The Remix Album (Lisa Stansfield album) explained

The Remix Album
Type:remix
Artist:Lisa Stansfield
Cover:The Remix Album by Lisa Stansfield.jpg
Recorded:1997–1998
Genre:Dance
Label:Arista
Prev Title:Lisa Stansfield
Prev Year:1997
Next Title:Swing
Next Year:1999

The Remix Album (titled The #1 Remixes (EP) in North America) is the first remix album by British singer Lisa Stansfield, released by Arista Records on 2 June 1998. It contains remixes of songs originally included on the 1997 album, Lisa Stansfield. The tracks were remixed by prominent US and UK producers: Hex Hector, Junior Vasquez, Victor Calderone, Frankie Knuckles, Hani, K-Klass, Mark Picchiotti, the Black Science Orchestra and the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. The album garnered favorable reviews from music critics and reached number eighty-two on the Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Background

In 1997, Stansfield released her eponymous album, which spawned four number-one singles on the Billboards Hot Dance Club Songs: "People Hold On" (The Bootleg Mixes), "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up", "Never Gonna Fall" (two weeks at the top) and "I'm Leavin'". This success prompted Arista Records to release the album with remixes of songs from Lisa Stansfield.

Content

The album, titled The #1 Remixes (EP) was released in North America on 2 June 1998. It includes nine tracks remixed by prominent producers: Hex Hector ("I'm Leavin'"), Junior Vasquez and Victor Calderone ("Never Gonna Fall"), Frankie Knuckles and Hani ("Never, Never Gonna Give You Up"), the Dirty Rotten Scoundrels ("People Hold On"), K-Klass ("The Real Thing") and the Black Science Orchestra ("The Line"). In Europe, it was titled The Remix Album and released on 8 June 1998. It contains all the remixes from the North American edition plus one more remix of "The Real Thing" by Mark Picchiotti.

Critical reception

The album received positive reviews from music critics. According to Jose F. Promis from AllMusic, it is "more a showcase of hot dance remixers than anything else, which is all fine. It begins with the radio edit of the Hex Hector mix of 'I'm Leavin',' a melancholy ballad that absolutely shines as a dance track, and should have become a hit in a similar vein to Everything but the Girl's 'Missing.' Two mixes are included of her excellent interpretation of Barry White's 'Never, Never Gonna Give You Up,' one being a dreamy, joyful, sophisticated, rather mid-tempo remix courtesy of the legendary Frankie Knuckles, and the other being the revved-up 'Hani Mix.' 'Never Gonna Fall' makes two appearances as clubby remixes, with the Victor Calderone mix being more of a collection of beats than an actual song. A longer mix of the album version of the relentless 'People Hold On' is thrown in, as well as a single-length, funky mix of 'The Real Thing' and a sleek, housy, elegant take on 'The Line.' Promis stated that this album is an absolute must for fans of late-'90s dance music, and especially for fans of this extremely underrated songstress."

Commercial reception

The album entered the Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and peaked at number eighty-two.[1]

Personnel

Credits taken from AllMusic.[2]

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog
North America[3] 2 June 1998AristaCD07822 19012 2
Europe[4] 8 June 199874321 58993 2

Notes and References

  1. Web site: [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=lisa stansfield|chart=R&B/Hip-Hop Albums B}} Lisa Stansfield – Chart History]. 23 April 2013. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  2. Web site: Lisa Stansfield > Credits. AllMusic. 23 April 2013.
  3. Web site: The #1 Remixes . . Amazon Inc. 23 April 2013.
  4. Web site: The Remix Album . . Amazon Inc. 23 April 2013.