Messy (album)
Messy is the debut studio album by English singer Olivia Dean. The album was released on 30 June 2023 through EMI. It peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, and is certified silver by the BPI. In 2023, it was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.
Background and composition
After the publication of four EP through EMI Records, Dean started working on her first full-length studio album with several producers and songwriters, including Matt Helders, Tre Jean-Marie, Bastian Langebæk, Max Wolfgang, Matt Colton and Italian musician Davide Rossi. The singer told that she was ispired by neo soul, contemporary R&B and Motown music. In a interview with Forbes, Dean also revealed that the album was initially going to be called "Between Islands", referring to an exhibition at the Tate in London about the wind turbine generator.Critical reception
Upon release, Messy received highly positive reviews from music critics. The album holds a score of 77 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.Sophie Williams of NME rated the album 4 out of 5 stars, complementing Dean's "confidence to occasionally dissect subjects that others swerve" while keeping a "mainstream" appeal. Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Izzy Sigston deemed the singer as "the master of versatility", and commended the wide range of the album. Alim Kheraj of The Guardian was a little critical of the album, hoping that "Dean will relinquish the tired neo-soul fodder to pursue the experimentation she’s clearly capable of". However, Robin Murray of Clash called the album "a bold, impressive debut offering" while commending the album's "broad range" and "precise execution".
Commercial performance
In the United Kingdom Messy debuted at number four on the Official Albums Chart, becoming Dean first record project to chart.Track listing
Notes- signifies an additional producer.
- signifies a vocal producer.
Personnel
Musicians- Olivia Dean – vocals, percussion, piano
- Matt Hales – programming, piano, keyboards, guitar, vocal programming ; Moog bass, synthesizer
- Taran Stormes Martino – acoustic guitar, guitar
- Finn Zeferino-Birchall – bass guitar
- Kaidi Akinnibi – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
- Max Wolfgang – bass guitar ; piano, percussion ; guitar, keyboards, synthesizer
- Dan See – drums, percussion, timpani
- Tre Jean-Marie – keyboards, programming ; bass guitar, drums, horns, keyboards, synthesizer
- Joel Waters – percussion, drums
- Deschanel Gordon – Rhodes, keyboards, organ
- Elias Jordan Atkinson – trumpet, flugelhorn
- James Wade-Sired – trombone
- Davide Rossi – strings, string arrangement
- DetoNate – bass guitar, drums, horns, keyboards, programming, synthesizer
- Bastian Langebæk – keyboards
- Felix Joseph – programming
- Huw Foster – bass guitar
- Russell Ramesh Roberts – percussion
- Matt Colton – mastering
- Nathan Boddy – [Audio Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing (recorded music)|mixing]
- Manon Grandjean – mixing
- Daniel Moyler – engineering
- Matt Hales – engineering
- Tre Jean-Marie – engineering
- Felix Joseph – engineering
- Max Wolfgang – engineering
- James Pinfield-Wells – engineering assistance
- Andrew Sarlo – additional engineering
- Olivia Dean – creative direction, photography, design
- Emily Braham – creative direction, design
- Rory Dewar – design
- Felix Joseph – photography
- Danl KM – photography
- Petros Studio – photography
- Emily Anderson – illustration