''Ricki-Lee'' is the debut studio album by Australian recording artist

Ricki-Lee Coulter Ricki-Lee Dawn Coulter (born 10 November 1985), also known mononymously as Ricki-Lee, is a New Zealand-born Australian singer, songwriter, television, and radio presenter. She was born in Auckland, New Zealand, grew up on the Gold Coast, Qu ...

, released through Shock Records on 3 October 2005. Coulter recorded the album in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and worked with several songwriters and producers, including Audius Mtawarira,

Israel Cruz Israel Cruz is an Australian singer-songwriter and record producer. Cruz was born in Quezon City, Philippines and at the age of 3 moved to Melbourne, Australia with his family. He lives in Sydney, Australia with friends and has written and perf ...

Jarrad Rogers Jarrad Leith Rogers, aka "Mstr Rogers" is an Australian-British artist, songwriter and pop producer. Early life Jarrad played trumpet and classical piano from an early age. Studying piano under renowned concert pianist, Alexander Sumetski, he ...

Hayley Aitken Hayley Michelle Aitken (born 11 April 1986) is an Australian pop singer-songwriter and record producer who also performs mononymously as Hayley. She had a top 40 hit on the ARIA Singles Chart with her second single, "Kiss Me Quick" (July ...

and

Kara DioGuardi Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi (; born December 9, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, and singer. She writes music primarily in the pop rock genre. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; sales o ...

, among others. The album reached number 30 on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

and number six on the ARIA Urban Albums Chart. ''Ricki-Lee'' was preceded by the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

Hell No! "Hell No!" is the debut single of Australian singer Ricki-Lee Coulter. It was released on 13 June 2005 as the lead single from her self-titled debut album, ''Ricki-Lee (album), Ricki-Lee'' (2005). "Hell No!" debuted and peaked at number five on ...

" in June 2005, which peaked at number five on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified gold by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...

(ARIA). The second single " Sunshine" was released in September 2005, which peaked at number eight and was also certified gold. " Breathe" was released as the album's third and final single in January 2006, which reached number 14.

Background and reception

Following her departure from '' Australian Idol'' in 2004, Coulter was offered recording contracts by record labels including the show's sponsor Sony BMG, but she signed with Australia's biggest independent label Shock Records. Coulter explained, "I'd met with a number of labels and Shock were the only one that asked me what I wanted to do and what kind of album I wanted to make and who I wanted to work with". She recorded her debut album in

. ''Ricki-Lee'' was released on 3 October 2005, as both digital download and CD formats. Matthew Chisling of

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 ...

gave the album three out of five stars, and was critical of its musical direction. He added that "the album never truly solidifies Coulter enough to warrant her immediate approval by a widespread audience, since she is divided so heavily between styles and influences that don't always suit her". Guy Blackman of ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' stated that the album is "an infectious collection of R&B-tinged pop tunes that takes a step beyond the usual ''Idol'' fodder". At the 2006 Australian and New Zealand Urban Music Awards, ''Ricki-Lee'' was nominated for Best R&B Album. ''Ricki-Lee'' debuted and peaked on the

at number 30 on 10 October 2005. The album performed better on the ARIA Urban Albums Chart, where it peaked at number six.

Background and reception

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References