''Lady Croissant'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n singer

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

, released in April 2007 through the

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

Astralwerks Astralwerks is an American record label primarily focused on electronic music owned by Universal Music Group. Its material is distributed via Capitol Music Group in the United States. The label was founded in 1993 and, in its early years, featur ...

. Called a "mini-album" by Astralwerks, the collection contains one studio recording ("Pictures") as well as eight live tracks recorded during an April 2006 concert at the

Bowery Ballroom The Bowery Ballroom is a New York City live-music venue located at 6 Delancey Street in the neighborhood of Bowery in Manhattan. The Bowery Ballroom holds something of a cult status among musicians as well as audiences. ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...

in New York City. Eight songs were written or co-written by Sia; also featured is a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voca ...

' song "

I Go to Sleep "I Go to Sleep" is a song written by Ray Davies, main songwriter for The Kinks, and first released by The Applejacks. It was never recorded by The Kinks, but Ray Davies's demo can be found in reissue bonus tracks of their second studio album ' ...

", a studio recording of which later appeared on Sia's studio album ''

Some People Have Real Problems ''Some People Have Real Problems'' (sometimes stylised as ''Some People Have REAL Problems'') is the fourth studio album by Australian singer Sia. Released in 2008, the album featured singles including "Day Too Soon", " The Girl You Lost to Coca ...

'' (2008). The album was produced by Dan Carey, mixed by Jon Lemon and Taz Mattar at

Sarm Studios Sarm Studios is an independent recording studio in London. Originally founded in east London in 1973, the studio's original location was renamed Sarm East Studios in 1982 when Jill Sinclair and Trevor Horn purchased Basing Street Studios from Isl ...

in London, and

mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...

Emily Lazar Emily B. Lazar is an American mastering engineer. She is the founder, president, and chief mastering engineer of The Lodge, an audio mastering facility that has operated in New York City's Greenwich Village since 1997. She won a Grammy Award for ...

and Sarah Register at The Lodge in New York City. ''Lady Croissant'' received a mixed critical reception and spawned one single, "Pictures", which was released exclusively via

American Eagle Outfitters American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., also known as American Eagle, is an American lifestyle, clothing, and accessories retailer headquartered at SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by brothers Jerry and Mark Silverma ...

on 27 November 2006.

Composition

Just over forty minutes in length, ''Lady Croissant'' contains nine "slow-to-mid-tempo" compositions. The album includes one previously unreleased studio recording called "Pictures", co-written by Dan Carey, along with eight live tracks recorded during her 17 April 2006 performance at the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. "

Destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

" and "Distractions" each appeared on

Zero 7 Zero 7 are an English musical duo consisting of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. They began as studio engineers and in 1997 formed the group Zero 7. Their debut album, '' Simple Things'', was released in 2001 in which their song "Destiny" stayed ...

's 2001 album '' Simple Things'', which featured vocals by Sia. Both songs were co-written by Sia and members of Zero 7; "Destiny" was also co-written by

Sophie Barker Sophie Alexandra Jessica Barker (born 5 November 1971) is a British singer and songwriter from London, best known for her work with the British downtempo group Zero 7. Biography Barker left University College London after two years to become a ...

, another vocal contributor to ''Simple Things''. "Blow It All Away" originally appeared on Sia's 2002 studio album ''

Healing Is Difficult ''Healing Is Difficult'' is the second studio album by Australian singer and songwriter Sia. It was released in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2001 and in the United States on 28 May 2002. In the UK the album's first single "Taken for Granted" wa ...

'', and "

Don't Bring Me Down "Don't Bring Me Down" is the ninth and final track on the English rock band the Electric Light Orchestra's 1979 album ''Discovery''. It is their highest-charting hit in the United States to date. History "Don't Bring Me Down" is the band's s ...

", "Numb" and "

Breathe Me "Breathe Me" is a 2004 single by Australian singer Sia featured on the album ''Colour the Small One.'' The single has sold over 1.2 million copies in the United States. The song became popular on alternative radio and has been used in many diffe ...

" were each released on her 2004 album ''

Colour the Small One ''Colour the Small One'' is the third album by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, which was released in Australia and the United Kingdom on 19 January 2004. It was issued in the United States on 3 February 2004. Production was by Jimmy Hogarth, w ...

''. "Lentil" and the cover version of

' song "

", made popular by both

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

and the

Pretenders Pretenders may refer to: * The Pretenders, a rock band ** ''Pretenders'' (album), the 1980 debut album by the group * ''Pretenders'' (TV series), a 1972 British television series * ''The Pretenders'' (play) (Norwegian: ''Kongs-Emnerne''), an 18 ...

, would later appear on ''

'' (2008). The album was produced by Carey, mixed by Jon Lemon and Taz Mattar at

in London and

and Sarah Register at The Lodge in New York City.

Reception

''Lady Croissant'' received a mixed 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 ...

's Marisa Brown called Sia's vocal performance "rich and passionate" and compared it to

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...

and Morley. Brown stated the band was "tight and lush" and that the music was "very modern, warm and melodic and cleanly intricate". In his review for

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

, Paul Sullivan wrote that the album successfully displayed Sia's vocal capabilities and versatility. However, he noted the minimal audience participation and felt that this prevented the album from capturing a "live" experience. For Sullivan, highlights included "

", "Destiny", and "Lentil", which he believed were "executed with an appealing mixture of frankness and fluidity". Mark Perlaki of

Gigwise.com ''Gigwise'' is a British online music news site that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets and video content. Founded in June 2001, the site is based in London, England. History Gigwise was launched in 2001 ...

awarded the album four out of five stars and opined that the album "portrays an artist star is in the ascendant, whose voice is unrivaled in style and expression, an artist on the brink of deserved and assured greater recognition". The ''

Selby Times The ''Selby Times'' is a local weekly newspaper covering Selby and the surrounding district in North Yorkshire, England. It is a paid-for title published weekly on Thursdays, and is the sister paper to the Goole Times, with which it shares co ...

'' review called the collection "mesmerising" and a good indicator of Sia's future work. One reviewer for

WERS WERS (88.9 FM) is one of Emerson College's two radio stations (the other being campus station WECB), located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Programming features over 20 different styles of music and news, including live performances an ...

called the album "breathtaking" and wrote positively of Sia's vocals and the instrumentation. Like Sullivan, the reviewer warned that listeners expecting a traditional live album with "raw cuts and heavy improvisation" might be disappointed. Roque Strew of

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

found Sia's Adelaide accent to be a "liability", specifically noting difference in pronunciation between the studio versions of "Destiny" and "Distractions" and the live performances. Strew complimented "Pictures" and "Lentil", the latter of which shined through the "fog of elongated syllables and cut consonants".

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 ...

' Mike Schiller felt the instrumentation was "robotic" and found Sia's vocal manipulation and bending of vowels "infuriating", even unintelligible at times. Schiller did, however, favor her vocal tone and found the power of her voice "occasionally transcendent". Stuart McCaighy of ''

This Is Fake DIY ''DIY'' is a United Kingdom-based music publication, in print and online. Its free print edition is released monthly with a physical circulation of 40,000 in UK venues, clubs and shops. DIY Magazine ''DIY'' was launched in 2002 by then-editor ...

'' appreciated "Pictures" but also criticized Sia's performance for lacking diversity and for "incomprehensible" vocals due to her slurring of words. McCaighy concluded that, like other live albums, ''Lady Croissant'' was redundant but would be appreciated by fans. The Australian publication '' DNA'' published a mixed review of the album in 2010 following the release of ''

We Are Born In Modern English, ''we'' is a plural, first-person pronoun. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''we'' has six distinct shapes for five word forms: * ''we'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''us'' and ': the accusative (objective; ...

'', complimenting Sia's vocals but suggesting that "Pictures" sounded like a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

and that the album's release smells like a "cash-in" on her "recent success".

Track listing

Credits adapted from AllMusic.

Personnel

* Kevin Armstrong – composer *

– composer * Henry Binns – composer * Felix Bloxsom – drums * Dan Carey – bass, composer,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, keyboards, producer,

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

* Robin Danar – assistant engineer *

– composer * John Dent – mastering *

Samuel Dixon Samuel Dixon (born 1973, Adelaide, South Australia) is a record producer, songwriter and musician, based in London. Dixon has produced and written with artists including Adele, Sia, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Paloma Faith and Jack Savo ...

– bass, composer *

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 ...

– mixing *

Sia Furler Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

– composer,

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* José González – photography * Sam Hardaker – composer * Felix Howard – composer * Joe Kennedy – keyboards * Olliver Kraus – cello *

– mastering * Joey Lemon – mixing *

Blair MacKichan Blair MacKichan is a British musician and songwriter. He started his musical career playing drums, then later progressed to the piano. As a musician he fronts a band named ''Blair and Friends''. MacKichan writes a lot of his own material. He w ...

– composer * Taz Mattar – mixing engineer * James McMillan – composer * Stephanie Pistel – cover photo, photography * Sarah Register – mastering * Michael Sendaydiego – photography * Gus Seyffert – guitar * Jeff Tweedy – photography *

Joey Waronker Jon Joseph Waronker (born May 20, 1969) is an American drummer and music producer. He is best known as a regular drummer of both Beck and R.E.M., and as member of the experimental rock bands Atoms for Peace and Ultraísta. Background Waronker w ...

– drums Credits adapted from AllMusic and CD liner notes.

Release history

References