''Read My Lips'' is the debut studio album by English singer

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo and ...

, released on 3 September 2001 by

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

. After the disbandment of the

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

group

Theaudience Theaudience (styled as theaudience) were an English rock band, formed in London in 1996. They released one album and saw three singles enter the UK Singles Chart. The band's lead vocalist Sophie Ellis-Bextor became a successful solo artist aft ...

, for which Ellis-Bextor served as lead vocalist, she was signed to Polydor. Prior to the LP's completion, the singer collaborated with several musicians, including band Blur's bassist Alex James,

Moby Richard Melville Hall (September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "amo ...

and

New Radicals New Radicals (stylized as Иew Radicals) was an American pop rock band formed in 1997 in Los Angeles. The band was centered on the duo of Gregg Alexander (lead vocals, guitar, songwriting, production) and Danielle Brisebois (keyboards, percussio ...

frontman

Gregg Alexander Gregg Alexander (born Gregory Aiuto; May 4, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He served as lead vocalist and guitarist for the short-lived alternative rock band New Radicals, who are best known for the 1998 single "Yo ...

. The record was described as a collection of 1980s

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

and 1970s

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

music. Critical response to ''Read My Lips'' was polarised, with music critics denouncing its content that was, according to one magazine, Q, of lesser quality than "

Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" is a song by the Italian electronic music DJ and record producer Spiller with lead vocals performed by English singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Various versions of the single were later featured on the Germ ...

"—the singer's collaboration with Italian DJ

Spiller Cristiano Spiller (born 3 April 1975) is an Italian electronic music DJ and record producer. He is best known for his 2000 single "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)", featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The song reached number-one in the UK, Australia, I ...

and according to others, inherently malign simply on account of being chart pop. The album reached number two on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

, and has since been certified double platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(BPI). It spawned four singles: " Take Me Home", "

Murder on the Dancefloor "Murder on the Dancefloor" is a song written by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Gregg Alexander, produced by Alexander and Matt Rowe for Ellis-Bextor's debut studio album, '' Read My Lips'' (2001). Released on 3 December 2001, the song peaked at numbe ...

", double A-side single " Get Over You"/"Move This Mountain" and "

Music Gets the Best of Me "Music Gets the Best of Me" is a song by British singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor, released as the fourth and final single from her debut solo album, '' Read My Lips'' (2001). The single was one of two new tracks that appeared on the re-iss ...

Background

Following the disbandment of

group

, Ellis-Bextor provided vocals for the song "

" by Italian DJ

. The song was a commercial success, and Ellis-Bextor signed to

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

. She was contacted by director

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962) is an Australian film director, producer, writer, and actor whose various projects extend from film and television into opera, theatre, music, and the recording industries. He is regarded by ...

, who offered her a role in the 2001 film ''

Moulin Rouge! ''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows an English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and courtesan ...

'', but the singer refused in order to focus on her career as a recording artist. The success of "Groovejet" also prompted American musician

to notice Ellis-Bextor, and revealed interest in working with her due to her "amazing" voice, as he described it. He instructed his record company to "track" Ellis-Bextor "down" so they could start working as soon as Moby finished his tour. The two ultimately wrote five songs in New York City, which did not make the final cut of ''Read My Lips''. Furthermore, she also recorded with Blur bassist Alex James, as well as former frontman of the

, while Damian LeGassick was recruited for his

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

and keyboard work. The album's title was chosen due to the strong lipstick Ellis-Bextor used for the album artwork, the " Take Me Home" music video and "Read My Lips" is sung in the opening verse of the album track "The Universe Is You". The album photography was shot by Mert Alaş and Marcus Piggot.

Composition

An "eclectic" album, ''Read My Lips'', is a collection of

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 335px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Space Shuttle Columbia, Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union, Soviet General Secretary of the Communist Party of ...

and

1970s File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War ...

. The album opener and first single is a cover version of

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

's 1979 song " Take Me Home", described as a "disco groove". Betty Clarke from ''

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 ...

'' observed that her voice in the song is reminiscent of

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

Eliza Doolittle Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play '' Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''. Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower seller, who comes to Prof ...

(in the film ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

''). "

Move This Mountain "Get Over You" and "Move This Mountain" are two songs by British pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. In most countries, "Get Over You" received a solo release, but in the United Kingdom, the two tracks were issued as a double A-side single on 10 Ju ...

", co-written by Alex James, is a "vibrant"

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

with a

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

-influenced sound. Following track and second single, "

", is a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

and disco record, that utilises

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

and

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

in its instrumental. "Sparkle" has "speeding beats and equally speeding keyboards", while "Final Move" contains "tinny beats" and "electro swirls". The latter was deemed a "subdued version" of "Murder on the Dancefloor" with "similar kaleidoscope synth". "I Believe" was described as "funky" and "live-sounding", while "Leave the Others Alone" involves "cold beats" and "big, full-throttle keyboards". "By Chance" was particularly noted for showcasing Ellis-Bextor's accent. Re-release new song "

Get Over You "Get Over You" and "Move This Mountain" are two songs by British pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. In most countries, "Get Over You" received a solo release, but in the United Kingdom, the two tracks were issued as a double A-side single on 10 Ju ...

" is a "polite" Euro disco take on "

I Will Survive "I Will Survive" is a song recorded by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978 by Polydor Records as the second single from her sixth album, ''Love Tracks (Gloria Gaynor album), Love Tracks'' (1978). It was written by Freddie Pe ...

Singles and promotion

Promotion for ''Read My Lips'' launched with the release of " Take Me Home", a cover of the song by singer

, which was released on 13 August 2001. Although its production and Ellis-Bextor's vocal performance in the song were heavily criticised, the single reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. After the release of the album, "

" was serviced as its second single on 3 December 2001. It peaked in the top 10 of the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. A double A-side single including new re-release song "

" and original album track "Move This Mountain" was released on 10 June 2002, in a set of two CD singles. Ellis-Bextor, who had previously felt uncomfortable with the idea of touring, confirmed a UK-only tour in January 2002, which took place from April to May. Later, in July 2002, other dates of the tour were revealed for 2003.

Critical reception

Toby Manning from '' Q'' cited "Take Me Home" and "Move This Mountain" as the album's highlights, but, overall, he thought that the record failed to live up to the standard set by the previous collaboration with

. He also found that the album's music and the distinctive pronunciation of Ellis-Bextor's vocal delivery did not work to complimentary effect. Betty Clarke from ''

'' described the album as a "sophisticated package" but said "there's little to love and even less fun to be had". Kelvin Hayes from

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 ...

dubbed it "a disappointing debut from Ellis-Bextor, fusing

Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

synth with beats and cinematic strings", but described "Murder on the Dancefloor" as the "shimmering highlight" from the album. A critic from

entertainment.ie ''Entertainment.ie'' is an Irish web company based in Dublin. The company provides news and reviews of programs and films for TV and the cinema. It also provides information on upcoming comedies, festivals, theater shows and music in Ireland, ...

said "the material on her debut solo album only rarely does justice to her distinctive upper-crust voice", and said that "most of the songs sound laboured and plod where they should swing". In contrast to the previous reviews, Andrew Arora from Blue Coupe had a more positive response to the record. Arora said "it lands somewhere between

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

' synth-pop faculty and Blondie's ''

Parallel Lines In geometry, parallel lines are coplanar infinite straight lines that do not intersect at any point. Parallel planes are planes in the same three-dimensional space that never meet. '' Parallel curves'' are curves that do not touch each oth ...

'' album", although he claimed that fans of "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" "should not expect much from this album, but it does deliver a dynamic electro disco sound that is sometimes analogous to her breakthrough-hit single".

Commercial performance

''Read My Lips'' debuted at number four on the

, selling 23,023 copies in its first week. Although the original ten-track edition dropped down and out of the charts over the next few weeks, a twelve-track UK edition, released in December 2001, peaked at number three in January 2002 following the chart success of "Murder on the Dancefloor". Finally, a fifteen-track edition with a considerably revised running order was released in summer 2002 and peaked at number two—41 weeks after the original edition first charted. The album was certified double platinum by the

(BPI) on 21 June 2002. As of December 2020, it had sold 842,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

Track listing

Notes * signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the 2002 UK reissue of ''Read My Lips''.

Musicians

– vocals * Yoad Nevo – programming, percussion ; guitars ; keyboards, drum programming *

Guy Pratt Guy Adam Pratt (born 3 January 1962) is a British bassist. He has worked with artists including Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Gary Moore, Madonna, Peter Cetera, Michael Jackson, the Smiths, Robert Palmer (singer), Robert Palmer, Echo & the Bunnymen, T ...

– bass guitar *

John Themis John Themis is an Australian-born musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his long-term work with Boy George and Culture Club, collaborating on many of their songs and albums since the 1990s. He also worked on ''Taboo'', a musi ...

– guitars *

Nick Franglen Nick Franglen (born 1965) is a British musician, record producer and installation artist. He is best known as a founding member of the electronic music duo Lemon Jelly. Music composition and production A classically trained musician and multi-in ...

– programming * Wired Strings – strings * Rosie Wetters – string leader * Damian LeGassick – programming, keyboards, guitar * Jake Davies – additional programming * Marco Rakascan – programming ; guitars * Ross Newell – lead guitar ; guitars ; keyboards ; bass *

Juliet Roberts Juliet Roberts (born 6 May 1962) is a British jazz, rock, soul and house music singer of Grenadian descent. Career Roberts was born in London, England. She originally recorded as Julie Roberts in 1982, and performed on the 1983 top 10 hit si ...

– backing vocals *

Sylvia Mason-James Sylvia Mason-James (born 8 December 1958) is a British singer who has worked extensively as a backing vocalist and solo artist. Early life and career Mason-James was born on 8 December 1958 in south London, United Kingdom to immigrants from J ...

– backing vocals *

Ben Hillier Ben Hillier is an English songwriter and pop-rock record producer who is part of the creative team 140 dB. He produced the notable albums ''Playing the Angel'', '' Sounds of the Universe'' and ''Delta Machine'' by Depeche Mode, ''Think Tank ...

– all instruments, programming, piano ; drums * Alex James – bass guitar , guitars, bass * Stefan Skarbek – programming * Aidan Love – original programming, original arrangement * Saphena Aziz – backing vocals * Jennifer John – backing vocals * Korpi & Blackcell – arrangement *

Nina Woodford Nina Woodford-Wells is a Swedish-American songwriter. Career Nina Woodford (born 13 July 1979) Stockholm, is the daughter of the Swedish music producer Sten Sandahl, and the Black American social anthropologist Prudence Woodford-Berger. At the a ...

– background vocals * Emma Holmgren – background vocals * Mathias Johansson – guitar, bass, all keyboards, programming *

Henrik Korpi Henrik Korpi (born Gothenburg) is a Swedish songwriter, record producer with Murlyn Music Group. He also is known for collaborating with Mathias Johansson ("Blackcell") under the name Korpi & Blackcell and releasing many recording productions as ...

– all keyboards, programming

Technical

* Matt Rowe – production *

– production * James Loughrey – engineering * Laurence Brazil – engineering assistance * Jeremy Wheatley – additional production ; mixing ; remix * Marco Rakascan – vocal recording ; additional production ; production ; engineering ; remix ; mixing * Damian LeGassick – production * Jake Davies – mix engineering, sound design *

Bacon Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...

Quarmby Quarmby is a district of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated 2 miles west of Huddersfield town centre between Oakes, Paddock and Longwood. The holders of the manor in the reign of Edward the Confessor 1042–66 were Gamel ...

– lead vocals recording * Gary Wilkinson – production * Ben Hillier – production * Alex James – production * Darren Nash – recording assistance *

Steve Osborne Stephen John "Steve" Osborne (born 1963) is a British record producer, living in Bath, England. He has worked with a wide variety of musicians, including Suede, the B-52s, A-ha, New Order, Elbow, U2, Happy Mondays, Placebo, Gregory Porter, D ...

– production *

Rik Simpson Rik Simpson (a.k.a. Rikademus) is a British record producer. He is most recently recognised for his production work with Coldplay on ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008), ''Mylo Xyloto'' (2011), '' Ghost Stories'' (2014), '' A ...

– engineering * Andrea Wright – remix assistance, additional production assistance * Korpi & Blackcell – production, recording * Niklas Flyckt – mixing * Göran Elmquist – mix assistance * Richard Hall – production, recording * Ben Thacker – engineering * John Davis – mastering at

Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhat ...

Artwork

* Mert Alaş and Marcus Piggot – photography * Michael Nash Associates – design

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Tour

The Read My Lips Tour was the debut concert tour by

, in support of her debut studio album. Beginning January 2003, the tour visited the European continent. As of 2013, it is the biggest tour Ellis-Bextor has ever headlined.

Background

The Read My Lips Tour is the biggest tour Ellis-Bextor has ever gone on, having 38 dates and two legs. The Shepherd's Bush Empire gig was recorded, later being released in Ellis-Bextor's first video album, ''

Watch My Lips ''Watch My Lips'' is the first and only video release by British singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It includes Ellis-Bextor's concert at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, as part of the Read My Lips Tour; '' Read My Lips''-era videos; Theaudi ...

''.

Setlist

This setlist was obtained from the concert held 3 May 2002 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, England. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour. #"Sparkle" #"The Universe Is You" #"Lover" #"

A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed" is an indie-rock song written by Billy Reeves for Theaudience's eponymous album ''Theaudience'', released as the third single on 11 May 1998. "A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed" became one of the band's most p ...

" #"By Chance" #"Final Move" #"Is It Any Wonder" #"Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" #"Everything Falls into Place" #"

" #"

" ;Encore #

#" Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me)"

Tour dates

Notes

References

External links

*
Review + Details

Read My Lips Tour dates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Read My Lips (Album) 2001 debut albums Albums produced by Ben Hillier Albums produced by Gregg Alexander Albums produced by Moby Albums produced by Steve Osborne Electropop albums Polydor Records albums Sophie Ellis-Bextor albums