''Voice'' is the sixth solo studio album by English singer Alison Moyet, released by

Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...

on 6 September 2004 in the United Kingdom and on 12 October 2004 in the United States. It is a

covers album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

, featuring slow-tempo, classic songs from a number of different genres, designed to showcase the singer's voice, with orchestral backing. A deluxe edition of ''Voice'' was released by Cooking Vinyl on 2 October 2015.

Background

After a performance with the

BBC Concert Orchestra The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British concert orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five BBC orchestras which is not a full-scale sym ...

in 2003, Moyet approached conductor

Anne Dudley Anne Jennifer Dudley (née Beckingham; born 7 May 1956) is an English composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genr ...

with the idea of recording a "collection of classic song". In light of her appreciation of Moyet's distinctive vocal style, Dudley later described the offer of working with her as "irresistible". For her official website, she commented: "We spent many happy hours playing songs on the piano, minutely adjusting keys to suit her voice. We chose a wonderful selection and recorded them organically." The material was recorded at Angel Studios, London, with Dudley as producer and arranger. ''Voice'' was released in September 2004 and reached 7 in the UK, spending 12 weeks on the chart. Preceding the album was the single "

Windmills of Your Mind "The Windmills of Your Mind" is a song with music by French composer Michel Legrand and English lyrics written by Americans Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The French lyrics, under the title "", were written by Eddy Marnay. The song (with the English ...

", which failed to make a chart appearance. The second and final single, released in December 2004, was a double release of " Almost Blue" and "

Alfie Alfie may refer to: Theatre and film * ''Alfie'' (play), a 1963 play by Bill Naughton * ''Alfie'' (1966 film), a film based on the play starring Michael Caine * ''Alfie'' (2004 film), a remake of the 1966 film * ''Alfie'' (2013 film), an Indi ...

". It reached No. 99 in the UK. Speaking to the

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

in 2004, Moyet commented: "As a 43-year-old I'm finding that reflective, beautiful songs appeal to me. I am quite a prolific singer, in the sense that I have a versatility and I don't want to be limited purely to the songs that I can write."

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

* Alison Moyet – lead vocals * Anthony Pleeth – cello (tracks: 1 to 9, 11) * Dave Daniels – cello (tracks: 6, 7, 9) * Martin Loveday – cello (tracks: 6, 7, 9) * Paul Kegg – cello (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9) * Nicholas Bucknall – clarinet (tracks: 1, 4, 11) * Chris Laurence – double bass (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 9) * Ralph Salmins – drums (tracks: 2, 3, 5 to 7, 10) *

John Parricelli John Parricelli (born 5 April 1959 in Evesham, Wychavon, Worcestershire, England) is a jazz guitarist who has worked mainly in the United Kingdom. Parricelli began his career as a guitarist in 1982. He was one of the founding members of the Brit ...

– guitar (tracks: 2, 4 to 7, 10) *

– piano (tracks: 1 to 7, 9 to 10), electric piano (tracks: 2, 5), glockenspiel (track: 4), organ (track: 6) * Derek Watkins – trumpet (tracks: 3, 6, 10) * Andy Parker –

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

(tracks: 6, 7, 9) * Bruce White – viola (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9) * Peter Lale – viola (tracks: 1 to 9, 11) * Vicci Wardman – viola (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6, to 9) * Boguslaw Kostecki – violin (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9) * Gordon Buchan – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9) * John Bradbury – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9) * Julian Leaper – violin (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9) * Maciej Rakowski – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9) * Patrick Kiernan – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9) * Paul Willey – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9) * Rita Manning – violin (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9) * Roger Garland – violin (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 9, 11) * Rolf Wilson – violin (tracks: 1 to 8) * Simon Baggs – violin (tracks: 6, 7, 9) * Rolf Wilson – violin (leader) (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9) * Derek Watkins – flugelhorn (tracks: 2, 6) * Alasdair Malloy – harmonica (glass), percussion (track: 8) * Victoria Walpole – Cor Anglais (track: 4) * Alasdair Mallory –

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

(track: 4) * Steve Pearce – bass (track: 6) *

Jamie Talbot James Robert Talbot (born 23 April 1960 in London) is an English jazz alto saxophonist. Talbot played with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra and then with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He attended the Royal College of Music during 1978� ...

– saxophone (tracks: 6, 10) * Julian Jackson – harmonica (track: 10)

Production

– producer, arranger * Mat Bartram –

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproductio ...

* Steve Price – sound engineer * Roger Dudley – sound engineer,

sound mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aesthetic ...

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2004 albums Alison Moyet albums Covers albums Sanctuary Records albums