''Life with You'', released in 2007, is the seventh studio album by

the Proclaimers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

. It appeared on W14, a joint venture label between

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

and John Williams, the man who gave the Proclaimers their first recording contract on Chrysalis Records. The album reached number 13 in the UK albums chart.

Recording

''Life with You'' was recorded in Wales at

Rockfield Studios Rockfield Studios is a residential recording studio located in the Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was originally founded in 1963 by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward. Facilities Rockfield is a two- ...

in Monmouthshire.The liner notes describe Life with You as having been recorded at Rockfield Studios.

Themes and style

The lyrics of ''Life with You'' covered a variety of emotionally charged topics, including

consumerism Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. With the Industrial Revolution, but particularly in the 20th century, mass production led to overproduction—the su ...

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

, political leaders and

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

. "Here it Comes Again" condemned misogynistic attitudes in pop music, ''

York Press ''The Press'' is a local, daily, paid for, newspaper, for North and East Yorkshire. It is published in the City of York by Newsquest Media Group Ltd, a subsidiary of Gannett Company Inc. The ''Yorkshire Evening Press'' was established in 188 ...

'' opined "The Long Haul" to "lacerate" US President

George Bush George Bush most commonly refers to: * George H. W. Bush (1924–2018), 41st president of the United States and father of the 43rd president * George W. Bush (born 1946), 43rd president of the United States and son of the 41st president Georg ...

, while "S-O-R-R-Y" was a disgusted reflection on

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

and warmongering media during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

. Other themes on the record surrounded love and relationships, such as "Harness Pain" which Charles Hutchinson opined to "embrace heartbreak like

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

Critical reception

''Life with You'' received an aggregate score of 65/100 from ''

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

'' suggesting "generally favorable reviews" according to 7 critics. Linda Gaban of the ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' was praising of the political nature of the album, commenting "as in-you-face as he band's hitsare, the Proclaimers are at their best when, well, proclaiming and protesting vehemently over simple melodies", declaring the political ballad "S-O-R-R-Y" to be an "essential" cut. Regardless, Maura Walz of ''

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 ...

'' was dismissive of the record, opining that "the production feels mostly flat and the album as a whole never comes alive", and that the lyrics, while "heartfelt", were "nimble as a steamroller". Charles Hutchinson of ''

'' gave a lauding, 4-out-of-5-star review of ''Life with You'', opining the band's melodies to "still roll like Scottish mist", and praising the Proclaimers' lyrics to "nail political folly in a manner feared lost since the peak of

The Specials The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynval ...

and Elvis Costello".

Track listing

Certifications

References

{{Authority control The Proclaimers albums 2007 albums Albums recorded at Rockfield Studios