photographed by fashion photographer Nick Knight.[21] Knight said, "although she is photographed all the time by the paparazzi, she is not in front of the camera for a shoot in the same way as professional models are - she is less used to the process." He continued, "Cheryl was great to work with, though [...] - it is just a different kind of shoot with a model who is experienced."[22]

Content

The album begins with its title track, a duet with will.i.am and Cole's favourite song on the album.[23] She said the song was "totally different from anything I've done [with Girls Aloud] or liked before" and took its inspiration from Cole's newly acquired love for dance music on the charts, especially David Guetta & Kelly Rowland's "When Love Takes Over".[23] Before it was even announced as the second single, during the album's opening week it charted at number 26 based on downloads.[24] "Parachute", written by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and Marshall Altman with production from Syience, was described by Cole as "left-of-field" and "unique".[25] She cited "you are your own worst enemy, you'll never win the fight" as her favourite lyric from the album.[25] Cole also noted that it was a contender for the album's lead single[25] and charted at number 116 following the album's release.[24] "Heaven", another will.i.am production, was the first song to be co-written and recorded by Cole for 3 Words and for that reason holds "a special meaning" to Cole.[26] It contains a sample of "Is You" by D.I.M., written by Andreas Meid[27] and charted at 122 during the album's release.[24]

Cole revealed that the lead single, "Fight for This Love", came to her in demo form with a male vocalist. Cole said she "knew instantly it was a single", having "connected with the song so well".[28] "Rain on Me", co-written by prolific American songwriters Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello, was one of the last songs to be recorded for 3 Words.[29] Cole recorded the song in Los Angeles and said the process was "emotional" as the album's recording was coming to an end.[29] It charted at number 135 on 7 November 2009.[24] "Make Me Cry" was the first song that Cole recorded with will.i.am in Los Angeles.[30] Cole wrote verses around will.i.am's hook, which was inspired by his girlfriend[30] the song charted at number 154.[24] Cole said that she listened to the demo of "Happy Hour" on repeat because she enjoyed the song so much.[31] She further noted that the song, produced by Soulshock & Karlin, was "one of those tracks that you either really love or you don't get it."[31] It interpolates elements of Renaldo Domino's "Nevermore", written by Richard Pegue.[27] "Happy Hour" charted at 165 following the album's release.[24]

"Stand Up" was written and produced by Taio Cruz and Fraser T. Smith. Cruz described the song as an "absolute club banger".[19][32] It has peaked at number 112 following the album's release.[24] "Don't Talk About This Love" written by UK songwriter /producer Chris Braide and Nikola Bedingfield. It was originally recorded by her as the title track for her debut EP and following the release of Cole's album it has debuted on the UK singles chart at number 177.[24] The song "Boy Like You", featuring and produced by will.i.am, samples Fleetwood Mac's 1987 single "Little Lies"[27] and also managed to chart following the album's release at number 105.[24] The album also features the clean single version of will.i.am's "Heartbreaker", to which Cole provides the female vocals.

Release

3 Words was released in the United Kingdom on Monday 26 October 2009. A limited edition fan version of the album was released through Cole's official website.[33] The deluxe version includes a tote bag, a Cheryl Cole calendar and two exclusive art prints, all contained in a deluxe box.[33]

Singles

  • "Fight for This Love" is the first single, written and produced by Wayne Wilkins and Steve Kipner, and co-written by Andre Merritt.[34] The song received its worldwide radio première on 7 September 2009 on BBC Radio 1's The Chris Moyles Show. The track has been described as "a midtempo pop-R&B track with subdued, synthy production and an infectious hook".[35] The music video was directed by Ray Kay and filmed in early September 2009.[36][37] Cole performed the song on Sunday, 18 October on The X Factor live results show.[38] The song became the fastest-selling single of 2009 in the United Kingdom, and peaked at number one on both the Irish and UK Singles Chart.[13][14][15]
  • "3 Words" will be the second single and features will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas.[39] It has already charted at 26 in the UK. It was written by will.i.am, Cole, George Pajon and produced by will.i.am. The song got its worldwide radio premiere on 13 October 2009 on BBC Radio 1's The Chris Moyles Show.[39] The music video was directed by Vincent Haycock.[40] The artwork for the single was released on the 26 November 2009. And has so far peaked at number 4 in the charts, matching Cole's previous best with will.i.am in "Heartbreaker"[41]
  • "Parachute" will be the 3rd single from the album, released in 2010.[42] In the week ending December 20, 2009 the song reached its first peak in the upper half of the UK singles chart. It reached a new peak of 65.[43]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Attitude [1]
BBC Music(mixed) [2]
Daily Telegraph [3]
Digital Spy [4]
The Guardian [5]
The Independent [6]
In The News [44]
musicOMH [45]
Financial Times [9]
The Times [10]

Critical reception towards the album has been mixed despite the commercial success of its lead single. The Daily Telegraph described the album as a "selection of sexy but underwhelming R'n'B pop", noting that was "not a hint of the bubbley personality that has won over X Factor viewers" or "the electro-guitar fusion that put Girls Aloud on top".[3] Financial Times also called it a "dismayingly boring solo album, [...] swapping Girls Aloud's sparkly pop for thin R&B-flavoured songs with dreary beats and characterless singing."[9] Pete Paphides of The Times agreed that Cole's personality is "absent from mid-paced fillers" and exclaimed that "even when 3 Words gives you something to admire, the emotional temperature rarely nudges above frosty."[10] "The Independent further stated the album was "utterly bereft of imagination and risk, with tried and tested R&B producers [...] doing what they do as dispassionately as possible."[6]

The Guardian gave the album three stars out of five but felt it was "ultimately too tentative and slight to be more than a footnote in Cheryl Cole's unstoppable celebrity story."[5] Tom Ewing argues, "Parts of this album never pass beyond conservative pleasantries. But the shift in sound was still necessary."[5] The review further described 3 Words as "a low-key, shadowy kind of pop record, whose best songs rarely take immediate hold."[5] Digital Spy said the album was "not a bad record, but nor is it a modern pop classic to rival the best Girls Aloud albums [...] it's a collection of cool, contemporary pop-R&B tunes that takes a few plays to reveal its charms."[4] BBC Music reviewed the album a mixed review saying it "does exceed pessimistic predictions".[2] Kim Dawson of Daily Star felt the album was "another victory" for Cole, arguing that "the simple 90s R&B/pop collecton has the same charm as her huge Geordie smile."[46] Gay magazine Attitude agreed, stating that although guarded "introduces us to Cheryl as an individual - the girl behind the gloss. Very hip, very now, and ultimately very Cheryl."[1]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."3 Words" (featuring Will.i.am)William Adams, George Pajon, Cheryl ColeWill.i.am4:33
2."Parachute"Ingrid Michaelson, Marshall AltmanSyience, Will.i.am3:40
3."Heaven" (featuring Will.i.am)Adams, Cole, Stacy BartheWill.i.am4:36
4."Fight for This Love"Andre MerrittWayne Wilkins, Steve Kipner3:43
5."Rain on Me"Louis Biancaniello, Olivia Waithe, KipnerWayne Wilkins, Sam Watters3:50
6."Make Me Cry"Adams, Cole, Caleb SpeirWill.i.am4:35
7."Happy Hour"Carsten Schack, Kenneth Karlin, Priscila ReneaSoulshock & Karlin4:06
8."Stand Up"Taio Cruz, Fraser T. SmithTaio Cruz, Fraser T. Smith3:23
9."Don't Talk About This Love"Chris Braide, Nikola BedingfieldSyience3:45
10."Boy Like You" (featuring Will.i.am)Adams, ColeWill.i.am4:30
11."Heartbreaker" (Will.i.am featuring Cheryl Cole)AdamsWill.i.am3:14

Samples

  • "Heaven" contains samples from "Is You" by D.I.M., written by Andreas Meid.[27]
  • "Happy Hour" contains samples from "Nevermore" by Renaldo Domino, written by Richard Pegue.[27]
  • "Boy Like You" contains samples from "Little Lies" by Fleetwood Mac, written by Chrstine McVie and Eddy Quintela.[27]

Personnel

Charts and certifications

The album debuted at number one in the UK with sales of 125,271.[47] It then held on to that position for another week, just like her single "Fight for This Love".[48] On 6 November 2009 the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified the album Platinum denoting shipments of 300,000 units.[17] The album has sold 608,115 to date.[49]

Preceded by UK Albums Chart number-one album [51]
1 November 2009 - 15 November 2009 		Succeeded by
JLS by JLS

Release history

Region Release date Format Label Catalogue
Ireland 23 October 2009 CD, Digital download Polydor Records 2721459
United Kingdom 26 October 2009 CD, Digital download Fascination Records 2721459
HMV bonus version 2724424
Italy February 2010 CD, Digital download Universal Music

References

  1. ^ a b c Talia Kraines. "Cheryl Cole - 3 Words". Attitude. Trojan Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Mike Diver (22 October 2009). "Cheryl Cole - 3 Words". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Neil McCormick (23 October 2009). "Cheryl Cole: 3 Words, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  4. ^ a b c Nick Levine (25 October 2009). "Cheryl Cole: '3 Words'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e Tom Ewing (22 October 2009). "Cheryl Cole: 3 Words". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  6. ^ a b c Andy Gill (23 October 2009). "Album: Cheryl Cole, 3 Words (Fascination)". The Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  7. ^ "Cheryl Cole: Three Words review". Inthenews.co.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  8. ^ "Cheryl Cole - 3 Words | album reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  9. ^ a b c Ludovic Hunter-Tilney (24 October 2009). "Cheryl Cole: 3 Words". Financial Times. Pearson PLC. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  10. ^ a b c Pete Paphides (24 October 2009). "Cheryl Cole: 3 Words". The Times. News Corporation. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  11. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/
  12. ^ "Three Words". Play.com. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  13. ^ a b "Cheryl Cole debut single outsells Girls Aloud". The Sun. IPC Media. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  14. ^ a b Daniel Kilkelly (23 October 2009). "Cheryl Cole tops Irish singles chart". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  15. ^ a b "Cheryl Cole's debut is number one". BBC News. BBC. 25 October 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  16. ^ a b "Cheryl Cole - 3 Words". Chart Stats. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  17. ^ a b c "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  18. ^ "Cheryl Cole teams up with Will.i.am". myparkmag.co.uk. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  19. ^ a b c "Music - News - Cole 'missed out on' Cruz chart-topper". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  20. ^ a b "Twitter Q&A #2". Brightcove. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  21. ^ "Cheryl Cole hires Posh Spice snapper for new album". The Sun. News Corporation. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  22. ^ "Celebrities aren't the best models". MyFashionLife.com. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  23. ^ a b "3 Words". Brightcove. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/091107cluk.txt
  25. ^ a b c "Parachute". Brightcove. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  26. ^ "Heaven". Brightcove. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  27. ^ a b c d e f "Cheryl Cole - 3 Words". Discogs. Zink Media Inc. Retrieved 26 October 2009. Cite error: The named reference "discogs" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  28. ^ "Fight for This Love". Brightcove. 15 October 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  29. ^ a b "Rain on Me". Brightcove. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  30. ^ a b "Make Me Cry". Brightcove. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  31. ^ a b "Happy Hour". Brightcove. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  32. ^ David Balls (7 August 2009). "Cruz pens "club banger" for Cheryl Cole". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
  33. ^ a b "Three Words Limited Edition Fan Version". Universal Music. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  34. ^ "Fight For This Love". ASCAP. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  35. ^ David Balls (19 October 2009). "Cheryl Cole: 'Fight For This Love'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
  36. ^ "SHOT: Cheryl Cole - Ray Kay, director". videostatic.com. 14 September 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
  37. ^ "Shooting Cheryl Cole video in London tomorrow. Got a great team, it'll be fun :)". Twitter. 4 September 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  38. ^ "Cheryl Cole confirms solo career". MTV News. MTV. 27 April 2009.
  39. ^ a b "Cheryl Cole - 13 Oct 09". BBC. 20 October 2009.
  40. ^ "SHOT: Cheryl Cole f/ Will.I.Am - Vincent Haycock, director". Video Static. 20 October 2009.
  41. ^ http://www.authoritydesign.com/cherylcole/cheryl_3littlewords_pack.jpg
  42. ^ http://www.radio1.gr/music/forthcoming_uk_singles.htm
  43. ^ http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=34695
  44. ^ "Cheryl Cole: Three Words review". Inthenews.co.uk. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  45. ^ "Cheryl Cole - 3 Words | album reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  46. ^ Kim Dawson (10 October 2009). "PREVIEW CHERYL COLE: 3 Words". Daily Star. Northern & Shell. Retrieved 23 October 2009.
  47. ^ Nick Levine (1 November 2009). "Cheryl Cole scores UK chart double". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  48. ^ "Album chart for 14/11/2009". Chart Stats. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  49. ^ Cheryl's Total Sales of 2009
  50. ^ "Chart Track". Chart Track. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  51. ^ "The Official UK Charts Company : TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART". Theofficialcharts.com. Retrieved 16 November 2009.

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