''Trip the Light Fantastic'' is the third studio album by British singer and songwriter

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded Ellis-Bextor went solo and ach ...

. It was released on 21 May 2007 by

Fascination Records Fascination Records is a United Kingdom-based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as an imprint of Polydor Records. The label was launched in spring of 2006, and is managed by former TOTP Magazine editor Peter Loraine ...

following the release of the lead single, "

Catch You "Catch You" is a song by the British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her third album, ''Trip the Light Fantastic'' (2007). It was written by Cathy Dennis, Rhys Barker and Greg Kurstin and produced by Kurstin. It was released as the alb ...

" and the second single, "

Me and My Imagination "Me and My Imagination" is a song by British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her third studio album, ''Trip the Light Fantastic'' (2007). It was written by Ellis-Bextor, Hannah Robinson and co-written and produced by Matt Prime. It is a ...

". The album was available to stream via the internet on 18 May 2007, three days before the official release date. It debuted 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 C ...

at number 7. " Today the Sun's on Us" was the third single released from the album on 13 August 2007, causing the album to re-enter the UK Albums Chart at number 39. In an interview with ''

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

'', Ellis-Bextor confirmed that the fourth single from the album was to be "If I Can't Dance", and on 5 May 2008, the single was released exclusively via the

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

. The song also appeared on the soundtrack to the film ''

St Trinian's ''St Trinian's'' is a British gag cartoon comic strip series, created and drawn by Ronald Searle from 1946 until 1952. The cartoons all centre on a boarding school for girls, where the teachers are sadists and the girls are juvenile delinquents ...

''. It received mostly positive reviews from music critics, with many commending the album for being an enjoyable, "glossy" dance record. The album became Ellis-Bextor's second studio album to be available digitally in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Background

In an interview for ''Digital Spy'', Ellis-Bextor claimed she recorded four duets for the album, however, decided not to include any of them on request of her record label. Despite this,

Dan Gillespie Sells Daniel Giles Gillespie Sells (; born 20 September 1978) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known as being the lead vocalist and frontman for the rock group The Feeling. Biography Sells and his brother James were co-parented ...

provides backing vocals for two songs on the album, and

Fred Schneider Frederick William Schneider III (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band The B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his ''sprechge ...

provides backing vocals on another. Originally, Ellis-Bextor claimed she would not appear on the album's cover, however, she later claimed that she had changed her mind. She commented, "It's sparkly, but hopefully it's got a bit more depth than just a nice picture of me on the cover!" Ellis-Bextor worked on the album with someone she regarded as "a French guy named Dimitri", who was rumoured to be Dimitri from Paris, but turned out to be

Dimitri Tikovoi Dimitri may refer People * Dmitry, a male given name, Slavic version of Greek name Demetrios * Dimitri (clown) (1935–2016), Swiss clown and mime * Dimitri Atanasescu, Ottoman-born Aromanian teacher * Dimitri from Paris, French DJ * Dimitri Flower ...

. She also worked on the album with her ex-bandmate Kerin Smith, of

theaudience Theaudience (styled as theaudience) were an English rock band, formed in London in 1996. They released one album and saw three singles enter the UK Singles Chart. The band's singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor became a successful solo artist after the b ...

. The opening line in "If I Can't Dance" is, according to Ellis-Bextor in an interview for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' website, a famous quote by feminist anarchist

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist political activist and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the ...

. She also revealed that she wrote around eighty songs for the album, and later admitted, "That's how many demos exist. Overall, it's probably knocking on for triple figures I'd say." She revealed that she had plans to release a song called "Hype", which sampled

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

's "

The Model "Das Model" ("The Model" in English) is a song recorded by the German group Kraftwerk in 1978, written by musicians Ralf Hütter and Karl Bartos, with artist Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is featured on the album, ''Die Mensch-M ...

", but the record label denied her permission. Following its release in Australia, the album went to the top ten on the Australian

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

pop albums chart and the top 40 on the main albums chart, but failed to chart on the

ARIA Charts 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 ...

Singles

" was released as the album's lead single in February 2007. It is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

, electronic song and talks about Ellis-Bextor chasing the guy that she wants. It received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who commended the infusion of rock guitars and electronic beats, while calling it a strident and very good song. A music video was directed by Sophie Muller and it shows Ellis-Bextor chasing someone in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. The song performed moderately on the charts, reaching number 8 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, peaking inside the top twenty on the Italian and Russian Singles Chart and inside the top fifty on the charts of other countries."Catch You - Chart Positions"
"A-Charts". Retrieved 16 June 2007. "If You Go" was released as a promo single on iTunes in March 2007. "

" was its follow-up, hitting the market in May 2007. It is a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

song and its lyrics advise an overeager suitor to play harder to get. It only reached number twenty-three on the

. It received acclaim from music critics, who named it a brilliant and irresistible slice of pop. The song was the cause of controversy because of an unexpected delay in its release on

.Jonny Evans
"Sophie Ellis Bextor slams iTunes error"
macworld.co.uk. 16 May 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2007. " Today the Sun's on Us" was the third single, being released in August.Sophie Ellis Bextor Today the Sun's On Us UK 2-track CD single
. "Eil.com". Retrieved 11 August 2007. It is a mid-tempo ballad written about "giving yourself permission to enjoy things when the going is good, despite the fact you know the good may not last forever". It received generally favourable reviews from music critics, who called it "brilliant". However, some criticised her vocals, calling it "limited". The single spent one week in the UK Singles Chart, where it peaked at number 64."Today the Sun's on Us Charts"
aCharts.us. Retrieved 12 June 2008 A fourth single was expected to be released in May 2008, which was "

If I Can't Dance "If I Can't Dance" is a song by British recording artist Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her third studio album, ''Trip the Light Fantastic'' (2007). It was written by Ellis-Bextor and Dimitri Tikovoi, while production was handled by Tikovi, with additi ...

", but was eventually delayed and never released.

Critical reception

The album received positive reviews from most music critics. K. Ross Hoffman 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 databas ...

gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing "A welcome return from one of the most sophisticated and distinctive voices in British dance-pop, ''Trip the Light Fantastic'' is easily Sophie Ellis-Bextor's most dynamic album to date. Markedly more consistent than its enjoyable-but-spotty predecessors, but also – more importantly – far more gutsy, varied and vital, its many strong points are the most exciting of her career." Hoffman also named it a "tremendously enjoyable record that stands as a shining example of the state of the art." Nick Levine of ''

'' also gave the album a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, writing "''Trip the Light Fantastic'' easily fulfils the promise of its fizzy singles." Stuart McCaighy of ''

This Is Fake DIY ''DIY'' is a United Kingdom-based music publication, in print and online. Its free print edition is released monthly with a physical circulation of 40,000 in UK venues, clubs and shops. DIY Magazine ''DIY'' was launched in 2002 by then-editor ...

'' gave the album 8 out of 10 stars, writing that Ellis-Bextor "has a class, an air which most pop stars lack." Pete Cashmore of ''

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 ...

'' gave the album a rating of 6 out of 10 stars, writing "Ellis-Bextor proffers lush, mechanical dance muzak, which is probably not what you want, so it helps that with the swooping 'New York City Lights' she is also delivering good pop songs. As pointlessly opulent as walking into a Walkabout pub and ordering a Cosmopolitan, and no less satisfying." Talia Kraines of BBC Music opined that "Whether there is room for such a manicured, glossy pop star in the musical landscape of 2007 is a different matter. Sophie's certainly made the pop record she wants to, and if it all sounds a ta
2002
then so be it. Good luck to her." Kitty Empire of ''

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 ...

'' wrote: "Ellis Bextor has panniers of the stuff, but you wouldn't know it from this collection of deeply ordinary songs." Matt O'Leary of

Virgin Media Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...

gave the album 2.5 out of 5 stars, but ultimately wrote that "While this is a super-glossy piece of work, it does nothing to dispel the image of Sophie Ellis-Bextor as making club music it's OK for your mum to like. By no means bad." Emily MacKay of

Yahoo! Music Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds of ...

gave the album 6 out of 10 stars, writing "All in all, though, ''Trip the Light Fantastic'' stumbles short of the disco sublime it tries so hard to invoke. Keep on trying, Sophie." The album peaked at number 4 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s best albums of 2007. '' Pitchfork'' ranked "Me and My Imagination" number 87 on its list of the 100 greatest tracks of 2007.

Track listing

Tour

Ellis-Bextor originally planned to embark on a 14-date concert tour beginning on 14 August and ending on 5 October 2007. The tour was scheduled to be a nationwide tour of the UK, including festivals such as T4 on the Beach (22 July), twice at V Festival (18 and 19 August) and at

Summer Sundae Summer Sundae (also called the Summer Sundae Weekender) was an annual music festival held in Leicester, England which initially focused on indie (music), indie, Indie folk, alternative, and local music. The festival began as a one-dayer in 2001 ...

(11 August). However, the entire tour was postponed due to Ellis-Bextor's involvement with Take That's 34 tour dates. The ''Trip the Light Fantastic'' tour was rescheduled to resume in early 2008 "better and bigger than ever" according to Ellis-Bextor. Despite this, it was postponed once again and was said to be getting rescheduled for Autumn, but it was finally cancelled. Ellis-Bextor was also said to have had plans to also tour

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, continental

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

to support the album and promote the singles around the world. However, the world tour component was never officially confirmed.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trip The Light Fantastic (Album) 2007 albums Albums produced by Greg Kurstin Albums produced by Pascal Gabriel Albums produced by Xenomania Fascination Records albums Sophie Ellis-Bextor albums Albums produced by Dimitri Tikovoi Albums produced by Richard Stannard (songwriter)