''Avonmore'' is the fifteenth studio album by English singer

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ' ...

, released on 17 November 2014 by

BMG Rights Management BMG Rights Management GmbH (also known simply as BMG) is an international music company based in Berlin, Germany. It combines the activities of a music publisher and a record label. BMG was founded in October 2008 after Bertelsmann sold its ...

Background

The album was named after the location of Ferry's studio in London where it was recorded. The album was announced on 23 September 2014 with a preview of the song "Loop De Li". The album was produced by Ferry with long-term collaborator Rhett Davies, who has produced several albums for Ferry and

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...

. The album also features Ferry regulars such as

Fonzi Thornton Alfonso "Fonzi" Thornton is a U.S. songwriter/producer and vocal contractor. In a career spanning 40 years, Thornton has sung backing vocals for top artists across many genres of music. His vocal credits can be found on the recordings of Aret ...

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...

, and

Johnny Marr Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerous ...

(who co-wrote the track "Soldier of Fortune"). The album includes two cover versions, a rendition of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's " Send in the Clowns" and a version of "

Johnny and Mary "Johnny and Mary" is a song written and originally performed by Robert Palmer. Palmer's version was recorded in 1980 at Compass Point Studios, New Providence, in the Bahamas. The song was featured on Palmer's album '' Clues'' (1980). "Johnny a ...

", originally by Robert Palmer. The latter track was a collaboration with the Norwegian DJ/producer

Todd Terje Terje Olsen (born 1981), known professionally as Todd Terje, is a Norwegian DJ, songwriter, and record producer. His stage name is a homage to house music producer Todd Terry. Called "King of the summer jams" by ''Mixmag'', "one third of the Ho ...

and first appeared on Terje's album ''

It's Album Time ''It's Album Time'' is the debut studio album by Norwegian DJ and record producer Todd Terje, released on 8 April 2014 by Olsen Records. The album was self-produced by Terje and was recorded in a span of three years. It was met with generally pos ...

'' which was released earlier in 2014. ''Avonmore'' peaked at number 19 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 ...

, and number 72 on the US ''Billboard'' 200.

Critical reception

Reception of the album was generally positive. In a four-out-of-five-stars review,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

wrote that "this is Ferry's prime, a moment when his legacy was intact but yet to be preserved in amber" and that the album "consciously evokes this distinct period, sometimes sighing into the exquisite ennui of ''

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

'' but usually favouring the fine tailoring of '' Boys and Girls'', a record where every sequenced rhythm, keyboard, and guitar line blended into an alluring urbane pulse" and that "the songs are what makes this record something more than a fling". ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' critic John Paul wrote that the album "functions as a well-deserved victory lap for both Ferry and those he’s assembled, triumphantly returning to relevance and reminding listeners he’s been doing this since the '70s. It's just taken this long for the mainstream to catch up with where he's been all along". Writer T. Cole Rachel from ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' was less positive, giving the album 6.7 out of 10, writing that the album, in places, "flounders when the music, which routinely flirts with a kind of adult contemporary smoothness, leans over into blandness" and stating that "Ferry's well-documented good taste is both an asset and possibly a curse" and concluding that the record is "a fine addition to Bryan Ferry's oeuvre, if not necessarily a terribly challenging one".

Special edition

On 29 October 2015, Ferry announced the release of the a special edition package of ''Avonmore'', containing the album on vinyl and CD, along with a 48-page book of photos by photographer Matthew Becker.

Track listing

Personnel

"Loop De Li" * Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards *

Neil Hubbard Neil Terrence Hubbard (born 24 February 1948) is a British guitarist who has performed with Juicy Lucy, The Grease Band, Bluesology, Joe Cocker, Roxy Music, Kokomo, Alvin Lee, B.B. King, Kevin Rowland and Tony O'Malley, and played on the ...

, Steve Jones,

Oliver Thompson Oliver Thompson is an English Guitar player, songwriter and singer. He has toured with Roxy Music and Bryan Ferry since 2005, playing with guitarists including Phil Manzanera, Chris Spedding and Johnny Marr. He has played on Ferry's solo tours, ...

and David Williams – guitars *

– bass * Tara Ferry – drums * John Moody –

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

* Richard White –

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

* Bobbie Gordon, Hannah Khemoh, Laura Mann, Emily Panic, Jodie Scantlebury and

– backing vocals "Midnight Train" * Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards * Neil Hubbard, Steve Jones, Johnny Marr, Nile Rodgers,

Jacob Quistgaard Jacob Quistgaard (known as Quist) is a Danish guitarist and producer based in Los Angeles. Quist is best known as the lead guitarist with British singer and Roxy music frontman Bryan Ferry. He has been touring with Ferry since early 2014 and fea ...

Chris Spedding Christopher John Spedding (born Peter Robinson, 17 June 1944) is an English musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his st ...

, Jeff Thall, Oliver Thompson and David Williams – guitars * Marcus Miller and Guy Pratt – bass * Tara Ferry and

Andy Newmark Andrew Newmark (born July 14, 1950)

– drums * Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals "Soldier of Fortune" * Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards * Paul Beard – keyboards * Neil Hubbard, Steve Jones and Johnny Marr – guitars * Marcus Miller – bass * Tara Ferry – drums * Iain Dixon, Robert Fowler and Richard White – saxophones * Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals "Driving Me Wild" * Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards * Neil Hubbard, Johnny Marr, Nile Rodgers and Oliver Thompson – guitars * Marcus Miller and Guy Pratt – bass * Tara Ferry – drums *

Cherisse Osei Cherisse Osei (born 23 December 1986) is an English drummer. Best known for her work with the band Simple Minds, Osei has also played with a number of acts, including Mantas, The Faders, Paloma Faith, Bryan Ferry, Kelly Jones, and Mika. In 20 ...

– percussion * Richard White – saxophone * Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals "A Special Kind of Guy" * Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards * Neil Hubbard, Steve Jones and Nile Rodgers – guitars * Marcus Miller and Guy Pratt – bass * Tara Ferry – drums * Fonzi Thornton – backing vocals "Avonmore" * Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards * Neil Hubbard, Steve Jones, Johnny Marr, Nile Rodgers and Oliver Thompson – guitars *

Flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...

, Guy Pratt and Paul Turner – bass * Tara Ferry and Cherisse Osei – drums *

Frank Ricotti Frank Ricotti (born 31 January 1949) is an English jazz vibraphonist and percussionist. Early life and education Ricotti was born in London, England. His father was a drummer. Bill Ashton, founder of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NY ...

– percussions * Richard White – alto saxophone "Lost" * Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards * Neil Hubbard and

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

– guitars *

Neil Jason Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. ...

– bass * Tara Ferry, Andy Newmark and Cherisse Osei – drums "One Night Stand" * Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards * Paul Beard – keyboards * Neil Hubbard, Steve Jones, Johnny Marr, Nile Rodgers, Jacob Quistgaard, Chris Spedding, Jeff Thall, Oliver Thompson and David Williams – guitars * Marcus Miller – bass * Tara Ferry – drums *

Maceo Parker Maceo Parker (; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of B ...

– alto saxophone * Sewuse Abwa, Michelle John, Hannah Khemoh,

Ronnie Spector Veronica Yvette Greenfield (; August 10, 1943 – January 12, 2022) was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group The Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of rock and roll". Ronnie formed the ...

and Shar White – backing vocals "Send in the Clowns" * Bryan Ferry – vocals, string arrangements * Colin Good – acoustic piano, string arrangements * Johnny Marr – guitars * Marcus Miller – bass * Chris Laurence and Tom Wheatley –

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

* Tara Ferry and Cherisse Osei - drums *

– percussions * Richard White – alto saxophone * Enrico Tomasso –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

"Johnny and Mary" * Bryan Ferry – vocals, acoustic piano * Todd Terje – synthesizers, programming * Oliver Thompson – guitars * Cherisse Osei – drums *

Hanne Hukkelberg Hanne Hukkelberg (born 17 April 1979) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and producer from Kongsberg, Norway. Hukkelberg started singing and playing instruments at the age of 3. In her youth, she was a vocalist covering genres such as jazz, rock, ...

– backing vocals Technical * Chris Mullings – engineer * Pete Wells – engineer * Simon Willey – engineer * Tim Roe – additional engineer * Mark Knight – assistant engineer * Craig Silvey – mixing * Eduardo Paz – mix assistant * Adam Ayan – mastering at Gateway Mastering (

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

) * Isaac Ferry – executive producer * Tara Ferry – executive producer Artwork * Johnny Dewe Mathews – cover photography * Neil Kirk – inner sleeve photography * Michael Knight – design * Jono Patrick – digital artwork * Richard White – liner notes

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2014 albums Albums produced by Rhett Davies Bryan Ferry albums