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''Letters'' is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Matt Cardle
Matthew Sheridan Cardle (born 15 April 1983) is an English pop singer. He was born in Southampton and grew up in Halstead, Essex. Cardle has been involved in music since his early teens and has been a member of two different bands; Darwyn and ...
. It was released on 14 October 2011 through
Syco Music
Syco Music is a defunct division of Syco Entertainment founded by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. Originally founded as S Records, the label launched while Cowell was still employed by BMG, the label oversaw music relea ...
,
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
and
Columbia Records. Cardle worked with various songwriters on the album including
Eg White and
James Walsh. He co-wrote all the tracks except for his ''
X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003) ...
'' winner's single, "
When We Collide" and the single "
Run for Your Life", written by
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That.
Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...
.
It peaked at number two 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 ...
, behind
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds are an English rock band formed in 2010 as the solo moniker of former Oasis songwriter, lead guitarist, and backing vocalist Noel Gallagher. The touring band consists of former Oasis members Gem Archer (guit ...
'
self-titled debut album. The
Letters Tour in support of the album began in February 2012.
Background
After winning the seventh series of TV talent competition ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'', it was announced on 15 March 2011 that Cardle had signed a record deal with
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...
's
Syco Music
Syco Music is a defunct division of Syco Entertainment founded by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. Originally founded as S Records, the label launched while Cowell was still employed by BMG, the label oversaw music relea ...
, in a joint venture with
Columbia Records, becoming the first ''X Factor'' winner not to be exclusively signed to Cowell's label. Cardle soon began work on his debut studio album, which just days after his ''X Factor'' win, was slated for release on 24 October 2011. On 18 August 2011, Cardle made his first official announcement regarding the album. He announced its title to be ''Letters'', and the debut single from the album would be a
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That.
Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...
-penned track, "Run for Your Life". During an interview given on the day of the announcement, Cardle revealed the name of several album tracks, and the process behind writing them: "Starlight is a depressing, yet happy song about the insignificance of everything. Amazing is 'bout finding someone when you've got no-one. All for Nothing is one I wrote with my favourite all-time songwriter,
Eg White. I recorded it after a couple of cups of tea and a few cigarettes, so it's quite raw."
In September 2011, it was revealed that "Run for Your Life" would be released on 10 October 2011, and the album's release was pushed forward a week to 17 October, due to popular demand from fans. Cardle appeared on the BBC Breakfast show on 1 September to give a preview of the video. The single was premiered in full on
The Chris Moyles Show
''The Chris Moyles Show'' is the title given to two differing versions of a radio programme hosted by Chris Moyles, originally broadcast as Radio 1 Breakfast from 5 January 2004 to 14 September 2012 before transferring three years later on 21 ...
on 5 September 2011. The video was then premiered in full on 5 September on his YouTube channel. The single was released on 9 October 2011, Cardle performed the song on ''The X Factor'' on the same day. He also performed another track from the album, "All For Nothing", on ITV2 show The Xtra Factor. Prior to the album release Cardle went on a five date tour ending on 3 October at Koko in London. On 15 October a documentary on the making of the album entitled ''Into The Light'' was broadcast on ITV2.
Reception
Critical reception
Upon its release, ''Letters'' received mixed reviews from critics.
Daily Express said that Cardle's vocals were "versatile and emotional" and the songs were "more than decent." The ''
Irish Independent'' gave ''Letters'' eight out of ten, noting Cardle's "impressive falsetto." The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
gave an unfavourable review, calling ''Letters'' "over-produced" and "a barrage of formulaically chugging soft-rock structures and overwhelming strings." ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'' claimed that Cardle's vocals sound "off-key" while
Digital Spy rated it two out of five stars, faulting the album for "mushy, MOR soft-rock production." The ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' gave the album one out of five stars, calling it "woefully formulaic, instantly forgettable debut album full of manufactured drama." ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the album two out of five, calling ''Letters'' "an album of triumphal power ballads."
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
rated it three out of five, calling the album "widescreen guitar pop based around overwrought choruses that demand gurning as they're belted."
''
The Daily Record'', called the album "fantastic" and "classic," saying it had "exceeded all expectations." Pop Ledge rated ''Letters'' three out of ten, calling the over-all album "boring" and "too formulaic" while naming "Starlight" and "Stars and Lovers" as stand-out tracks and concluding with "We feel for Matt Cardle – he has talked often of the sort of artist he wants to be and it’s not this album." ''The Yorker'' noted that while there was "nothing especially awful" about "Letters", tracks were "instantly forgettable" and "utterly boring." BigLiveActs said "Letters" was "a must for Matt Cardle and X Factor fans but not much here to interest the rest of us" and suggests "A number of the songs would have been better treated with a quiet acoustic backing to Matt's voice...Presumably the end result was the wish of the producers and not Matt Cardle himself. Philip Elwood's blog Entertainment Focus rated it four out of five, calling it a "solid debut" and a "fantastic record." What Culture? awarded the album three stars, and stated that Cardle "is a very, very good singer", concluding that the album is "Solid, at times verging on very good, but ultimately inconsistent and bland." In its review, Female First, an online "celebrity gossip and lifestyle magazine," concluded that "'Letters', in all honesty, isn't a particularly adventurous record," but predicted it "will go some way to help
ardleestablish himself as a serious musician and song-writer." According to the reviewer for
''Cosmoplitan'' magazine, "
e 13-track album is every bit the epic, power-ballad compilation I could’ve wished for. Big, belting choruses, meaningful lyrics and plenty of high notes to make women swoon." Orange UK gave the album a very favorable review, choosing "Letters" and "Beat of a Breaking Heart" as stand-out tracks, while praising Cardle's "excellent", "stunning", and "heartfelt" vocals Despite the mixed reviews, in December 2011, "Letters" and "Starlight" were voted album and song of the year by readers of ''The Guardian''.
Commercial performance
The album sold more than 70,000 copies in the week of release, peaking at number two 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 ...
behind
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds are an English rock band formed in 2010 as the solo moniker of former Oasis songwriter, lead guitarist, and backing vocalist Noel Gallagher. The touring band consists of former Oasis members Gem Archer (guit ...
's
self-titled debut album.
Singles
* "
When We Collide", Cardle's ''X Factor'' winner's single, is included as the final track on the album. It was released on 12 December 2010. The single contained Cardle's live performances of "
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a 1957 folk song written by British political singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger, who later became his wife. At the time, the couple were lovers, although MacColl was still married to his ...
", "
Just the Way You Are" and "
Nights in White Satin", as performed on ''The X Factor''.
* "
Run for Your Life" was released as the album's official lead single on 10 October 2011. Written by
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That.
Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...
, it became Cardle's second consecutive top ten single when it peaked at number six on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
on the week of release. The single contained two previously unreleased tracks, "Lost and Found" and "Chemical", as its B-sides.
* "
Starlight" was released as the album's second official single on 4 December 2011. The single performed very poorly compared to Cardle's previous singles, only peaking at number 185 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
* "
Amazing" was released as the album's third official single on 19 February 2012 and peaked at number 84 on the UK Singles chart. The single was released as an EP with an all-new song called "All Is Said", written by Cardle,
James Walsh and
Eliot James, a newly recorded studio version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", and a live version of "Slowly" recorded at KOKO in October 2011.
Track listing
;Notes
*
signifies an additional record producer
*
Offered as a free download to customers who purchased ''Letters'' before 15 October 2011.
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2011 debut albums
Matt Cardle albums
Albums produced by Ash Howes
Albums produced by Richard Stannard (songwriter)