Dream Soldier
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''Dream Soldier'' is the fourth album by British
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
singer-songwriter
Des'ree Desirée Annette Weekes (born 30 November 1968), known by her stage name Des'ree (), is an English pop and soul recording artist and songwriter, who rose to prominence during the 1990s. Known for her distinctive contralto voice and uplifting l ...
. It was released on 31 March 2003 on the Sony Soho Square record label, and features the UK top 75 single "It's Okay". For sixteen years, it was the last studio album released by Des'ree, with 2019's '' A Love Story'' marking her return to music. ''Dream Soldier'' was her only studio album to be released in the 2000s.


Background

''Dream Soldier'' peaked at number 77 on the
Swiss Hitparade The Swiss Hitparade () is Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland. The Swiss charts include: * Singles Top 75 (released since 1968) * Singles T ...
. Following this album's lukewarm commercial response, she was soon dropped by Sony, her label. Des'ree didn't release any new music until 2019.


Critical reception

Jon O'Brien of
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
claimed, "Despite a string of inspirational, transatlantic '90s hit singles and a deep sensual voice which stood up to comparisons with the likes of
Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American jazz and soul singer. She is known for her soulful ballads, particularly from the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career in the late 1970s with the funk ban ...
and
Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...
, South London vocalist Des'ree had become more renowned for her much-maligned "ghost, most, toast" rhymes of "Life" than her melodic soul-pop sound by the time of her fourth album, Dream Soldier. Five years on from 1998's
Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
, the Brit Award-winner certainly hadn't let the constant flack deter her from pursuing her rather innocent, nursery rhyme-esque lyrical stance...Although Dream Soldier may descend into pleasant background music territory, it's still a welcome if sometimes slightly awkward return from the artist with the sunniest disposition in pop." Dorian Lynskey of
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
disdainfully wrote "No matter what the past decade has done to the pop landscape, Des'ree has continued to produce one album of platitudinous, comfort-blanket soul after another. You can't fault her for consistency. You can, however, fault her for making terrible records such as Dream Soldier.


Singles

Due to the poor commercial performance of the album, only one single was released from ''Dream Soldier''. "It's Okay", which featured a radio mix by
Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...
, was released on 24 March 2003, peaking at number 19 on the UK R&B Singles Chart, and number 69 on the official UK singles chart. The music video, directed by
Jake Nava Jake Nava is a British director, mostly known for his work in music videos for Beyoncé, Arctic Monkeys, Adele, Britney Spears and The Rolling Stones. He also directs TV commercials, notably for Guinness and Levi Strauss & Co. Early life and ed ...
, was shot in London's
Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...
. The single did not chart in the United States.


Track listing

Worldwide edition


Credits


Production

* Arranged by Will Malone (tracks: 1 to 5, 8, 9) * Engineered by Alex Scannell, Simon Changer * Strings engineered by Alex Scannell (tracks: 2, 4, 8, 9) * Mastered by
Ray Staff Ray Staff is a British mastering engineer, best known for his work with a diverse mix of artists including Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Clash and Black Sabbath. Most recently he has mastered albums for Muse. Biography and career Joini ...
* Mixed by
Jonathan Quarmby Jonathan Hugh Quarmby (born 20 December 1961) is an English record producer and songwriter. He is the son of English architect Arthur Quarmby. Born in Huddersfield, England, Quarmby has worked with a range of artists across various genres. ...
(tracks: 2 to 11),
Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. Known for various roles, including leading man characters, Bacon has received numerous accolades such as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Bacon made his featu ...
(tracks: 2–11),
Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...
(track: 1) * Producer Des'ree (tracks: 2 to 11), Jonathan Quarmby (tracks: 2–11), Kevin Bacon (tracks: 2–11), Stargate (track: 1)


Personnel

* Backing vocals – Chris Ballin (tracks: 1, 3, 11), Derek Green (tracks: 1, 3, 11), Des'ree (tracks: 1 to 4, 9 to 11) * Bass – Kevin Bacon (tracks: 1 to 5, 8 to 10) * Guitar – Mark Sheridan (tracks: 1, 3, 4 to 6, 9, 10) * Keyboards – Jonathan Quarmby (tracks: 1 to 10) * Strings – The London Metropolitan Orchestra (tracks: 1 to 9)


Charts


References

{{Authority control 2003 albums Des'ree albums Albums produced by Kevin Bacon (producer) Albums produced by Jonathan Quarmby Epic Records albums