''In Your Hands'' is the second studio album by British singer

Eliza Doolittle Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play ''Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''. Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower woman, who comes to Profe ...

. It was released by

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

on 14 October 2013 in the United Kingdom. The album peaked at number 25 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 71 on the

Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have been compiled by the ...

Critical reception

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 ...

editor Matt Collar found that the album "goes far toward moving her in a more grown-up direction. Working with a handful of writer/producers, ''In Your Hands'' is a sophisticated, contemporary dance and soul album that takes its cues from the sound and style of '90s R&B stars like

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

and

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single "Hol ...

..Ultimately, the focus on ''In Your Hands'' is less on Doolittle's cheeky persona and more on her passionate lyrics and warm vocals, a change she can back up with her creativity and talent." Robert Copsey of ''

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

'' called ''In Your Hands'' a "coming of age record" that is "a recollection of experiences that come with being in a serious relationship." He felt that "all too often oolittleslips into MOR

soul-pop Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describes a ...

, adding little new – musically or otherwise – to the table. It seems in an effort to be taken seriously, Eliza has forgotten to have any fun." ''

Renowned for Sound ''Renowned for Sound'' is an Australian online magazine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a pri ...

'' critic Francesca Tichon remarked that "though people have compared her to

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings publi ...

, and her soulful voice does conjure memories of

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. A membe ...

, Doolittle falls far short of these two musical icons. Her sound is a fairly generic UK pop sound, and though ''In Your Hands'' is a fun album with relatable story lines (and certainly a vast improvement on her debut), it’s really nothing special."

Commercial performance

On 16 October 2013, the album debuted at number 23 on The Official Chart Update. A day later, ''In Your Hands'' entered the

at number 71. On 20 October 2013, the album entered the

at number 25.John Newman lands debut Number 1 album

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Eliza Doolittle (singer) albums Parlophone albums Albums produced by Kwes