''She Walks in Beauty'' is a 2021 studio album by Australian multi-instrumentalist

Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ( ...

and British pop singer

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

putting music to British romantic poetry. Faithfull started recording it in 2020, only finishing it during her recovery from a serious case of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

; she has described the work as her dream project that she wanted to record for 50 years. The album has received positive reviews from critics.

Reception

Editors at

AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...

aggregated the scores from 16 critics and scored this album a 7.6 out of 10. Editors at

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 ...

rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Mark Deming writing that the age in her voice "has made her art stronger and more eloquent" and that this album is "a loving testimony to the power and lasting vigor of the Romantic poets, and also a reminder of how lucky we are to have an artist as gifted as Marianne Faithfull giving us this remarkable tutorial". ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

''s Lee Zimmerman rated this album 3 out of 5 stars, calling it "a remarkable recording" for the circumstances under which it was recorded and praising Ellis' arrangements and instrumentation. Guy Oddy of ''

The Arts Desk ''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of tradition ...

'' scored this album 3 out of 5 stars and characterized it as "more likely to soundtrack occasional moments in time rather than to become a turntable regular". Nick Roseblade rated this release a 9 out of 10 for ''

Clash Music ''Clash'' is a music and fashion magazine and website based in the United Kingdom. It is published four times a year by Music Republic Ltd, whose predecessor Clash Music Ltd went into liquidation. The magazine won the Best New Magazine award in ...

'', stating that Faithfull's vocals are key and continuing that "her delivery is precise yet warming" and that "Ellis has created understated gossamer soundscapes that emphasise the emotions of the poems but don't draw the attention from Faithfull’s voice". A five-star review from Helen Brown in ''

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 publis ...

'' called this work "an unsentimental spine-tingler of an album from a pirate crew of against-the-odds survivors" and that Ellis "whittled such elegant woody melodies around her words that it sounded like he’d carved her a Viking funeral barge". In ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'', Siobahn Kane scored this album 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "Ellis’s version of musique concrète (featuring Nick Cave on piano and Brian Eno contributing some sound textures) ddssomething quite special" to Faithfull's voice. Victoria Segal gave ''She Walks in Beauty'' 4 out of 5 stars in ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...

'', calling the release "an emotional collection" that is enhanced by being released deep into Faithfull's career, as "the burnished patina of her voice carries all the experience needed for" these recitations. At ''

musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

'', Matt Cotsell rated this album 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating that "the poems selected are a treat for fans with extensive knowledge of the Romantics and equally for those with none" and that "a large part of that gratification comes from Ellis’s charismatic score". In ''

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 w ...

'', Phil Mongredien rated this release 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a magical return" for Faithfull and he expresses thankfulness that Faithfull was able to survive a difficult case of

. Writing for

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 ...

, Daniel Felsenthal rated this album a 6.7 out of 10, calling it "a passion project of the highest order" that "doesn’t do a whole lot to transcend" its basic concept of poetry reading and he compares Ellis' instrumentation to ''

Ghosteen ''Ghosteen'' is the seventeenth studio album by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 4 October 2019 on Ghosteen Ltd and on 8 November 2019 on Bad Seed Ltd, both the band's own imprints. ''Gh ...

''. Peter Piatkowski wrote that this work displays the "particular genius" of Faithfull to "capture the sad, reflective mood of the world" and he gave it an 8 out of 10. ''She Walks in Beauty'' got 4 out of 5 stars in ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

'', where critic Terry Staunton wrote that "Faithfull’s delivery takes the listener on an adventure further into mores and morals of another time". Kory Grow of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' rated this 3.5 out of 4 stars, stating that "her warm, lived-in voice finds new depths in heseverses" and summing up that "the reason it’s so effective its because it’s the full package: Faithfull’s devastating voice, the poets’ brilliant verses, and delicate ambient music, performed by her collaborators—Ellis, Nick Cave, and Brian Eno, among others". ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

''s Bruce Elder gave this release 4 out of 5 stars, for being "a towering benchmark" that "works brilliantly" as "a haunting collection of indescribably beautiful poetry read in Faithfull’s husky, melancholy and deeply emotional voice, and backed, for the most part, by discreet washes and waves of sonic sepia, played mostly on violin". A 7 out of 10 came from Rob Hughes in ''

Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

'' who casts this music as "imbued with rich personal experience, her imperious tones backlit by Warren Ellis’s meditative ambience".

Track listing

All instrumentation by

. #"

She Walks in Beauty "She Walks in Beauty" is a short lyrical poem in iambic tetrameter written in 1814 by Lord Byron, and is one of his most famous works. It is said to have been inspired by an event in Byron's life. On 11 June 1814, Byron attended a party in Lon ...

" (

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

) – 2:37 #" The Bridge of Sighs" (

Thomas Hood Thomas Hood (23 May 1799 – 3 May 1845) was an English poet, author and humorist, best known for poems such as " The Bridge of Sighs" and "The Song of the Shirt". Hood wrote regularly for ''The London Magazine'', ''Athenaeum'', and ''Punch''. ...

) – 4:55 #"" (

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculo ...

) – 4:15 #"

Ode to a Nightingale "Ode to a Nightingale" is a poem by John Keats written either in the garden of the Spaniards Inn, Hampstead, London or, according to Keats' friend Charles Armitage Brown, under a plum tree in the garden of Keats' house at Wentworth Place, also ...

" (Keats) – 6:49 #"

To Autumn "To Autumn" is a poem by English Romantic poet John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821). The work was composed on 19 September 1819 and published in 1820 in a volume of Keats's poetry that included ''Lamia'' and ''The Eve of St. Agne ...

" (Keats) – 3:16 #"

Ozymandias "Ozymandias" ( ) is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). It was first published in the 11 January 1818 issue of '' The Examiner'' of London. The poem was included the following year in Shelley's co ...

" (

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...

) – 3:08 #" The Prelude: Book One Introduction" (

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...

) – 2:50 #"

Surprised by Joy ''Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life'' is a partial autobiography published by C. S. Lewis in 1955. The work describes Lewis's life from very early childhood (born 1898) until his conversion to Christianity in 1931, but does not go b ...

" (Wordsworth) – 2:08 #"To the Moon" (Shelley) – 2:21 #" So We’ll Go No More a Roving" (Lord Byron) – 2:20 #"

The Lady of Shalott "The Lady of Shalott" is a lyrical ballad by the 19th-century English poet Alfred Tennyson and one of his best-known works. Inspired by the 13th-century Italian short prose text '' Donna di Scalotta'', the poem tells the tragic story of Elain ...

" (Tennyson) – 11:46

Personnel

– vocals *

– synthesizer on "She Walks in Beauty" and "Ozymandias", freeze violin on "The Bridge of Sighs" and "The Prelude: Book One Introduction", violin on "La Belle Dame sans Merci" and "Surprised by Joy", sampler loops on "Ode to a Nightingale" and "Ozymandias", synthesizer on "Ode to a Nightingale" and "The Lady of Shalott", bells on "She Walks in Beauty", choir vocal on "She Walks in Beauty",

celesta The celesta or celeste , also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music box ( ...

on "The Bridge of Sighs", effects on "The Bridge of Sighs", Boomerang strings samples on "La Belle Dame sans Merci",

alto flute The alto flute is an instrument in the Western concert flute family, the second-highest member below the standard C flute after the uncommon flûte d'amour. It is the third most common member of its family after the standard C flute and the ...

on "To Autumn", hyena cello on "To Autumn",

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

on "To Autumn", piano on "To Autumn", choral loop from Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre on "The Prelude: Book One Introduction", sampler loop treatments on "Surprised by Joy", future strings on "To the Moon", bass flute on "So We’ll Go No More a Roving", strings on "So We’ll Go No More a Roving", effects loops on "The Lady of Shalott",

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...

– piano on "She Walks in Beauty", "The Bridge of Sighs", "La Belle Dame sans Merci", "Ode to a Nightingale", "To Autumn", "Ozymandias", "Surprised by Joy", "To the Moon", and "The Lady of Shalott";

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

on "The Bridge of Sighs", "To Autumn", and "To the Moon" *John Davis – mastering at Metropolis Studios, London, England, United Kingdom *

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

– clarinet on "The Bridge of Sighs", synthesizer on "La Belle Dame sans Merci", effects on "La Belle Dame sans Merci",

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

on "The Bridge of Sighs", engineering on "The Bridge of Sighs" and "La Belle Dame sans Merci" *Head – effects on "She Walks in Beauty", "To the Moon", and "The Lady of Shalott"; arrangement; piano engineering on "She Walks in Beauty", "The Bridge of Sighs", "La Belle Dame sans Merci", "Ode to a Nightingale", "To Autumn", "Ozymandias", "Surprised by Joy", "To the Moon", and "The Lady of Shalott"; mixing on "She Walks in Beauty", "To the Moon", and "The Lady of Shalott" at Ice House Studios in Milborne Port, Somerset, England, United Kingdom; *Rosie Matheson – photography *Yann Orhan – design *François Ravard – executive production *

Vincent Ségal Vincent Ségal (born 1967 in Reims, France) is a French cellist and bassist. He studied at the National Music Academy of Lyon and the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada. He is mainly known for the variety of his collaborations and unusual projec ...

– cello on "The Bridge of Sighs", "Ode to a Nightingale", "The Prelude: Book One Introduction", and "So We’ll Go No More a Roving" *

Colin Self Colin E Self (born 1941 in Rackheath, Norfolk) is an English Pop Artist, whose work has addressed the theme of Cold War politics. As a student at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1961 to 1963 Colin Self received encouragement for his drawings ...

– artwork *Ben Thackeray – piano engineering on "She Walks in Beauty", "The Bridge of Sighs", "La Belle Dame sans Merci", "Ode to a Nightingale", "To Autumn", "Ozymandias", "Surprised by Joy", "To the Moon", and "The Lady of Shalott" *Jean-Charles Versari – cello engineering on "The Bridge of Sighs", "Ode to a Nightingale", "The Prelude: Book One Introduction", and "Surprised by Joy" * Augustin Viard –

ondes Martenot The ondes Martenot ( ; , "Martenot waves") or ondes musicales ("musical waves") is an early electronic musical instrument. It is played with a keyboard or by moving a ring along a wire, creating "wavering" sounds similar to a theremin. A player o ...

on "The Lady of Shalott"

Chart performance

''She Walks in Beauty'' peaked at the following chart placements: *

Dutch Album Top 100 The Dutch Album Top 100 or Album Top 100 is a weekly hit list of music albums, compiled by Dutch Charts. List shows the 100 best-selling music albums of the moment in the Netherlands. The list has passed through various name changes and has expand ...

: 49 *

GfK Entertainment charts The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

: 28 *

Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Tuesdays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as ...

: 21 *

Swiss Hitparade The Swiss Hitparade (german: link=no, Schweizer Hitparade) is Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland. The Swiss charts include: * Singles Top ...

: 28 *

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 C ...

: 88 *

Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization ...

(

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

): 38 *

(

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

): 37

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

Chart performance

See also