Life with You
Life with You, released in 2007, is the seventh studio album by the Proclaimers. It appeared on W14, a joint venture label between Universal Records and John Williams, the man who gave the Proclaimers their first recording contract on Chrysalis Records. The album reached number 13 in the UK albums chart.
| Life with You | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 September 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2005-2007 | |||
| Studio | Rockfield Studios, Wales | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 47:40 | |||
| Label | W14/Universal | |||
| Producer | Steve Evans | |||
| The Proclaimers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Recording
Life with You was recorded in Wales at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire.[1]
Lyrical themes
The lyrics of Life with You covered a variety of emotionally charged topics, including consumerism,[2] racism,[2] political leaders and war.[2] "Here it Comes Again" condemned misogynistic attitudes in pop music,[2] while "S-O-R-R-Y" was a disgusted reflection on warmongering media during the Iraq War.[3]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| PopMatters | |
| The Boston Globe | favourable[5] |
Life with You received a aggregate score of 65/100 from Metacritic suggesting "generally favorable reviews" according to 7 critics.[6] Linda Gaban of the Boston Globe was praising of the political nature of the album, commenting "as in-you-face as [the band's hits] are, the Proclaimers are at their best when, well, proclaiming and protesting vehemently over simple melodies", declaring the political ballad "S-O-R-R-Y" to be an "essential" cut.[5]
Regardless, Maura Walz of PopMatters was dismissive of the record, opining that "the production feels mostly flat and the album as a whole never comes alive", and that the lyrics, while "heartfelt", were "nimble as a steamroller".[2]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Craig and Charlie Reid, except "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World" by Eric Goulden.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Life with You" | 3:22 |
| 2. | "In Recognition" | 3:05 |
| 3. | "New Religion" | 2:43 |
| 4. | "S-O-R-R-Y" | 4:11 |
| 5. | "No-One Left to Blame" | 4:30 |
| 6. | "Here It Comes Again" | 3:51 |
| 7. | "Blood Lying on Snow" | 3:50 |
| 8. | "Harness Pain" | 4:27 |
| 9. | "The Long Haul" | 2:31 |
| 10. | "The Lover's Face" | 3:38 |
| 11. | "Whole Wide World" | 3:55 |
| 12. | "Calendar on the Wall" | 2:54 |
| 13. | "If There's a God" | 4:48 |
| Total length: | 47:40 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "She Wanted Romance" | 2:44 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Born Innocent" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Hate My Love" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 2:38 |
| 3. | "Let's Get Married" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 4:03 |
| 4. | "You Meant It Then" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 4:20 |
| 5. | "Should Have Been Loved" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 3:10 |
| 6. | "There's a Touch" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 3:03 |
| 7. | "The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues" (Live at Glasgow's Hogmanay 2003) | 3:31 |
| 8. | "Blood Lying on Snow" (Acoustic version) | 3:45 |
| 9. | "Calendar on the Wall" (Acoustic version) | 2:43 |
| 10. | "A Woman's Place" (Acoustic version) | 3:11 |
References
- The liner notes describe Life with You as having been recorded at Rockfield Studios.
- Walz, Maura (12 May 2008). "The Proclaimers: Life With You". PopMatters. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- Mclean, Craig (21 August 2007). "The sun is shining again on the Proclaimers". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
- Mawer, Sharon. "The Proclaimers - Life With You - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- Gaban, Linda (22 April 2008). "More Proclaiming, Please". The Boston Globe. The Boston Globe. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- "Life With You by The Proclaimers". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 January 2020.