''The Meaning of Love'' is the debut studio album by Scottish singer

Michelle McManus Michelle McManus (born 8 May 1980) is a Scottish singer, columnist, and television presenter who won the second and final series of the UK talent show ''Pop Idol'' in 2003. McManus's debut single, " All This Time", entered the UK Singles Cha ...

, issued by

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. Released on 16 February 2004, it debuted at number three on the

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and featured two singles: the number one

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entry "

All This Time All This Time may refer to: * ''All This Time'' (Heartless Bastards album), 2006 * ''All This Time'' (Sting album), a 2001 live album and concert film by Sting * "All This Time" (Drax Project song), 2019 * "All This Time" (Michelle McManus song ...

", and the

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, which peaked at number sixteen. Critics derided the record for its production values and songwriting quality; multiple reviewers also found McManus's singing voice to be unimpressive. The album was deemed a commercial failure by Sony BMG, who dropped McManus from the label. The album has since received various "worst album" accolades. ''The Meaning of Love'' was certified as gold by the

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in April 2004, indicating sales of over 100,000 copies.

Reception and legacy

Lynsey Hanley Lynsey Hanley (born 12 April 1976) is a British writer and academic. Biography Hanley was born in Birmingham and grew up on a council estate in the suburb of Chelmsley Wood. She studied English at Queen Mary University of London. Hanley is ...

in ''

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'' wrote: "This whole record smacks of boil-in-the-bag songwriting and lazy, hasty production tarted up with cheesy strings." She stated that McManus's singing "lack any discernible 'wow' factor" and is on par with "a karaoke regular or, at best, a provincial cabaret turn." ''

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'' journalist Caroline Sullivan also saw McManus's vocals as lacking the "wow" factor, which, she said, "could have enlivened some of these sub-

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

torchers." An

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critic said that McManus, whose vocal performances "never rise far above the level of a very average club singer", made fellow

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music competition winners

Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence after winning the 2002 Pop Idol (series 1), inaugural series of the ITV (TV network), ITV talent contest ''Pop Idol'', making him the f ...

and

Alex Parks Alexandra Rebecca Parks (born 26 July 1984) is an English singer-songwriter. Parks was entered into the BBC Television programme, ''Fame Academy'' by her father. It was a show that she went on to win. Soon after winning ''Fame Academy'', she r ...

"look like worldbeaters by comparison." McManus' native Scottish broadsheet press were not sympathetic. Leon McDermott of the ''

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'' called the music "singularly unremarkable." He likened McManus to a "particularly adept ferry singer", while observing a lack of "emotion and anger, love and regret." In conclusion he said: " e's competent, but sounds like a proficient karaoke singer rather than a bona fide pop star." ''

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'' journalist Beth Pearson felt that the "tinny production and synths imported direct from the 1980s", made for a "thoroughly boring, unambitious debut." While ''

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s Fiona Shepherd delivered a track-by-track assessment of the record in which she criticised the quality of the material and described McManus as "another chicken-in-a-basket diva" with an "unremarkable" voice. Shepherd expressed a particular loathing for the cover version of

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

's "

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", which according to her, had "the guts ripped out of it." The track was derided by multiple reviewers. Some reviewers, while unfavourable, were more receptive to McManus's vocals. Sharon Mawer in

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saw the bulk of the material as "very bland, tuneless, and unmemorable", but commended McManus's "undoubted talent." She did, however, argue that McManus gained publicity more for "her outsized weight" than her singing. ''

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'' critic Gavin Martin stressed that she "can actually sing", but observed "some of the most horrifying material ever", with songwriting that is "drowned in cliche, seemingly knocked off with barely a thought."

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writer Tom Bishop was impressed by McManus's "soulful" singing on ''Pop Idol'', but felt her vocals sound "muffled and restrained by pedestrian production" on this "dull" album. Deviating from critical consensus,

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journalist Ruth Mitchell wrote that the album is "packed full of dreamy songs", and "surprisingly sounds like a very competent and unhurried effort indeed." ''The Meaning of Love'' won "Worst British Album" at the 2005

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. In a 2007 online poll, it was voted the seventh-worst album ever made by a Scottish artist.

Commercial performance

''The Meaning of Love'' debuted at number three on the

on 22 February 2004. It shifted around 23,000 copies in its first week. It fell to number fourteen in its second week and lasted a further three weeks in the UK Top 40. The record performed well in Scotland, peaking at number one on the

Scottish Albums Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

. However, across the UK, it was selling only one sixth of ''Pop Idol'' 2002 winner

's debut ''

From Now On From Now On may refer to: Film * ''From Now On'' (1920 film), an American film of 1920 * ''From Now On'' (film), a 2007 Portuguese film directed by Catarina Ruivo Music Albums * ''From Now On'' (Jaki Graham album) or the title song, 1989 * ''Fro ...

''. The album charted at number sixty four on the

Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have been compiled by the ...

.Michelle McManus – The Meaning Of Love
Music Charts In the United Kingdom, ''The Meaning of Love'' received a gold certification, indicating sales of over 100,000 copies.

Charts

Track listing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meaning Of Love, The 2004 albums Michelle McManus albums 19 Recordings albums Albums produced by Steve Robson Albums produced by Stephen Lipson Albums produced by Mike Peden Bertelsmann Music Group albums