Strip Me
Strip Me | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 7 December 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2008–2010 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 48:59 (Strip Me) 56:04 (Strip Me Away) | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Natasha Bedingfield chronology | ||||
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Singles from Strip Me | ||||
Strip Me Away | ||||
Strip Me is the third studio album by the English singer and songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. It was released on 7 December 2010 by Phonogenic Records. "Touch" was released as the first single from the album on 18 May 2010 and "Strip Me" was released as the second single on 31 August 2010. Neither of the singles was successful on the US Billboard charts. The album's title song peaked at number twenty-three on the adult contemporary chart. The album debuted at number 103 on US Billboard 200 with 10,000 copies sold, a significant drop from her previous album, N.B., which debuted at number three selling 50,000 units.
In Europe, Strip Me was released in May 2011 under the title Strip Me Away, with more colourful artwork and an expanded list of tracks. It charted only in Germany and Switzerland.
Background and production
[edit]Bedingfield finished recording the album in July 2010.[4] The project's title was unveiled on Bedingfield's official Twitter page on 15 July 2010.[5] She described the album as "be[ing] the next level from what I've already done....It's just more vibrant and exciting. And I can't wait for people to hear it."[4] In an interview with Billboard, Bedingfield said,
"I've titled the album Strip Me because its about stripping down who we are as humans. We're united about our needs, our desires and our pain, all the different things we go through together. Strip Me felt like it explains what the songs are about more than any other title I could think of. So it has a double meaning, but I think people kind of know me enough to know what I mean by it.[6]
The thirteen-track standard edition,[7] the twenty-one track deluxe edition[8] and pre-order bonus track editions[9] of the album were compiled from more than 50 songs[citation needed] which Bedingfield had written since touring. In an interview with PopEater she said, "I've been touring for so many years now that I wrote with my live gigs in mind. I wanted to write anthems that people could sing along to – things that were still personal, but definitely trying to find the best way to connect with people."[10] On the album, she worked with Andreas Kleerup, John Hill, Wyclef Jean, Salaam Remi, Ryan Tedder, Jonas Myrin, Eg White, and Sia.[11] None of the songs worked on with Jean, Remi or Furler made the final track listing, although all of the songs on the final track list were co-written by Bedingfield.[7] Additionally, Idolator revealed that Bedingfield had recorded a Ne-Yo-assisted duet titled "The Little Things", which was produced by StarGate, though it was not included on the final album either.[12] Bedingfield told fans in December 2010, via a recorded video message, that the album could be released elsewhere in the world later but for the near present she was focusing on America.[13]
Promotion
[edit]Bedingfield's label, Epic Records, outlined plans for her to tour in the second half of 2010, in support of the album.[14] However, in September 2010, Billboard revealed that Bedingfield's tour plans were moved back into 2011 though no dates were confirmed.[6] Additionally, the singer announced that "Touch" would be used in TV commercials for Nivea skin care.[15][16] The album track "Can't Fall Down" was exclusively streamed via Billboard's official website on 3 December 2010.[6] Another song from the album, "Weightless", was made available to stream on the E! Online website.[17] Bedingfield promoted the album with performances of the title song on The Today Show on 7 December, Live with Regis and Kelly on 8 December, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 9 December 2010 as well as appearances on Chelsea Lately and Rachel Ray.[18] She was also announced on the line-up for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve concert hosted by Ryan Seacrest.[19] According to AOL online, Bedingfield also signed a promotion deal with Hotel Indigo which would see cross promotion of the hotel chain and album.[20] In January 2011, Bedingfield was invited to the head offices of Rolling Stone magazine, where she performed "Pocketful of Sunshine", "Soulmate" and "Strip Me".[21] To promote the album, Bedingfield announced her Less is More Tour, which began on 5 June and included 29 US cities.[22] The deluxe version of Strip Me subsequently included several audio and video recordings from the Less is More Tour dates.[23][8]
"Strip Me" and "A Little Too Much" became official theme songs for the films Morning Glory and Something Borrowed respectively, being used in both the trailers and in the films' ending credits.[24] "Neon Lights" was used in the end credits of the 2011 film What's Your Number?. "Recover" was later used to help promote State Farm in their State of Despair TV spot.[25]
Singles
[edit]"Touch" was the album's lead single. The up-tempo song was written by Bedingfield, Julien Bunetta and Steve Kipner, and produced by Bunetta and Kipner,[14][15] It was released to the iTunes Store on 18 May 2010.[26] It was sent to US mainstream radio stations on 29 June 2010.[27] The song peaked on the Canadian Hot 100 at number sixty.[28] However, it was later declared a buzz single by Bedingfield's official website and the album's "Strip Me" was revealed as the replacement lead single.[29] "Strip Me" was released to mainstream radio stations on 31 August 2010[27] and digital download on 21 September 2010.[30] "Strip Me" was moderately more successful, reaching number sixty-five in Canada and number ninety-one on the Billboard Hot 100.[31]
Critical reception
[edit]Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 60/100[32] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
California Chronicle | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | (C)[33] |
Rolling Stone | [34] |
Slant Magazine | [1] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a weighted average score of 60, based on 4 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[32] Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly gave Strip Me a C rating and wrote that it "plays like one long, increasingly desperate pep talk. The only breather? 'Unexpected Hero,' a lovely late-Beatles-style ballad."[33] The AllMusic editor, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, noted the album for "retaining [the] same blend of well-manicured R&B and European sophistication" of Bedingfield's first album and commented that she "plays it exceptionally safe, to the extent that she even tones down the self-empowerment of her first two records, preferring pristine blue-eyed soul and adult contemporary ballads, all tailored for an aspirational upscale lifestyle".[3] Slant Magazine's Jonathon Keefe found it "single-minded in its uplifting, inspirational tone", writing in conclusion that "Bedingfield uses her powerful voice to oversing most of her material, making Strip Me feel like even more of a sermon. It may not be the year's worst pop album, but it might just be the most exhausting and heavy-handed."[1]
Commercial performance
[edit]Strip Me was originally due to be released on 9 November 2010;[35] however, it was pushed back to 7 December 2010.[36] It was Bedingfield's third album to be released in the United States and Canada and the second release by Bedingfield to be released exclusively in those territories, following Pocketful of Sunshine in 2008.[37] On 16 December 2010, the album made its US Billboard 200 chart debut at number 103, having sold just under 10,000 copies. It was a significant decline compared to Pocketful of Sunshine (2008), which debuted at number three having sold 50,000 copies.[38] It remained in the top 200 for just its opening week;[39] but re-appeared in 2011, on 15 January, at number 167, and climbed to number 157 the following week.[40]
Track listing
[edit]Strip Me
[edit]No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Little Too Much" | Hill | 3:30 | |
2. | "All I Need" (featuring Kevin Rudolf) |
| Shanks | 3:45 |
3. | "Strip Me" |
|
| 3:29 |
4. | "Neon Lights" |
|
| 3:44 |
5. | "Weightless" |
|
| 3:55 |
6. | "Can't Fall Down" |
|
| 4:09 |
7. | "Try" |
| Shanks | 3:16 |
8. | "Touch" |
|
| 3:47 |
9. | "Run-Run-Run" |
| Hill | 3:06 |
10. | "Break Thru" |
|
| 4:07 |
11. | "No Mozart" |
|
| 3:48 |
12. | "Recover" |
| Marshall Altman | 3:49 |
13. | "Weightless" (Less Is More Version) |
| Altman | 4:31 |
Total length: | 48:49 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Easy" (Rascal Flatts featuring Natasha Bedingfield) |
|
| 3:39 |
Total length: | 52:28 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Unexpected Hero" |
| Carey | 3:22 |
Total length: | 52:11 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "Easy" (Rascal Flatts feat. Natasha Bedingfield) | 3:39 |
15. | "Strip Me" (Less Is More Version) | 3:45 |
16. | "All I Need" (Less Is More Version) | 4:32 |
17. | "Can't Fall Down" (Less Is More Version) | 4:26 |
18. | "Strip Me" (Less Is More Version) (music video) | 3:53 |
19. | "All I Need" (Less Is More Version) (music video) | 3:53 |
20. | "Can't Fall Down" (Less Is More Version) (music video) | 4:22 |
21. | "Weightless" (Less Is More Version) (music video) | 4:39 |
Total length: | 79:58 |
Strip Me Away
[edit]Outside of North America, Strip Me was released under the title Strip Me Away, with an amended track listing.[42]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Pocketful of Sunshine" |
| Shanks | 3:23 |
2. | "Little Too Much" |
| Hill | 3:30 |
3. | "All I Need" (featuring Kevin Rudolf) |
| Shanks | 3:45 |
4. | "Strip Me" |
|
| 3:29 |
5. | "Neon Lights" |
|
| 3:44 |
6. | "Weightless" |
|
| 3:55 |
7. | "Can't Fall Down" |
|
| 4:09 |
8. | "Try" |
| Shanks | 3:16 |
9. | "Touch" |
|
| 3:47 |
10. | "Run-Run-Run" |
| Hill | 3:06 |
11. | "Break Thru" |
| Kleerup | 4:07 |
12. | "No Mozart" |
|
| 3:48 |
13. | "Recover" |
| Altman | 3:49 |
14. | "Weightless" (Less Is More Version) |
| Altman | 4:31 |
15. | "Put Your Arms Around Me" |
|
| 3:43 |
16. | "Unexpected Hero" |
| Carey | 3:22 |
Total length: | 56:04 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Piece of Your Heart" |
| J. R. Rotem | 3:47 |
18. | "Unwritten" (acoustic) (featuring Carney) | 3:44 | ||
19. | "Pocketful of Sunshine" (music video) |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Strip Me" (Less Is More Version) | |
2. | "Weightless" (Less Is More Version) | |
3. | "Can't Fall Down" (Less Is More Version) | |
4. | "Run-Run-Run" (Less Is More Version) | |
5. | "Pocketful of Sunshine" (music video) | |
6. | "Strip Me" (music video) |
Sample credits
- "All I Need" contains samples and excerpts from "Let It Rock" by Kevin Rudolf.[7]
Personnel
[edit]Taken from Barnes & Noble.[44]
Performance credits
|
|
Technical credits
|
|
Charts
[edit]
|
|
Release history
[edit]Region | Date | Edition | Format(s) | Label(s) | Catalog | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | 7 December 2010 | Standard | Sony Music | 886977442222 | [47] | |
Deluxe | Digital download | 886977442223 | [23] | |||
United States | Standard |
|
886977442222 | [9] | ||
Deluxe | Digital download | 886977442223 | [8] | |||
Austria | 13 May 2011 | Strip Me Away |
|
Sony Music | 88697912292 | [48][49] |
Germany | [43] | |||||
Switzerland | [49] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Keefe, Jonathan (12 December 2010). "Natasha Bedingfield: Strip Me". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ a b "Bedingfield stays upbeat and on point". California Chronicle. News Sentinel. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (9 November 2010). "Strip Me – Natasha Bedingfield". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 10 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ a b McGonigle, Molly (16 July 2010). "Natasha Bedingfield on her new album: 'I've taken it to another place'". Wonderwall (MSN). Archived from the original on 19 July 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
- ^ Semigran, Aly (15 July 2010). "'Inception' Anticipation And Joe Jonas Films 'Cleveland' In Today's Tweet Dreams". Hollywoodcrush. MTV Networks (Viacom). Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
- ^ a b c Concepcion, Mariel (14 September 2010). "Natasha Bedingfield Exclusive Song: "Can't Fall Down"". Billboard. New York: Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 21 September 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ a b c Strip Me (Booklet). Natasha Bedingfield. Los Angeles: Phonogenic, Epic Records (Cat no. 88697744222). 2010.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c d "Strip Me (Deluxe Version) by Natasha Bedingfield". Itunes. 7 December 2010. Archived from the original on 10 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Strip Me by Natasha Bedingfield – Preorder Strip Me". Itunes. 7 December 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ "Natasha Bedingfield Sets CD Release Date". PopEater. 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 10 September 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ Bain, Becky (21 May 2010). "Natasha Bedingfield Is Back And Ready To Dance With New Single "Touch"". Idolator. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- ^ Bain, Becky (5 January 2011). "Natasha Bedingfield Celebrates "The Little Things" With Ne-Yo". Idolator. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
- ^ "Natasha Bedingfield – New Album Message". YouTube. 3 December 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Natasha Bedingfield Releases First Single, 'Touch' Off Forthcoming New Album". PRnewswire. New York. 15 June 2010. Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
- ^ a b "Bedingfield releases new single on iTunes". United Press International. 25 June 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ "Natasha Bedingfield and NIVEA to Spread Happiness Across the Country With Exclusive New Single, 'Touch'". PRnewswire. Wilton, Connecticut. 25 June 2010. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ "Listen Now: Natasha Bedingfield's New Song "Weightless"". E! Online. 1 December 2010. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
- ^ "NATASHA BEDINGFIELD'S NEW ALBUM STRIP ME OUT NOW!". Epic Records. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
- ^ "Willow Smith, Drake to Rock in the New Year". Rap-Up. 6 December 2010. Archived from the original on 10 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ Golden, Fran (16 July 2010). "Pop Star Launches Hotel Promo". Travel.aol. Archived from the original on 18 July 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
- ^ Medeiros, Kavad (13 January 2011). "Natasha Bedingfield faz performance ao vivo para a revista Rolling Stone". Popline (in Portuguese). MTV. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ^ "NATASHA BEDINGFIELD ANNOUNCES "LESS IS MORE" SUMMER TOUR PRESENTED BY FRESCHETTA®" (Press release). Sony Music Entertainment. 19 April 2011. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Strip Me (Deluxe Version) by Natasha Bedingfield". Itunes. 7 December 2010. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ Strip Me in Morning Glory Trailer Archived 14 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Natasha Bedingfield website. Retrieved 5 October 2010.
- ^ "State Farm State of Despair Commercial Song Recover by Natasha Bedingfield". TV Commercial Songs. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Exclusive Natasha Bedingfield track "Touch" now available on iTunes U.S." natashabegingfield.com. 20 May 2010. Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ^ a b "CHR Available for Airplay Archive". FMBQ. Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Inc. and Mediaspan Online Services. 28 June 2010. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ "Natasha Bedingfield Billboard Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Official News (US)". Natasha Bedingfield. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ "Strip Me: Natasha Bedingfield: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
- ^ "Natasha Bedingfield Charts & Awards". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ a b "Natasha Bedingfield – Strip Me Reviews". CBS Interactive. Metacritic. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ^ a b c Wood, Mikael (1 December 2010). "Strip Me". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ Ganz, Caryn (7 December 2010). "Natasha Bedingfield – Strip Me (album review)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
- ^ Herrara, Monica; Lipshutz, Jason (14 September 2010). "Billboard Bits: M.I.A. Still Promises Free Show, Don Imus Preps 'Ranch Record'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 1 October 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
"Pocketful of Sunshine" singer Natasha Bedingfield has revealed the details of her new album, "Strip Me," due out 9 November on Phonogenic/Epic Records.
- ^ "Strip Me: Natasha Bedingfield: Music". Amazon. 7 December 2010. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
- ^ "Natasha Bedingfield – Strip Me Review". 411mania. Archived from the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ Jones, Alan (16 December 2010). "Mixed US fortunes for UK females". Music Week. United Business Media. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2010.
- ^ a b "Natasha Bedingfield Chart History (albums)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
- ^ "Billboard Top 200 Albums: Date 15 January 2011". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
- ^ "Title Search: Unexpected Hero (Natasha Bedingfield) Work ID: 881917722". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ a b "Strip Me Away". Amazon. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Verbindung zum iTunes Store wird hergestellt". Itunes. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ^ "Strip Me, Natasha Bedingfield, Music CD". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2001.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Natasha Bedingfield – Strip Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Natasha Bedingfield – Strip Me Away". hitparade. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- ^ "Natasha Bedingfield – Strip Me (Phonogenic/Epic)". 7digital. 7 December 2010. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
- ^ "?". Itunes. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Natasha Bedingfield – Strip Me Away (CD, Album + DVD-V, NTSC)". Discogs. 13 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.