''Abstract Theory'' is the debut solo album released by former

Five 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

member Abs. The album was released on 1 September 2003, peaking at No. 29 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

. The album failed to find success elsewhere, and resulted in Abs being dropped from his record label just months later. The album spawned five singles: " What You Got", "Stop Sign", "Shame", "7 Ways" and "Miss Perfect". The album received mixed to positive reviews from critics, comparing his material to that of his former band, Five.

Background

Abs began work on the album following Five's split in late 2001. He soon signed a record deal with Sony BMG, who had previously contracted Five on a three-album deal. The album's first single, " What You Got", was released in August 2002 to moderate success, peaking at No. 4 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The album's second single, "Shame", was scheduled for release in November 2002, but was subsequently only released in Australia after the record company decided to market "Stop Sign" as the second British single. Arriving in May 2003, the song peaked at No. 10 on the

. A third single, "Miss Perfect", was released on 25 August 2003, a week prior to the album's release, peaking at No. 5 on the

. A fourth single, "7 Ways", was planned for release in November 2003, with a music video being released and several copies made available in stores from 10 November. However, the single was recalled on 11 November, and just three weeks later, Abs was dropped from his record label.

Critical reception

In his retrospective review, Bren O'Callaghan of

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said ''Abstract Theory'' "is capable of floating alone amidst a sea of chart craft".

Track listing

(co.) Co-producer. ; B-Sides * "Lost for Words" - 4:01 * "Come with a Little Bit More" - 3:17 * "Roll with Me" - 3:39 * "The Dog in Me" - 4:06 * "Music for Cars" - 3:09 * "Stop That Bitchin'" - 3:10 * "Spin" (Japanese Bonus Track) -3:04 * "What You Got" (Almighty Radio Edit) - 3:10 * "What You Got" (Reggae Mix) - 4:30 * "Stop Sign" (Bimbo Jones Remix) - 7:06 * "Stop Sign" (Nu Skool Brakez Remix) - 5:44 * "Miss Perfect" (Problem Kid Latin Vox) - 9:00 * "Miss Perfect" (Freshcut Style Vocal Mix) - 8:15 * "7 Ways" (Full Rap) - 3:59 * "7 Ways" (5AM Remix) - 6:40

Personnel

Adapted credits from the booklet of ''Abstract Theory''. *

Tracy Ackerman Tracy Ackerman is a British singer and songwriter. She works with several other British songwriters including Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson of Absolute and Mark Taylor. Ackerman has written for artists including Geri Halliwell, Cher, Boyzone, Tina ...

, Mary-Anne Morgan:

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

Tom Elmhirst Tom Elmhirst (born 8 June 1971) is a British mix engineer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Beck, David Bowie, Cage the Elephant, Lady Gaga, Residente, and Amy Winehouse, among many others. Elmhirst has received numerous accolades a ...

, Steven Fitzmaurice, Tim Powell: mixing * Alvin Sweeney:

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, programming,

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* Steve Lewinson:

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Richard "Biff" Stannard:

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

, drum programming, additional instruments * Benedetto Antonio Caccavale: engineering, mixing * Pete Hoffman:

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

, mixing * Ray Bermiston, Vincent Soyez:

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

* Simon Corkin:

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

Weekly charts

References

{{Authority control 2003 debut albums Abz Love albums Sony BMG albums