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''Long Live the Angels'' is the second studio album by Scottish recording artist
Emeli Sandé
Adele Emily Sandé, ( ; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by an English mother and a Zambian father ...
, released on 11 November 2016 by
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
. The lead single from the album, "
Hurts
Hurts are an English musical duo formed in Manchester in 2009, consisting of singer Theo Hutchcraft and multi-instrumentalist Adam Anderson. They have released five studio albums: ''Happiness'' (2010), ''Exile'' (2013), ''Surrender'' (2015), ' ...
", was released on 16 September 2016. Sandé embarked on a European tour to support the album, with dates in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden.
Background and production
''Long Live the Angels'' is the follow-up to Sandé's debut album ''
Our Version of Events
''Our Version of Events'' is the debut studio album by Scottish recording artist Emeli Sandé. The album was released on 13 February 2012 by Virgin Records, following Sandé's winning of the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards 2012. Though ...
'' (2012), which spawned four top-ten singles, as well as subsequent collaborations with
Labrinth
Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record labe ...
("
Beneath Your Beautiful
"Beneath Your Beautiful" is a song by British musicians Labrinth and Emeli Sandé. Written by Labrinth, Mike Posner and Sandé, it was promoted as the sixth single from Labrinth's debut album, '' Electronic Earth'' (2012), and is included as ...
"),
Naughty Boy
Shahid Khan ( ur, شاهد خان; born 1 January 1981), better known by his stage name Naughty Boy, is a British DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. In 2012, Khan signed a three–year publishing deal with Sony ATV, as well as a rec ...
("
Lifted") and
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...
("
What I Did for Love").
The album was recorded in the four years preceding its release and was originally intended to be released before Christmas 2015. However, when fellow British singer
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...
announced her then-upcoming album ''
25'' would be released before Christmas, Sandé pushed her album back to the following year. In January 2016, Sandé was pictured at Angelic Studios in
Oxfordshire putting the finishing touches to the album. During an interview with the ''
Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'', Sandé explained why she took her time recording the album: "I feel like I needed to just get away from it. Being a pop star was never really my big thought—it was just to be a musician. I think the further you get from real life, the less you have to write about". During an interview, she said:
Music and lyrics
''Long Live the Angels'' explores themes of salvation, devotion, pain and perseverance, which according to
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 databa ...
, might have reflected the singer's marriage to her "long-term partner in 2012" and subsequent diverse shortly after.
Sandé confirmed this herself when speaking about the first single "
Hurts
Hurts are an English musical duo formed in Manchester in 2009, consisting of singer Theo Hutchcraft and multi-instrumentalist Adam Anderson. They have released five studio albums: ''Happiness'' (2010), ''Exile'' (2013), ''Surrender'' (2015), ' ...
" and the breakup, saying "I mean, this was the only relationship I'd ever experienced, so to finally be without him and without the relationship in my life, it took a lot of adjusting. ... So 'Hurts' came when I felt a bit more stable and ready to face it. This was the first time I addressed it within myself".
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. ...
...
described the song as a sweeping and cinematic "emotional outburst".
"Hurts" features "urgent chugging strings
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
darkly underline the emotions" behind the song's lyrics.
It also features acoustic guitars and a choir.
The album was also influenced by Sandé's
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
n heritage. Sandé's father was asked to contribute to the song "Tenderly" during a visit to the country, along with cousins and a local choice, credited as the Serenje Choir, named after the town of
Serenje
Serenje is a town of Serenje District, Zambia, lying just off the Great North Road and TAZARA Railway. Serenje has a railway station on the TAZARA railway. Serenje is approximately 191 km from Kapiri Mposhi on the Great North Road. Mkus ...
in the
Serenje District
Serenje is a town of Serenje District, Zambia, lying just off the Great North Road and TAZARA Railway. Serenje has a railway station on the TAZARA railway. Serenje is approximately 191 km from Kapiri Mposhi on the Great North Road. Mkushi ...
of Zambia.
She told the BBC that the journey was "such a big spiritual turning point". Voice memos recorded during the trip are included on the album.
Meanwhile, the album's only other guest vocalists appear on the song "Garden", which is built around a "sparse backbeat weaved between snapped rhythms" and "lone deep bassline". It features a poetic intro and outro by Áine Zion.
According to Sandé, Zion's parts were recorded in New York, and the song had been in production since 2014.
Upon meeting US rapper
Jay Electronica
Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A), is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he ...
the following summer, Sandé asked Electronica to add to the song; he contributed "stream-of-consciousness bars
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
contemplate love, the world's sometimes seemingly indifference to it and the fear of yielding to the emotion." His verse compares love to being a sanctuary, referencing the 1984
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
song "
Purple Rain" and also comparing love to a death sentence.
Lyrically, Sandé has said that the song sees her "telling the truth, but kind of showing all sides of me this time".
''Long Live the Angels'' also contains a number of
ballads
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 ...
that deal with "consequences of a broken relationship, lamenting false dreams, yearning for fulfilment, and admitting
ninability to simply brush it off". On "I'd Rather Not", Sandé directs lyrics at rejecting second chances, with metaphors that compare those to natural disasters and "bullet wounds".
It follows the ups and downs of a relationship until it reaches breaking point, and features "sparse sprays of organ".
Soulful songs "Every Single Little Piece" and the fourth single "
Highs & Lows" are "big and
ebullient".
Other songs include "Give Me Something", which features
acoustic guitar reminiscent of "
The Tracks of My Tears
"The Tracks of My Tears" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. It is a multiple award-winning 1965 hit R&B song originally recorded by their group, The Miracles, on Motown's Tamla label. The Miracles' million-sell ...
" and combines both
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
and soul, drawing inspiration from
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason".
Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...
.
Further mixing of sounds can be hear on the album's opening track "Selah" where the production features a "miasmic montage of trickling water and ambient sounds", while the vocals include "high tones" and "humming", which bring the lyrics to life.
Critical reception
''Long Live the Angels'' received generally favourable reviews from critics. At
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 ...
, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on 11 reviews.
Neil McCormick
Neil McCormick (born 31 March 1961) is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Nee ...
, writing for ''
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 ...
'', rated the album five out of five stars and declared it "a thrilling second album that affirms Sandé as a singular talent". He noted that "''Long Live the Angels'' is something special, the sound of a gifted, grown-up singer-songwriter using all the tools at her disposal to put her own heart back together."
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 databa ...
editor Andy Kellman felt that the album was "built to maintain her rank
..Sandé sings with more precision and force without overselling anything. There's also more nuance to her approach
..Certain listeners might bemoan the shortage of uptempo belters here, but one attentive and thorough listen presents a clear justification."
''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'' journalist
Greg Kot
Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
wrote that ''Long Live the Angels'' "sounds lean and unadorned when compared to its best-selling predecessor, and is all the better for it. Some songs are stripped to little more than a guitar and voice, but Sande doesn't rely on vocal acrobatics to fill in the gaps. She whispers and roars, breathing with the songs instead of trying to overwhelm them."
In his review for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', Jon Pareles remarked that Sandé's "return is lucid and uncluttered, placing all the expressiveness of her voice at its center.
hecould easily oversing; she has delicacy, volume, graininess, melismas and sly, rhythmic nuances whenever she needs them. But she inhabits her songs rather than overpowering them
..Intertwining love, faith and music, as Ms. Sandé does through much of the album, is a time-tested idea. But it's also an abiding and deserving one, especially when it's carried off with such unfailing grace."
Andy Gill, writing for ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', noted that "the more interesting aspects of the album are to be found in less formulaic arrangements,
..settling into a folk-soul setting clearly influenced by
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason".
Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...
."
''
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 ...
'' journalist Bernadette McNulty found that "a repetitive wash of acoustic guitars and consoling choirs dull the emotion, and Sandé is too polite to go for the jugular."
Less enthusiastic, ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' contributor Katherine St. Asaph felt that "too much of ''Long Live the Angels'' just feels turgid
..Sandé sings, well and interchangeably, over a dozen tracks of stately but amorphous gloom – the sort of beige dramatics ''The Guardian'' dubbed, in 2011, the new boring'."
Barry Nicolson from ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' wrote that "of course, at 15 tracks long, there's no shortage of saccharine ''
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) ...
'' balladry either
.Sandé clearly has the chops to stand out in the sophisticated cross-platform arms race of modern pop music but you still wish she didn't fall back so readily on cliché."
Marketing and promotion
The song "Garden" featuring
Jay Electronica
Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A), is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he ...
and Áine Zion was debuted on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
's evening show with
Annie Mac on 12 October 2016.
"Garden" was released digitally alongside the album's artwork and track listing the following day. The music video for "Garden" premiered 15 November 2016.
Sande also toured in promotion of the album. The
Long Live the Angels Tour included Sandé's first arena shows totalling 40 shows across 2017.
Chart performance
''Long Live the Angels'' debuted 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
Olly Murs
Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom ...
' ''
24 Hrs Twenty-four hours is the length of a day.
24 Hours or Twenty Four Hours may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''24 Hours'' (1931 film), a 1931 drama
* ''24 Hours'' (2002 film), a Croatian anthology film
* ''24 Hrs'' (film), a 2010 Malayalam ...
''. During the first week of the release, it sold 47,512 copies.
Track listing
Notes
* denotes co-producer
* denotes additional producer
Credits and personnel
Recording locations
*
Banbury
Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshir ...
, UK – Angelic Studios
*Hollywood, California – Prestige Worldwide
*London, UK – Air Edel,
AIR Studios
Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...
,
Angel Recording Studios, The Bridge,
British Grove Studios
British Grove Studios is a recording studio located at 20 British Grove in Chiswick, West London, and owned by musician Mark Knopfler.
British Grove Studios was built by David Stewart, the studio's former manager, and commissioned by Knopfler as ...
, The Garden, Naughty Boy Recordings, Oddchild Studios,
The Penthouse, Playdeep Studios, Strongroom Music Studios,
RAK Studios, The Wood
*Los Angeles, California –
Westlake Recording Studios
*
– The Music Shed
*
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
– Jupiter Studios
Personnel
Vocals
*
Jay Electronica
Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah (born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford; September 19, 1976), known professionally as Jay Electronica (stylized as J A Y E L E C T R O N I C A), is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in New Orleans, he ...
– featured vocals (track 8)
*Luke Gibbs – background vocals (track 13)
*Jake Gordon – background vocals (track 13)
*Matt Holmes – background vocals (track 13)
*Philip Leigh – background vocals (track 13)
*Emeli Sandé – lead vocals, background vocals
*Joel Sandé – featured vocals (track 12)
*Áine Zion – featured vocals (track 8)
Choir: The MajorTonesMusic Gospel Choir – choir vocals (tracks 1–2, 4, 11)
*Aleysha Gordon
*Angel Silviera
*"Connie" Dawn Morton-Young
*Hannah Khemoh
*Keisha Smith
*Rachel McKenzie
*Becky Thomas
*Sherelle McKenzie
*Christina Matova
*Emily Holligan
*Jayanda Balfour
*Josie Nugent
*Ladonna Harley-Peters
*Tentola Abasede
*Victoria Akintola
*Jason Nicholson-Porter
*Matthew Allen
*Paul Boldeau
*Porter Shields
*Riccardo Williams
*Ryan Carty
*Tobi Oyerinde
*Wesley Muoria-Chaves
Choir: The Serenje Choir – choir vocals (track 12)
*Abigail Mutate
*Gillian Mutate
*Green Kalunga
*Ireen Mukasha
*Joel Sandé
*Maneland Chibuye
*Matilda Mpande
*Maureen Mwape
*Oxicillia Mpande
*Prudence Chola
*Richard Mwape
*Rozen Chibale
*Ruth Chibuye
*Thelma Mwape
Musicians
*Rebekah Allan – violin (tracks 2, 4)
*Shakil "Shakaveli" Ashraf – drum programming (track 9), keyboards (track 9), producer (track 9)
*Elizabeth Ball – violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Mark Berrow – violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Zara Benyounes – violin (tracks 2, 4)
*Jack Birchwood – trumpet (track 4)
*Rachel Bolt – viola (tracks 10, 13)
*Natalia Bonner – violin (tracks 2, 4)
*Courtney Brown – trombone (track 4)
*Nozomi Cohen – viola (tracks 2, 4)
*
Jonny Coffer
Jonathan Coffer (born 8 March 1989) is a multiple Grammy-nominated songwriter and record producer from London. He has written and produced for artists including Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Lykke Li, FKA twigs, Naughty Boy, Emeli Sandé, Fall Out ...
– string programming (tracks 3, 7), string arranger (track 7), keyboard (track 11), piano (track 11), producer (track 11)
*Theon Cross – tuba (track 4)
*David Daniels – cello (tracks 10, 13)
*Rosie Danvers – string arrangement (tracks 2, 4), cello (track 2, 4)
*Alison Dods – violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Ruben Fox – saxophone (track 4)
*Gillianne Haddow – viola (tracks 10, 13)
*Marianne Haynes – violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Matt Holmes – drum programming (track 3, 15), bass (track 4, 10, 12), drums (tracks 4–5, 12–13), handclaps (track 4), percussion (track 12–13)
*Martin Humbey – viola (tracks 10, 13)
*Jake Jackson – strings recording (tracks 2, 4)
*Sally Jackson – violin (tracks 2, 4)
*Joe Kearns – choir recording (tracks 1–2, 4, 11)
*
Peter Kelleher – synths (track 14)
*Patrick Kiernan – violin (tracks 2, 4)
*
Ben Kohn – guitar (track 14)
*Peter Lale – viola (tracks 10, 13)
*Oli Langford – violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Chris Laurence – double bass (tracks 10, 13)
*Philip Leigh – bass (tracks 3, 5, 13), electric guitar (tracks 3–4, 13), acoustic guitar (tracks 3, 5, 10, 13), electric piano (track 4), synth (track 4), handclaps (track 4), guitar (tracks 6, 12), keyboard (track 10), piano (track 12–13), drum programming (track 15), guitar sampler (track 15)
*Andrew Lippman – trombone (track 12)
*
Chris Loco
Christopher Crowhurst, better known by his stage name Chris Loco, is an English record producer and songwriter.
Discography Production and songwriting credits
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loco, Chris
English DJs
English record produce ...
– producer (tracks 2, 8), keyboards (tracks 2, 8), percussion (track 2), synthesizer (track 2), co-producer (track 15), drum programming (track 15)
*Mac & Phil – producer (tracks 3–4, 6, 10, 12–13, 15)
*Cliff Masterson – string arrangement (tracks 10, 13)
*Eleanor Mathieson – violin (tracks 2, 4)
*Vicky Matthews – cello (tracks 10, 13)
*Scott Mayo – flute, saxophone (track 12)
*Kieron McIntosh – upright piano (track 2), brass arranger (track 4), trumpet (track 4)
*Laura Melhuish – violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Jodi Milliner – bass (track 14)
*Mojam – producer (tracks 4, 10–11)
*Steve Morris – violin (tracks 2, 4, 10, 13)
*Jeremy Murphy – strings recording (tracks 2, 4)
*James Murray – keyboard programming (track 4), keyboard (track 10)
*Kate Musker – viola (tracks 10, 13)
*Bryony Mycroft – viola (tracks 2, 4)
*
Naughty Boy
Shahid Khan ( ur, شاهد خان; born 1 January 1981), better known by his stage name Naughty Boy, is a British DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. In 2012, Khan signed a three–year publishing deal with Sony ATV, as well as a rec ...
– producer (tracks 3, 6–7, 9), keyboard (track 9)
*Jane Oliver – cello (tracks 2, 4)
*Mustafa Omer – keyboard programming (track 4), keyboard (track 10)
*Emma Owens – viola (tracks 2, 4)
*Tobi Oyerinde – choir arrangements (tracks 1–2, 4, 11)
*Pantha – additional producer (track 15)
*Tom Pigott-Smith – strings leader (tracks 10–13), violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Harriet Pope – hard (track 2)
*Gavin Powell – organ (tracks 2–5, 10–11, 14), handclaps (track 15), additional producer (track 15)
*ProducerWez – co-producer (track 1)
*Richard Pryce – double bass (tracks 2, 4)
*Kate Robinson – violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Jenny Sacha – violin (tracks 2, 4)
*Emeli Sandé – handclaps (track 4), producer (track 1, 5)
*Joel Sandé – choir arranger (track 12)
*Will Schofield – cello (tracks 10, 13)
*Sonia Slany – violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Ellie Stanford – violin (tracks 2, 4)
*Wired Strings – strings (tracks 2, 4)
*Nicky Sweeney – violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Leo Taylor – drums (track 14)
*Greg Titmarsh – cajón (track 12)
*TMS (Tom Barnes, Peter Kelleher and Ben Kohn) – producer (track 14)
*Stacey Watton – double bass (tracks 10, 13)
*Matt Ward – violin (tracks 10, 13)
*Jonathan Williams – cello (tracks 10, 13)
*Dontae Wislow – brass arranger (track 12), trumpet (track 12)
Technicians
*Shakil "Shakaveli" Ashraf – recording (track 9)
*
Tom Barnes – programming (track 14)
*Ray Brown – brass recording (track 12)
*Jonny Coffer – recording (track 7), programming (track 11)
*Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing (track 11, 14)
*Tom Elmhirst – mixing (track 10)
*Luke Gibbs – assistant engineer (tracks 3–6, 10, 13)
*Jake Gordon – recording (tracks 3–6, 10, 13), mixing (tracks 5–6, 13), vocal recording for Jay Electronica (track 8)
*Bill Halliday – vocal recording (track 12)
*Stuart Hawkes – mastering
*Matt Holmes – programming (track 5–6, 10, 12–13)
*Sam Klempner – recording (track 14)
*Philip Leigh – programming (track 3, 5, 10, 12–13)
*Chris Loco – programming (tracks 2, 8), recording (tracks 2, 8, 15)
*Mac & Phil – mixing (track 3, 12), recording (tracks 3–4, 6, 12–13, 15)
*Mojam – mixing (track 4), recording (track 4, 10)
*Welsey Muoria-Chaves – programming (track 1)
*James Murray – programming (track 10–11)
*Naughty Boy – programming (track 3, 6–7, 9), recording (track 3, 6–7, 9), mixing (track 9)
*Robbie Nelson – recording (track 14)
*Mustafa Omer – programming (track 10–11)
*Gavin Powell – recording (track 15)
*ProducerWez – mixing (track 1)
*Raf Riley – mixing (tracks 2, 8, 15)
*Gary Thomas – brass recording (track 4)
Artwork
*Alex Cowper – design
*Emeli Sandé – art direction
*Dan Sanders – art direction
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
2016 albums
Albums produced by Chris Loco
Albums produced by Naughty Boy
Emeli Sandé albums
Soul albums by Scottish artists
Virgin Records albums
Albums produced by TMS (production team)
Albums produced by Mac & Phil