Somebody's Miracle
Encyclopedia
Somebody's Miracle is the fifth album
by Liz Phair
, released on October 4, 2005 (see 2005 in music
) on Capitol Records
. From September 2004 through April 2005, she composed fourteen tracks spanning from lo-fi guitar-driven to high-gloss produced tracks. Much like her debut album, Exile in Guyville
, Somebody's Miracle was originally modeled after another canonical album, Songs in the Key of Life
by Stevie Wonder
, though only elements of this exist in the final product. The first single, "Everything To Me" was released to radio on August 1, 2005.
. She was also the last artist to perform on the show.
Reviews of the album were mixed. One critic wrote, "Miracle contains the singer's most winning melodies to date, not to mention her most confident vocals." MSNBC wrote that in comparison to her 2003 self-titled album, Somebody's Miracle was "less blatantly commercial, but still smooth, reflecting her increasing shift toward a clearer sound". Rolling Stone, however, gave the album just two stars, calling her vocals "thin and dry" and the album as a whole "plain and forgettable".
This was Liz Phair's last album for Capitol Records. Her next album, Funstyle
, was released on the independent label Rocket Science Records.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
, released on October 4, 2005 (see 2005 in music
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
) on Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. From September 2004 through April 2005, she composed fourteen tracks spanning from lo-fi guitar-driven to high-gloss produced tracks. Much like her debut album, Exile in Guyville
Exile in Guyville
The album, which was out of print, was again available on CD, vinyl and, for the first time, in digital format. The special reissue package includes three never-before-released songs from the original recording sessions: "Ant in Alaska", "Say You", and an untitled instrumental with Phair on guitar...
, Somebody's Miracle was originally modeled after another canonical album, Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life
Songs in the Key of Life is the 13th album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released September 28, 1976, on Motown Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums. An ambitious double LP with a 4-song bonus EP, Songs in the Key of Life became among the best-selling and...
by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, though only elements of this exist in the final product. The first single, "Everything To Me" was released to radio on August 1, 2005.
Album information
The album features a somewhat softer side of Phair, with themes of innocence, loss, and love. Many critics and fans accused Phair of having lost her edge. Phair responded to backlash by saying, "If you are an old fan and it doesn't fit what you need, don't buy the disc." Prior to the album's release, Phair embarked on a short acoustic tour where she played in smaller venues, bars, and clubs. After the album's release, she and her band went on a more extensive tour playing at larger venues. Phair also performed the album's title track on the Charmed episode Battle of the HexesCharmed (season 8)
The eight and final season of Charmed, an American supernatural drama television series, began airing on September 25, 2005 on The WB...
. She was also the last artist to perform on the show.
Reviews of the album were mixed. One critic wrote, "Miracle contains the singer's most winning melodies to date, not to mention her most confident vocals." MSNBC wrote that in comparison to her 2003 self-titled album, Somebody's Miracle was "less blatantly commercial, but still smooth, reflecting her increasing shift toward a clearer sound". Rolling Stone, however, gave the album just two stars, calling her vocals "thin and dry" and the album as a whole "plain and forgettable".
This was Liz Phair's last album for Capitol Records. Her next album, Funstyle
Funstyle
Funstyle is the sixth album by Liz Phair, independently released on her official website on July 3, 2010 by Phair. A CD version was released on October 19, 2010 on Rocket Science Records. It includes a bonus disc containing ten songs from her famed Girly Sound tapes.Funstyle peaked at #181 on the...
, was released on the independent label Rocket Science Records.
Track listing
All songs by Liz Phair, unless otherwise noted.- "Leap Of Innocence" – 4:22
- "Wind And The Mountain" – 5:33
- "Stars And Planets" – 3:54
- "Somebody's Miracle" – 4:23
- "Got My Own Thing" – 4:34
- "Count On My Love" (Phair, ShanksJohn ShanksJohn Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
) – 3:41 - "Lazy Dreamer" – 4:55
- "Everything To Me" (Phair, Shanks) – 3:19
- "Closer To You" – 3:37
- "Table For One" – 4:12
- "Why I Lie" – 3:21
- "Lost Tonight" – 4:02
- "Everything (Between Us)" – 4:34
- "Giving It All To You" (Phair, Shanks) – 3:44
- "Can't Get Out Of What I'm Into" (Import Release and iTunes Bonus Track, originally recorded from Girly SoundGirly SoundGirly-Sound is the moniker under which singer-songwriter Liz Phair recorded several self-produced cassettes in 1991. Recorded on a 4-track tape recorder in her childhood bedroom at her parents' house and initially given only to two people by Phair, Chris Brokaw and Tae Won Yu, these tapes became...
) – 2:51
Personnel
- Liz PhairLiz PhairPhair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
- GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, Vocals (background) - John AlagiaJohn AlagíaJohn Alagía is an accomplished music producer. He is best known for his work with the Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer. Alagia is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, and a graduate of Georgetown University...
- Guitar, KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Organ (Hammond)Organ (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with... - Tim Bradshaw - Keyboards
- Sean Hurley - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Oliver Kraus - CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Dino Meneghin - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Electric)Electric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, Keyboards, Drum Programming, Lap Steel GuitarLap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
, Hand Percussion - Bill Mohler - Bass, Bass (Acoustic)Acoustic bass guitarThe acoustic bass guitar is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually somewhat larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar...
- Jeff Rothschild - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- John ShanksJohn ShanksJohn Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
- Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals (background) - Aaron Sterling - PercussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, Drums - Joe Zook - TambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
Production
- John Alagia - ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, Vocal Arrangement, MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - David Campbell - String Arrangements
- Joel Derouin - Concert Master
- Mary Fagot - Creative Director
- Lars Fox - EngineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Ron Laffitte - A&RA&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
- Tom Lord-Alge - Mixing
- Dino Meneghin - Producer
- Dusan Reljin - PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Jeff Robinette - Engineer, Assistant Engineer
- Eric Roinestad - Art Direction, Design
- Brian Scheuble - Engineer, Mixing
- John Shanks - Producer, Mixing
- Allen Sides - String Engineer
- Shari Sutcliffe - Project Coordinator, Contractor
- Joe Zook - Producer, Engineer
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Everything To Me" | Adult Top 40 | 27 |
| 2005 | "Everything To Me" | Pop 100 | 99 |