Overpowered
Overpowered is the second solo studio album by Irish singer and songwriter Róisín Murphy. It was released on 15 October 2007 by EMI Records. Receiving widespread critical acclaim, the album was more commercially successful than its predecessor, Ruby Blue (2005), debuting at number 20 on the UK Albums Chart with 9,656 copies sold in its first week.[2] Overpowered was shortlisted for the 2007 Choice Music Prize in Murphy's native Ireland.[3] As of May 2015, the album had sold 65,532 copies in the United Kingdom.[2]
This article is about the album. For the song, see Overpowered (song). For the video game concept, see Overpowered (game balance).Overpowered
15 October 2007
2006–2007
50:47
- Dan Carey
- Andy Cato
- Jimmy Douglass
- Ill Factor
- Róisín Murphy
- Parrot & Dean
- Richard X
- Seiji
Background and recording[edit]
In 2006, while promoting her band Moloko's greatest hits album, Catalogue, Murphy announced that she was recording a new solo album to be released in 2007. After signing to EMI in May 2006, Murphy set out to produce a pop album with a heavy disco influence. With a bigger budget behind her than with her last record company, the independent Echo Records, Murphy recorded around 30 songs for the album with various producers and writers in Miami, London and Barcelona, commenting that each of the producers aided the pop influence of the album, as they all wanted to write "the single". She later noted, "It's the first time I've worked with multiple writers. I needed to keep in mind a clear idea what kind of record I wanted to make. There was no experiment about it".[4]
Murphy collaborated with Scottish electronic musician Calvin Harris on the songs "Off & On" and "Don't Let It Go to Your Head Boy", which did not make the cut for Overpowered. During an interview with Popjustice, Harris called Murphy "a bit mental" for not including the songs on the album, while accusing her of "cost[ing] me all sorts of money" during recording.[5] Murphy and Harris have since resolved their differences, and the song "Off & On" was ultimately recorded by English pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor for her 2011 album Make a Scene.[6][7]
Art direction[edit]
The artwork for Overpowered and its accompanying single releases was conceptualised by Scott King (who also directed the music videos for "Overpowered" and "Let Me Know"), and the cover images were photographed by Jonathan de Villiers. The artwork places Murphy wearing extraordinary outfits in everyday surroundings, presenting her as a "street diva"[8] and a constant performer. Murphy wears outfits by Gareth Pugh, Givenchy and Viktor & Rolf in the artwork.[9]
The design inside the booklet for Overpowered features a cryptic assemblage (resembling a flowchart but lacking directional indications found in such) made up of boxes containing statements and quotes, as well as apparent excerpts from the written treatment for the "Let Me Know" music video and assorted photographs. Among the known quotations are: "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" (Laurie Anderson) and "I got signed to EMI because I reminded them of Robbie Williams" (Murphy).[9] According to Murphy, the photography for the album and single sleeves cost £125,000.[10]
Promotion[edit]
The album was preceded by the title track "Overpowered", released as its lead single on 9 July 2007. As the single was ineligible to chart, it failed to enter the top 100 of the UK Singles Chart, instead reaching number 149.[11] "Let Me Know" was released as the second single from the album on 8 October 2007, reaching number 28 on the UK Singles Chart.[12] "You Know Me Better" was released as the album's third single on 31 March 2008, peaking at number 47 on the UK Singles Chart.[12] The album's fourth and final single, "Movie Star", was released digitally in the United States on 14 October 2008.[13]
In support of the album, Murphy embarked on an extensive tour across Europe. During the tour, she also performed in Australia and a one-night show in New York City. On 27 October 2007, Murphy sustained an eye injury during a concert in a Moscow club and had to cancel several subsequent shows.[14] In total, Murphy performed 94 shows in 29 countries from 17 November 2007 to 2 November 2008.[15]
Notes