''Friendly Fire'' is the second album by the British singer/songwriter

Shara Nelson Shara Nelson (born 1965) is an English singer and songwriter. She worked with Massive Attack in the early 1990s, and as a solo artist had five UK top 40 hit singles. Her 1993 debut album, '' What Silence Knows'', was shortlisted for the Mercury ...

. It was released in 1995 on Cooltempo Records. The album contains Nelson's UK Top 30 hit, " Rough with the Smooth".

Critical reception

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' wrote that "Shara Nelson's voice in itself would seduce any listener but when accompanied by superior song writing and pristine production, the results are even more tantalising." ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' noted that "anyone admiring of Portishead's sparse tripped-out soundscapes, but left thirsty by their lack of genuine soul or authenticity, will be quenched by these sumptuous songs, which make as much sense at three in the afternoon as three in the morning."

Track listing

Lyrics by Shara Nelson # "Rough with the Smooth" (Nelson,

Ashley Beedle Ashley Beedle (born November 25, 1962, in Hemel Hempstead, England) is a British house music DJ and producer. He was a member of the groups Black Science Orchestra and X-Press 2 in addition to releasing material under his own name. Career Bee ...

, Marc Woodford) # "Moving On" (Nelson,

Doug Wimbish Douglas Arthur Wimbish (born September 22, 1956) is an American bassist, primarily known for being a member of rock band Living Colour and funk/dub/hip hop collective Tackhead, and as a session musician with artists such as Sugarhill Gang, G ...

Skip McDonald Skip McDonald (born Bernard Alexander, September 1949) is an American musician who also performs under the stage name Little Axe. Career Early career Grounded in blues music learned from his father, a steel worker who played blues guitar at w ...

) # "Poetry" (Nelson, Lucas Secon) # "I Fell (So You Could Catch Me)" (Nelson,

David Arnold David Arnold (born 23 January 1962) is an English film composer whose credits include scoring five James Bond films (1997-2008), as well as ''Stargate'' (1994), ''Independence Day'' (1996), ''Godzilla'' (1998), '' Shaft'' (2000), '' 2 Fast 2 F ...

) # "Footprint" (Nelson, Dave Henley, Justin Langlands) # "Between the Lines" (Nelson, David Arnold) # "After You" (Nelson,

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

) # "Exit One" (Nelson, Lucas Secon) # "Friendly Fire" (Nelson, Doug Wimbish, Skip McDonald) # "Keeping Out the Cold/Segabeat" (Nelson, Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs/Nelson)

Personnel

*Shara Nelson – lead vocals *The London Session Orchestra – strings *

Gavyn Wright Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London Session Orchestra and Penguin Cafe Orchestra. He is best known for his orchestral arrangements on pop productions (including Elton John, Simply Red, Bush, Mecano, ...

– orchestra leader *Martin Virgo – programming *

Nick Ingman Nicholas Ingman (born 29 April 1948) is an English arranger, composer and conductor in the commercial music field. His collaborators include Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Björk, and the British X-factor. Born and educated in London, Ingman move ...

– string arrangements *

Wil Malone Wil Malone (born Peter Wilson, 29 July 1942, Hornsey, North London) is a British music producer and arranger, who has worked with artists including The Who, Rick Wakeman, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Todd Rundgren, The Verve, Massive Attack, Dep ...

– string arrangement on "Footprint" *

– bass on "After You" *DJ Crystl – scratches on "Friendly Fire" *Steven Dante – backing vocals on "Rough with the Smooth" *Lain Gray, Tee Green – backing vocals on "Moving On" and "Poetry"

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1995 albums Shara Nelson albums Cooltempo Records albums Albums produced by Mike Peden