85% Proof
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''85% Proof'' is the sixth studio album by English recording artist
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 ...
. It was released by
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
on 25 May 2015, in the United Kingdom. It is Young's first album since signing a new recording contract with
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
in 2012, and his first studio album since '' Echoes'' in 2011. Inspired by experiences in the time between 2011 and 2014, ''85% Proof'' is about challenges in Young's life: accepting himself, forgetting sadness, and living happily. The themes of the songs vary; while some are light, others are dark. The album is produced by
Jim Eliot Jim Eliot is an English songwriter, record producer and singer from London. He has written and produced for artists including Foxes, Ellie Goulding, Will Young, Kylie Minogue, Rae Morris and Olly Murs. Eliot (synthesizer, vocals) is also a me ...
, who has worked with Young on his previous album, and Mimi Stilwell of Kish Mauve band, whom Young always works with. The writing process for the album lasted only 10 days, and the first songs were approved by the chief executive of the record company. ''85% Proof'' debuted at number one 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 ...
with total sales of 21,321 copies in its first week, becoming Young's fourth number-one studio album. In Scotland, the album debuted at number two on the Scottish Albums Chart. Upon its release, ''85% Proof'' received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Several singles have been released from the album. The first one, " Love Revolution", premiered on national radio on 27 March 2015. The music video for the second single, "Like a River", was released on Young's official Vevo channel and on his Twitter account on 20 April 2015. "Thank You" was released as the third single on 24 July 2015. Young embarked on a 22-date tour called " Love Revolution Tour" on 29 October 2015 to support the album. ''85% Proof'' was re-released on 20 November 2015 and includes the single "
What the World Needs Now Is Love "What the World Needs Now Is Love" is a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965, on the Imperial label after a relea ...
".


Background

In 2011, Young released '' Echoes'', which was a commercial success and became his third number-one album 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 ...
. Since then, he spent time on stages in the West End, received an Olivier Award nomination for his role in ''Cabaret'', and taught music in his old school in Birmingham. He also wrote for the ''
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'', and took part in activities in support of LGBT rights. During this time, he studied somatics, "which is about bodily energy", as he told ''The Guardian'' in an interview: "Human psychology and behaviour is fascinating, because the more I learn about myself the more I learn about other people. You understand things when you understand them. It makes me a better person, adult, boyfriend, son, everything". From the beginning of his career to ''Echoes'', Young had recorded five albums under a recording contract with
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. While taking part in the film ''Cabaret'' in London in 2012, he met the CEO of Universal Music David Joseph, and
Darcus Beese Darcus Beese OBE (born 1969) is a British music executive and the former president and Chief Executive Officer of Island Records from his appointment in 2018 till his departure on 3 February 2021. During his time at the label, he signed severa ...
of Island Records, and left Sony, signing a new record deal with
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
. "It was time for a change, nothing more. I’d seen out the whole deal – the whole six album deal with Sony – which I'm really proud of", he told Rob Copsey of the
Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts inc ...
, "I’ve also changed management from 19 which is a big deal after 15 years, and thankfully they’re just brilliant. It was time for a shake-up."


Composition

In an interview with ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', Young said that he got the idea for the record after recording his previous album ''Echoes'' (2011), and stated that "It was about mindfulness", since he had to do a lot of work on his own, and had learnt ways to understand the human body. The new music would not be influenced by the music on the charts, as he told the ''Daily and Sunday Express''. Young stated that the album's title refers to the alcoholic strength of
moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...
, which is difficult to determine: "I thought it was interesting that with listening to music, I don't know how good something is ntil I try it so it's like a fermentation process. It has to be tasted to be able to tell." Also, he noticed that he didn't have a clear idea about the album like the previous one, ''Echoes'', "I don't overthink it. I just do what's happening that day." Hence, many different songs came out and Young just picked the ones he loved for the record. According to Young, ''85% Proof'' "is largely upbeat" and focused on making audiences happy with songs like "Brave Men", " Love Revolution", and "Joy". "This album is all about shrugging off unhappiness and accepting what I am", he said. The song "Like a River" is about the battle with his inner demons. Memories of the days being bullied at prep school inspired him to write the song. When talking to ''The Independent'' on the radio, Young highlighted its beauty: " 'You need to go, I need to let you go'. It was really empowering."


Recording

In an interview with UTV, Young stated that the recording process is still a thrill for him, mentioning that "It’s the most exciting thing," and "That’s kind of why I take breaks from it, because if I was doing it the whole time, it wouldn’t mean so much." Also, he unveiled that he had completed the writing for the album in only 10 days without any samples, with Kish Mauve and his band, whom he did the last record with and who are "good friends"; the first three songs were immediately approved by the president of Island Records, Darcus Beese, after being sent to him.


Promotion and release

On '' Good Morning Britain'', Young announced that he was recording his sixth studio album. On 25 March 2015, he revealed the title and artwork on his Instagram page, having set up the account on the same day. The track listing was revealed on 30 March 2015. The album's release was preceded by the single " Love Revolution", which had its UK radio premiere on 27 March 2015. Another track, "Like a River", was also available before the album's release, along with an accompanying video. The video was released on 20 April 2015, through Young's official
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel. Young also tweeted on his Twitter account about the video's concept. On 16 June 2015, a video for "Thank You" and the remix by French DJ and producer Fred Falke were released on YouTube and
SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
. The music video was filmed at Porchester Baths in London and directed by Nick Barleet. On 2 June 2015, it was announced that Young was embarking on his first tour in four years in order to promote ''85% Proof''. The tour was titled Love Revolution Tour.


Critical reception

''The Guardian'' gave the album three stars out of five and described the closing track "I Don't Need a Lover" as "This one is a piano ballad dominated by a vocal performance of silvery regret and loss. It’s a reminder of how good Young can be (and how much he has influenced Sam Smith)." Clashmusic.com also focused on the final track in their 7 out of 10 review, describing it as "The album's finest moment, 'I Don't Need A Lover', concludes proceedings with a minimal backdrop to accompany Young's emotive falsetto built around a piano and some relatively reserved strings. It's quite sincerely breathtaking and a reminder that no matter who the artist or the genre, a well-written song paired with a striking voice is all it takes to capture the listener's ear."


Commercial performance

The album peaked at number 1 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 ...
after selling 21,321 copies in its first week, marking Young's fourth studio album to top the UK charts. 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, ...
, the album made its entry at number 2. As of 28 June 2019, the album has sold 96,356 copies.


Track listing

All tracks are produced by
Jim Eliot Jim Eliot is an English songwriter, record producer and singer from London. He has written and produced for artists including Foxes, Ellie Goulding, Will Young, Kylie Minogue, Rae Morris and Olly Murs. Eliot (synthesizer, vocals) is also a me ...
. Sample credits *"Love Revolution" incorporates elements of "
Loneliness Loneliness is an unpleasant emotional response to perceived isolation. Loneliness is also described as social paina psychological mechanism which motivates individuals to seek social connections. It is often associated with a perceived lack ...
" written by
Ivan Matias Ivan Matias is an Music of the United States, American singer, songwriter, Producer (music), producer, Arrangement, arranger, Hip hop music, hip hop ghostwriter, and Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur. He is primarily known for writing and producing ...
,
Robert Borrmann The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
,
Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American-Canadian actress, singer, and comedian, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and ''Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), ''W ...
, and Edmund Clement.


Charts


Certifications


Release history


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:85 percent Proof 2015 albums Island Records albums Will Young albums Albums produced by Richard Stannard (songwriter)