''Heart'' is the sixth studio album from

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

singer–songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted th ...

Elisa The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann in 1971. The assay uses a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence ...

. It was released on 13 November 2009 in Italy. It has been described as a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

album, with

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

and

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

influences. Fisrt studio album since ''

Pearl Days ''Pearl Days'' is the fifth studio-album by Italian singer Elisa. The album was released on 15 October 2004 and debuted at number two on the Italian album chart. Pearl Days is a rock album that echoes Elisa's debut album ''Pipes & Flowers''. The a ...

'' (2004), ''Heart'' peaked at number one of the

Italian Albums Chart The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...

, becoming her second number one album on the chart. The project was promoted by the collaboration " Ti vorrei sollevare" with

Giuliano Sangiorgi Giuliano Sangiorgi (born 24 January 1979 in Nardò, Province of Lecce, Lecce, Italy) is an Italian artist who has gained increasing fame as a singer, songwriter and composer, together with his rock band Negramaro. Career Giuliano is not only t ...

, which peaked at number one on the

Italian Singles Chart The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...

Background

After fifth studio album ''

'' (2004), in 2006 Elisa published the

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

Soundtrack '96–'06 ''Soundtrack '96–'06'' is the first official greatest hits compilation by the Italian singer Elisa. The album was certified Diamond in Italy, with sales exceeding 600,000 copies. There are four new tracks on the album, the first single was "Gli ...

''. whch become a commercial success in italy, beacoming the singer first number one project and being certified diamond. The album was also published in international version ''Caterpillar'' and live version ''Soundtrack '96-'06 Live.'' In 2008, after the quiet success of the song "

Dancing Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

" in

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and

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, Sugar Music published the

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

''Dancing'', as a international release, which sold over 100,000 copies in US. Between 2008 and 2009 Elisa annunced to be in studio for her new record project, stating that it would be in the Italian language. In May 2009 Elisa annunced her pregnancy; her first daugher, Emma Cecile was born on 23 October 2009, a month before Elisa new album.

Composition and recording

The composition of the album started in January 2009, wih more than 60 sample tracks including melodies, ideas and songs, written and composed since 1998. At a press conference, Elisa explained that she wanted to produce the entire album with only the collaboration of her partner Andrea Rigonat:The album has fourteen tracks, of which two in Italian and a cover of the song "

Mad World "Mad World" is a 1982 song by British band Tears for Fears. Written by Roland Orzabal and sung by bassist Curt Smith, it was the band's third single release and first chart hit, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart in November 1982. Bo ...

". Elisa explained the writing process and the decision to recorded more more songs in English than in Italian:

Critical response

''Heart'' received generally positive reviews from music critics, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

s Emilio Cozzi gave Heart 4 out of 5 stars and commended Elisa: "It seems that Elisa's style has reached a balance between her instinctive expression and a lot of influences".

Commercial performance

The album became Elisa's first number-one studio album on the Italian

FIMI The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when major corporate labels left the previously exist ...

Singles Chart, selling 50,000 copies in its first week. The Album also peaked at number 34 on the Global Albums Chart. "Heart" has sold 230,000 copies only in Italy where the album is 3× platinum.

Background

Composition and recording

Critical response

Commercial performance

Track listing

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References