IMegaphone
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''I Megaphone'' is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter
Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Heap (born 9 December 1977) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Her work has been considered pioneering in pop and electropop music. Heap classically trained in piano, cello and clarinet starting at ...
. It was released on 16 June 1998 by
Almo Sounds Almo Sounds was a record label which was started in 1994 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss after they sold A&M Records to PolyGram. The intent for the label was to recreate the initial concept of A&M Records as a small, "boutique" label. The label ...
. The album was primarily written by Heap, starting when she was 15 years old, with co-writing from
Guy Sigsworth Guy Sigsworth is an English record producer and songwriter. During his career, he has worked with many artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian, Alanis M ...
and Fil Eisler. It was first produced and recorded solely by Heap and Dave Stewart, and it was subsequently re-recorded alongside producers
David Kahne David Kahne is an American record producer, musician, composer, and former record company executive. Professional career Kahne started his musical career as a working musician and soon became Director of A&R for America's first punk and new ...
and
Guy Sigsworth Guy Sigsworth is an English record producer and songwriter. During his career, he has worked with many artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian, Alanis M ...
. It is an
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 ...
record with largely confessional lyricism, addressing themes ranging from adolescent drug use and revenge to perseverance and religion. The album's title is an
anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...
of "Imogen Heap". The album spawned several singles, including "Getting Scared", which was featured on the soundtrack of the horror film ''
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer ''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1998 slasher film directed by Danny Cannon and written by Trey Callaway. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Muse Watson reprise their roles, with Brandy, Mekhi Phifer and Matthew Settle jo ...
'', "Shine", "Come Here Boy", and "Oh Me, Oh My". Some critics dismissed the record upon its release as derivative of the work of fellow singer-songwriters such as
Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
and
Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...
, while others praised the album for Heap's vocal performance and piano playing. Almo did little to promote the album, causing it to be a commercial failure, and the label shut down before Heap was able to release a second album.


Development and release

The writing of ''I Megaphone'' started with "Come Here Boy" when Heap was 15 years old. Parts of the album were recorded in the United States and Jamaica. Heap originally recorded the album solely with Dave Stewart of British pop duo
Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...
and re-recorded the album six months later alongside
David Kahne David Kahne is an American record producer, musician, composer, and former record company executive. Professional career Kahne started his musical career as a working musician and soon became Director of A&R for America's first punk and new ...
and
Guy Sigsworth Guy Sigsworth is an English record producer and songwriter. During his career, he has worked with many artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian, Alanis M ...
(the latter of whom she would later form Frou Frou with) after realizing, according to her, that it was "over-done" and that there was "too much going on". The title of ''I Megaphone'' is an
anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...
of Heap's name. The album's lead single, "Getting Scared", was released in 1997, and appeared on the soundtracks for the 1998 horror film ''
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer ''I Still Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1998 slasher film directed by Danny Cannon and written by Trey Callaway. Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Muse Watson reprise their roles, with Brandy, Mekhi Phifer and Matthew Settle jo ...
'' and for the 1999 comedy film ''
Women Talking Dirty ''Women Talking Dirty'' is a 1999 British comedy film directed by Coky Giedroyc and starring Helena Bonham Carter, Gina McKee and James Nesbitt. It is an adaptation of the novel ''Women Talking Dirty'' written by Isla Dewar, who also wrote the ...
''. "Come Here Boy", the third single, was released in 1998, and appeared in the 1999 film ''
Virtual Sexuality ''Virtual Sexuality'' is a 1999 film directed by Nick Hurran and starring Laura Fraser, Rupert Penry-Jones, Luke de Lacey, and Kieran O'Brien. The screenplay concerns a young woman who designs the perfect man at a virtual reality convention, but ...
''.


Composition

''I Megaphone'' is an
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 ...
album. Of the album, Heap stated, "Everything I’ve been through since I was a kid had to be confronted in these songs." The album's opener, "Getting Scared", is a "vengeful" track described by Gil Kaufman of
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
as "A spare, creepy tune anchored by a thudding drum-machine beat, chaotic piano and blasts of industrial noise". It was written by Heap about a "revenge fantasy" about a former roommate and friend who betrayed her trust by telling people one of Heap's intimate secrets about her childhood trauma that, according to her, "turned out to be real". "Sweet Religion" is a song about Heap deifying a former lover, while "Oh Me, Oh My" is a song about Heap's attempts to look for God on which she "wails soulfully". "Shine" is written about perseverance and self-preservation and incorporates elements of
trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...
in its production. "Whatever" is addressed to an ex-lover of Heap's. "Angry Angel" is an "aggressive" song about Heap's own experimentation with recreational drug use from a young age which features "saw-edged" guitar riffs, while the instrumentation of "Candlelight" is built around an old family piano in Heap's father's house. "Come Here Boy" is a "sensual" piano
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
written when Heap was 15 years old about a 40-year-old man with whom she was in a relationship at the time. "Rake It In" is written as a screed against record companies; "Useless" was described by ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' as "tragic". Heap stated that "Sleep", the album's closer, was her favorite track from the album. "Sleep" is a "spare" song featuring piano and violin, written about "the split second when you wake up and everything is absolutely perfect, and then, you remember what you have to do and nothing is quite the same after that."


Critical reception

''I Megaphone'' was compared by several critics to the work of other female singer-songwriters, most notably
Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...
and
Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...
. Writing for ''
Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...
'', Thomas Conner wrote, "Heap has all the restraint Alanis Morissette didn't bother to learn...Her use of plunky piano makes tunes like 'Sweet Religion' shadow even a few Tori Amos standards." In a review for ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' of Heap's third studio album, ''
Ellipse In mathematics, an ellipse is a plane curve surrounding two focus (geometry), focal points, such that for all points on the curve, the sum of the two distances to the focal points is a constant. It generalizes a circle, which is the special ty ...
'', Alex Young wrote, " 'I Megaphone''sounded very much like the aggressive female rock that was getting airplay at the time." Speaking of the comparisons to Morissette, Heap said, "I've never liked her. I just don’t think she is very real. But what gets me about the comparison is that people who don't like her will see this 'Imogen-Alanis' thing and then stay away from my music, not even give me a chance. That really is the worst thing about those lazy comparisons." In regard to the comparisons to Amos, Heap stated, "When Tori
mos MOS or Mos may refer to: Technology * MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor), also known as the MOS transistor * Mathematical Optimization Society * Model output statistics, a weather-forecasting technique * MOS (filmm ...
first came out, they would say she sounded like
Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...
. Now they think she sounds like Tori. Plus, when I wrote this album, I'd never even heard of these people." For ''The Irish Times'', Joe Jackson wrote of the record that there was "something fascinating" about Heap, noting that "the real power and poetry n ''I Megaphone''probably stems from her semi-strangulated cries, the rush of crushed chords on the keyboard, the way her voice soars without restraint. Imogen has already been largely dismissed by many critics. I suspect that in time she will make them eat their words." Jackson added that tracks such as "Sleep", "Useless", and "Getting Scared" "define their own space, to a great degree". Tom Demalon of
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 ...
described ''I Megaphone'' as "A compelling album chock-full of engaging melodies delivered in a memorable voice," naming "Angry Angel", "Candlelight", and "Come Here Boy" as highlights. Eric Hiss of '' The Standard-Times'' wrote that the album was "a potent sonic cocktail that moves from chunky grooves to classical hybrids and careens back to sinewy guitar riffs" and "a soulful, intoxicating blend of pop", adding that its songs "aim for impact". In 2018, "Getting Scared" was identified by Margaret Farrell of ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
'' as Heap's seventh-best song. Farrell referred to "Getting Scared" as the "star pupil" of ''I Megaphone'', and called the album "refreshing and even surprising" compared to her later work.


Commercial performance

Following its release, ''I Megaphone'' was barely promoted by Almo Sounds, and sold few units. However, the album received moderate airplay on radio stations throughout the US. Heap's contract was discontinued following the dissolution of Almo.


Track listing

Notes * signifies an additional producer Sample credits * "Rake It In" contains a sample of "Sexy Girls", written and performed by
Gert Wilden Gert Wilden (born Gert Wychodil; 15 April 1917 – 10 September 2015) was a German film composer. He was born in Mährisch Trübau. From 1956 through his retirement, he scored music for 50 feature films in numerous genres. However, he is perhaps ...
* "Useless" contains a sample of "Liquid Days", written by
Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...
and
David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
, and performed by Glass


Personnel

All credits adapted from liner notes.Imogen Heap – ''I Megaphone''. Album booklet.
Almo Sounds Almo Sounds was a record label which was started in 1994 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss after they sold A&M Records to PolyGram. The intent for the label was to recreate the initial concept of A&M Records as a small, "boutique" label. The label ...
(
Interscope Geffen A&M Records Interscope Geffen A&M Records (IGA), is an American umbrella label owned by Universal Music Group, consisting of record labels Interscope Records, Geffen Records, and A&M Records. History Interscope Geffen A&M Records was established in 1999, f ...
).


Performers and musicians

*
Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Heap (born 9 December 1977) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Her work has been considered pioneering in pop and electropop music. Heap classically trained in piano, cello and clarinet starting at ...
– lead vocals, piano *
Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...
– bass *Eshan Khadaroo – drums *
Andy Kravitz Andy Kravitz is an American drummer and percussionist, audio engineer, record producer, and songwriter. He has been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards, winning several. He lives near Venice Beach in Los Angeles, California. Early life Andy Kravitz wa ...
– drums *
Abe Laboriel Jr. Abraham Laboriel Jr. (born March 23, 1971) is an American session drummer. He is the son of Mexican bass guitarist Abraham Laboriel, nephew of Mexican rocker Johnny Laboriel, and brother of record producer, songwriter, and film composer Mateo ...
– drums


Production

*
Guy Sigsworth Guy Sigsworth is an English record producer and songwriter. During his career, he has worked with many artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian, Alanis M ...
– production , programming *
David Kahne David Kahne is an American record producer, musician, composer, and former record company executive. Professional career Kahne started his musical career as a working musician and soon became Director of A&R for America's first punk and new ...
– production , additional production , engineering , mixing * Dave Stewart – producer *
Nik Kershaw Nicholas David Kershaw (born 1 March 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Kershaw came to prominence in 1984 as a solo artist. He released eight singles that entered the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart during the ...
– production *Nick Addison – engineering *Phil Bodger – engineering *Alex Silva – programming * Andy Wright – programming *Steve Bush – additional programming *
Greg Calbi Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey. Biography Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bisho ...
– mastering *Roland Herrington – mixing *Pete Norris – recording


Design

*Matt Hardman – background artwork *Josh Eve – art direction, design, layout *Dwight Marshall – cover photography *Chaz – photography


References

{{Authority control 1998 debut albums Imogen Heap albums Albums produced by David A. Stewart Albums produced by David Kahne Albums produced by Guy Sigsworth Albums recorded at RAK Studios Almo Sounds albums Trip hop albums by English artists Albums produced by Imogen Heap