#29 - Amazing (featuring Luis Fonsi)

 

From album: Free Me

Release year: 2004

Average votes: 7,11

 

 

Well before the summer hit Despacito (featuring Daddy Yankee) took over the world's charts and cultural impact in 2017, Luis Fonsi was already a very successful Latin American artist from Puerto Rico. His music and profile certainly fitted what Emma was doing with her latino-inspired sound of her Free Me album.

 

When Free Me was released, however, critics and fans in the West alike wondered who the hell this random, unknown act was. The song is usually the most 'forgotten' of the album, but it does fit in well sonically. Whilst the pair did seem odd at the time, they do sound gorgeous together, their voices blend really well in it and the song is a pastiche of 60's jazz-latino bossa nova vibes which suits them well.

 

Funnily enough, Emma did eventually admited

that she had never even met Luis as their takes were recorded separately back then. When his profile blew up across the world, some publications like NME and Daily Mail (not linking, sorry!) even wrote about the songs! Sadly, the song was not available on streaming back then to warrent it catching any further streams from this exposure :unsure:

Edited December 6, 2024Dec 6 by Mr.X

#28 I'm Not Crying Over Yesterdays

 

From album: Life in Mono

Release year: 2006

Average votes: 7,15

 

 

This jazzy-cum-bossa-nova number was, I believe, the first leak from the Life in Mono recording sessions, when a 1:40-somthing clip from its demo appeared online well ahead of the album's announcement. I remember the demo being quite strong already, with the instrumentation much more prominent, but I think the final version has more woopth to it.

 

It has often been a bit maligned by the fanbase :unsure: but it is a well written and well produced song, perfect for a late summer/early winter chill by the beach drinking canapés :teresa:

 

Edited December 10, 2024Dec 10 by Mr.X

'A World Without You' SHOULD have been the X-Mas single for 2001, could have easily gone top 5/10, especially with the radio edit version. It could have easily pushed a few more album sales and kept the momentum going into the new year. Then have 'High On Love' as the final single to close out the era & maybe hell the album earn a Platinum certification.

 

This would have been the perfect era if it had gone like planned

 

April '01: What Took You So Long

Aug '01: Take My Breath Away

Dec '01: A World Without You

Mar '02: High On Love

 

 

 

100% :wub:

#27 You Are

 

From album: Free Me

Release Year: 2004

Average votes: 7,26

 

 

Noted by critics as a 'nice' track at the time :teresa: You Are is yet again a breezy pop record that taps into the bossa nova pop that Emma became known to excel at at the time. Good for Bunton.

 

The back end of Free Me has always been seen as its weakest part, but it is only normal after such quality music preceeds it. You Are is good, well sang and produced, even if the lyrics are a bit saccarine :P Often a bit forgotten in discussions around the album, it does get a bit lost in between Amazing and Something So Beautiful, though I do think it does provide some more 'wooph' to the end of the album.

Edited December 10, 2024Dec 10 by Mr.X

#26 Who The Hell Are You

 

From single & album: Free Me (single and album)

Release year: 2003 (Free Me single)

Average votes: 7,46

 

 

First released as a b-side to the Free Me single in early 2003, Who The Hell Are You served there as a 'sneak peak' of what to expect for the main album (released almost a full year afterwards!). It certainly did its job of showing Emma's new cooler, more experimental sound than in her previous A Girl Like Me era.

 

The song was produced by Boyzone producer Ray Hedges and it's beautiful instrumentalisation serves the perfect platform for Emma to bash her lover and denounces him for thinking he is 'cool' and 'Mr Wright'.

 

I remember that the fans where somewhat upset when the Free Me album trackinglist was released as this and another song (still in competition) were already well known for months, and the album had 3 singles out already, thus almost half the album was already known.

 

Do you think this song was wasted as a b-side on the Free Me single? Should Emma have included another song in its place and saved this for the album?

#25 Life in Mono

 

From album: Life in Mono

Release year: 2006

Average votes: 7,53

 

 

The song that gave its parent album its title, is a cover of 1996's debut single of British trip-hop duo Mono. It is a trip-hop sounding, moody pop type of track that provides a hunting backing for Emma's sultry and dreamy vocals.

 

It was high praised when it was released by critics and fans alike, as it tapped into one of Emma's followers favourite genres: Moody Bunton :teresa: The production is GORGEOUS, incredibly well nuanced, and Emma drives the song really beautifully. She really makes it her own, and bring a James Bond-type of thrill to the song that elevates even more. It is one of the rare occasions where the cover might actually be better than the original :P

 

It is a shame she never sang it live, it would have been amazing to see it on tour! Since it is considered as one of the Emma's most liked covers, maybe we will see her revive it again one day?? :cheer:

 

Here is the original, for comparison:

 

I'm not surprised Free Me and Life in Mono tracks are pretty high up these results, but I would have had some A Girl Like Me highlights higher up the results, ahead of these particular Free Me/Life in Mono tracks (High on Love, A World Without You, Better Be Careful >>> Life in Mono, Who the Hell Are You, You Are, I'm Not Crying Over Yesterdays, Amazing).

 

And that's my hot take for today, enjoy x :teresa:

Really like the last three to leave. But I don’t begrudge. Seems like we’ve got a solid gold top 20 in store.

#24 Downtown

 

From album: Life in Mono

UK peak chart position: #3

UK chart run: 24-03-07-11-26-39-58-108-OUT

Release year: 2006

Average votes: 7,61

 

 

 

Back in late Summer 2006, Emma Bunton was announced as one of the contestants on BBC's highest rating reality TV competition, Strictly Come Dancing, to the surprise of pretty much everyone. Emma had come off a successful last pop-music era, and her profile, while diminished from the Spice Girls eras, was still the most dynamic and well perceived of all the solo Spices in the UK. All other Spices had fallen out of favour musically with the British GP, with both Geri and Mel C - hardly the most successful solo music artists from the group, had fallen flat with their previous releases (Passion stalled at #41 and Beautiful Intentions at #24 and both fell off pretty much straight away) yet Emma had managed to establish herself as both a media personality and also a more serious and credible musician. Her last album had outsold all of her Spice colleagues' sophomore offerings (bar Geri's Scream).

 

Yet, a problem remained: whilst she did some festivals and a lot of promo, and the era was considered a success, up until this point she had yet to tour and she hadn't yet established her own following and audience. So Simon Fuller, who was back as her manager, made a plan to tackle this: join forces with BBC and Children in Need, to re-launch her solo career.

 

For a while, Emma was all over the press with her stint on BBC's Strictly proving highly successful for her public visibility (she finished in third place). Then, half way through her stint in the show, it was announced that Emma was to release that year's Children in Need single - a massive BBC produced charity project that had previously partnered with high-end celebrities and musicians to bring in millions in revenue for their charities. It was a big move for Emma, proving the level to her level had reached.

 

Emma took on double duties: rehearsing 4 days a week, performing on the show every Saturday night and also doing the promo rounds for the single by performing and doing interviews on pretty much every BBC show of the time. Emma's success seemed certain. So they took advantage of this and decided to also announced that Emma was to release her third and highly anticipated album, Life in Mono.

 

So now, Emma had triple duties: Strictly, promoting Downtown as well as the album. A massive gamble, that didn't quite pay off for the era, because a few months later, it was all dead in the water. But the single did well, charting at #3 and giving Emma her 7th Top10 single and raising considerable amounts of money for the charity. Initially, the song charted at #24 in its first week as it was released first as a digital download, which was quite a rare move at the time. In its second week, now also with physical release, it peaked at #3.

 

To her defense, she did state that Downtown was always going to be included in the album anyway, so when Children in Need asked her to release their official single, it seemed the right fit. Her take on the Petula Clarke classic was well received, it seemed to somehow to along with the style of the album and it was praised by critics and fans alike, mentioning that Emma really suited the song and her voice and pop-sound elevated it from its original. It was released on the run to Christmas market and sold roughly 80,000 copies at the time. The video was a low budget (it was paid for by the charity itself) take on Emma being a hotel maid for rich people and a whole load of UK celebrities appear in it. It also includes a part where her Strictly colleagues appear and dance with Emma. A bittersweet note is that it also marked the last time a Spice-related release bothered the Top10 of the singles charts :unsure:

 

It seemed like as much as people enjoyed the cover, the whole stint on Strictly and her launching the album on the back of Strictly and Children in Need was not really successful for her solo career. Instead it did open doors for her to continue as a TV and Radio personality, moving her away from music for at least 12 whole years...

 

Another sour point is that the video is not available on YouTube or to buy on iTunes either as is the case with most Emma's videos to this day :cry:

 

What do you think? Was this a good move for Emma or do you think it hindered her solo career?

 

Edited December 16, 2024Dec 16 by Mr.X

A couple of errors in that post Mr X! :lol:

 

Passion actually charted at #41, it was Desire the single which charted at #22 (after Ride it charted at #4).

Beautiful Intentions did chart at #24 though (#9 in Scotland though third top 10 album lol) and she also had a #10 single in Next best superstar

 

Also Free Me didn't sell all the girls sophomore offerings, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster outsold Free Me.

 

 

I quite like Downtown, the song itself if fabulous and, although Petula Clark's version is superior, Emma's cover is pleasant enough. Do think she missed out on doing an original song though, S Club 7 and McFly had great success with original songs for CIN, although Girls Aloud had a couple of years earlier also enjoyed a big #1 with a cover so I guess they figured Downtown was the best fit. It was a nice moment seeing a proper successful single from one of the girls again, her highest charting since WTYSL. Melanie C and Geri's seemed a little muted even if they did both get further top 10s to add to their tally too.

I didn't have time to vote in this rate, but I don't believe Downtown would be ranked as high if it wasn't a single. It's a decent cover but it's nothing spectacular.

 

I do agree with your statement about Emma not really establishing her own audience. It was a huge mistake not doing any kind of tour in the summer of 2004.

I liked Downtown for what it was but I love that the follow up All I Need to Know has finished higher here!

What a surprise to see Downtown doing well in this rate.

I think it's a nice cover but a bit boring.

 

Personally, I think this is the single that kind of killed Emma's solo career and did nothing for the album. It should have just been a CIN single and Emma should have waited for the new year to launch the album with a stronger lead single. Let the 'Delux version' also include Downtown...

 

I wish she had toured properly with Free Me and then did some more live gigs around the release of the album. Sadly, it all felt really rushed and the fact she was releasing the album off the back of a charity single (with rushed cover version tracked at the back of the album too) didn't do it any favours, and I think that really hurt it's chances. By the time the next single came along, the album was dead in the water <_<

#23 Undressing You

 

From album: Life in Mono

Release year: 2006

Average votes: 7,73

 

 

Horny Bunton strikes again :teresa: Undressing You is one of the Life in Mono album tracks that was taunted, upon the album's release, as a potential next single alongside Take Me To Another Town. This sultry, sexy pop-jazzy number brings much needed sass to the middle section of the album and taps right into the late-70s jazz-pop sound that Emma was going for at the time.

 

Produced by Golden Globes and Grammy winner Simon Franglen (who produced most of the album, as well as music with Michael Jackson, Celine Dion and Whitney Houston), it is a well produced and sleek number, with orchestral arrangements that really elevate the song and tap into Emma's sexy but not slutty pop star profile. I had no idea up until now that the album was produced by such a reputable producer, and that he helmed the album. It makes sense as it is such a cohesive and well produced album. Sadly, it is one of the few original songs on the album that don't include a writing credit by Emma.

 

An almost finished/unmastered demo of the song did leak online years later, which you can check out

.

 

Do you think Emma should have released this as a single? :unsure:

Personally, I think this is the single that kind of killed Emma's solo career and did nothing for the album. It should have just been a CIN single and Emma should have waited for the new year to launch the album with a stronger lead single. Let the 'Delux version' also include Downtown...

 

I wish she had toured properly with Free Me and then did some more live gigs around the release of the album. Sadly, it all felt really rushed and the fact she was releasing the album off the back of a charity single (with rushed cover version tracked at the back of the album too) didn't do it any favours, and I think that really hurt it's chances. By the time the next single came along, the album was dead in the water <_<

 

There's nothing on the album that could have saved it, though. None of them are strong enough to be singles.

There's nothing on the album that could have saved it, though. None of them are strong enough to be singles.

 

Highly and respectfully disagree. I think Take Me To Another Town, Undressing You, Perfect Strangers, Mischievous and All That You'll Be all would have been excellent singles. Hell, I think Emma should have launched the album in February after a more radio-friendly single like Take Me To Another Town or Perfect Strangers.

 

But alas...

#22 So Long

 

From single: I'll Be There

Release Year: 2004

Average votes: 7,80

 

 

Day after day

I can hear you thinking of words you just won't say

So out of my way

Will it hurt; who knows

Well I hope and I pray

That you will forgive me

That I have to leave this way

 

What a stunner of a song. So Long has long been mentioned as 'the masterpiece that got away as a b-side' as fans often wonder why such a gorgeous song was left off the album. Tucked away in CD2 of I'll Be There single, this simple, quite moody song is at times sad and empowering, where Emma wonders about leaving a relationship and eventually deciding to leave her partner.

 

So baby hold on

So baby hold on

So baby hold on, on, on

 

Emma sounds absolutely heavenly in it :wub:

 

I'm quite shocked this sits outside of the Top20 of this rate. I believe the last rate of Emma's discography it showed up within the Top10 :blink: Have fans forgotten its existance and therefore, it got lower votes than usual? It did get a few 10s though, more so than the next song on this rate, but generally got more 'lower' votes.

One of her best :wub: It's a huge shame that it's not on streaming!

One of her best :wub: It's a huge shame that it's not on streaming!

 

Totally agree, it is her 'lost' masterpiece... :unsure: I would LOVE an updated Free Me edition with So Long tagged on at the end :teresa: