Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Diana Vickers. Originally set for a November 2009 release, the album was postponed due to Vickers' leading role in the West End play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, and it was finally released on 3 May 2010 in the United Kingdom.[citation needed]
Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree debuted atop the UK Albums Chart, selling 35,951 copies in its first week of release. In August 2010, the album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "Once" was released on 19 April 2010 as the lead single from the album, peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart.
Shortly after being eliminated from The X Factor in 2008, it was announced that Vickers had been signed to RCA Records and that she had begun working on her debut album. Recorded between April 2009 to January 2010, a five-track album sampler was leaked in January 2010. The track "Jumping into Rivers" had previously been leaked in July 2009. The track listing and artwork was changed a number of times, causing delays.[3] The album title came from a track written by Chris Braide and Vickers called "The Boy Who Murdered Love", about which she later stated:
Basically, I co-wrote a song with Chris Braide called "The Boy Who Murdered Love" and there's a line in there about a tainted cherry tree and I found it very poetic. It painted imagery of the forbidden fruit and Adam and Eve and this boy that's absolutely beautiful and so tempting but so wrong for you!
Braide also collaborated with Vickers on three other tracks, "Me & You", "Four Leaf Clover" and "N.U.M.B", which were recorded at the songwriter-producer's London studio.[5] The debut album saw Vickers work with an array of other writers and producers including Nerina Pallot, Andy Chatterley, Ellie Goulding, Cass Lowe, Savan Kotecha, Alexis Strum, Dev Hynes, Guy Sigsworth and Starsmith.[6] Vickers's debut single, "Once", was co-penned by Cathy Dennis and Eg White,[7] and produced and mixed by Mike Spencer. Vickers also collaborated with Gary Lightbody, the frontman of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol.[4][8] The album contains a cover version of The Sugarcubes' 1992 song "Hit".
Singlesedit
"Once" was released as the album's lead single on 19 April 2010. Upon its release it generated mainly positive reviews from critics, with the most positive coming from Nick Levine of Digital Spy who called it a "straight up brain-invader" with a "huge chorus" that is "hard to ignore".[9] The single achieved commercial success by topping the UK Singles Chart and debuting at number three on the Irish Singles Chart.
"The Boy Who Murdered Love" was confirmed as the second single by Vickers on Twitter on 7 May 2010.[10] The music video premiered on 2 June 2010 via the MSN video player. The song was officially released on 18 July 2010, reaching number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.
Upon its release, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree received mixed reviews from music critics. Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy stated that Vickers and her collaborators "have crafted an album that's drenched in accessible pop melodies while never sacrificing the charm and personality".[12] Kevin Courtney of The Irish Times commented that "[t]he blend of pop and indie works in her favour—and having a few catchy songs helps."[13] Johnny Dee of Virgin Media deemed it commercial but without sacrificing Vickers's "slightly eccentric charms" and noticed that it "works best [...] when it's mixing beats with folky whisperings", concluding that "[t]he girl's done great."[17]musicOMH's Ben Urdang stated that "Vickers manages to achieve a consistency throughout so that the album sits comfortably as a fluid piece of work". He went on to add that although the album is not "groundbreaking nor perfect", it is "a solid start to her recording career".[15] Mike Diver from BBC Music praised Vickers's voice for the ability to "stand out from any crowd" but was not astounded by the lyrics and the album as a whole, stating that the impression it leaves is "compromised by songwriting by committee" and noticed that it would have been "considerably improved" with "[a] little more compositional guile".[11]
Elizabeth Sankey of NME faulted the album for its "telling lack of objectivity", adding that "if [Vickers had] concentrated on one genre, this might have been victorious."[16]The Independent's Simon Price opined that the album "consists mostly of forgettable dance pop and folktronica" and that it "doesn't stand out",[1] while Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music noted that it is "too busy trying to keep everyone happy to be anything other than indistinct and polite".[18] David Smyth from the London Evening Standard felt that Vickers's voice is "almost indistinguishable" from Ellie Goulding's and concluded by saying that "her songs are blander but the public seems open to a singer who will do more interesting work than this [the debut]".[14] Hugh Montgomery of The Observer felt that "despite employing indie-minded collaborators such as Ellie Goulding and Lightspeed Champion", the album was "given over to commercial box-ticking, matching generic electro-pop with the kind of tasteful balladry that suggests a Dido in-waiting."[2]
Commercial performanceedit
Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling 35,951 copies in its first week.[19] The album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 27 August 2010, denoting shipments in excess of 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[20] In Ireland, the album debuted and peaked at number seven on the Irish Albums Chart.[21]
^ abcPrice, Simon (1 May 2010). "Album: Diana Vickers, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree (RCA)". The Independent. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
^ abcMontgomery, Hugh (2 May 2010). "Diana Vickers: Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree (RCA)". The Observer. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
^Nissim, Mayer (29 January 2009). "Vickers, Quigg sign to RCA". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
^ abBazley, Lewis (20 April 2010). . inthenews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
^Bouwman, Kimbel (30 August 2010). . HitQuarters. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
^Moreno, Chino (16 December 2008). . NME. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
^Levine, Nick (22 December 2009). "Diana Vickers single details revealed". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
^Savage, Mark (31 March 2010). "Talking Shop: Diana Vickers". BBC News. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
^Levine, Nick (30 March 2010). "Diana Vickers: 'Once'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
^Copsey, Robert (7 May 2010). "Diana Vickers announces new single". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
^ abDiver, Mike (22 April 2010). "Review of Diana Vickers – Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree". BBC Music. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
^ abNissim, Mayer (23 April 2010). "Diana Vickers: 'Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
^ abCourtney, Kevin (23 April 2010). "Diana Vickers: Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 April 2010.
^ abSmyth, David (30 April 2010). . London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
^ abUrdang, Ben (2010). . musicOMH. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015.
^ abSankey, Elizabeth (7 May 2010). . NME. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013.
^ abDee, Johnny. . Virgin Media. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
^ abGennoe, Dan (6 May 2010). . Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
^Jones, Alan (23 September 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Arctic Monkeys beat Avicii to No.1 on albums chart". Music Week. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
^ ab"British album certifications – Diana Vickers – Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree". British Phonographic Industry. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
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Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree is the debut studio album by English singer and songwriter Diana Vickers Originally set for a November 2009 release the album was postponed due to Vickers leading role in the West End play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and it was finally released on 3 May 2010 in the United Kingdom citation needed Songs from the Tainted Cherry TreeStudio album by Diana VickersReleased30 April 2010 2010 04 30 RecordedMarch 2009 January 2010StudioUntouchable Sound London a LSL London b Strongroom London c GenreDance pop folktronica 1 electropop 2 Length47 10LabelRCAProducerChris Braide Andy Chatterley Dev Hynes Nerina Pallot Guy Sigsworth Mike Spencer StarsmithDiana Vickers chronologySongs from the Tainted Cherry Tree 2010 Music to Make Boys Cry 2013 Singles from Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Once Released 16 April 2010 The Boy Who Murdered Love Released 16 July 2010 Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree debuted atop the UK Albums Chart selling 35 951 copies in its first week of release In August 2010 the album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry BPI Once was released on 19 April 2010 as the lead single from the album peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart Contents 1 Background 2 Singles 3 Critical reception 4 Commercial performance 5 Promotion 6 Track listing 6 1 Notes 7 Charts 7 1 Weekly charts 7 2 Year end charts 8 Certifications 9 Release history 10 Notes 11 ReferencesBackground editShortly after being eliminated from The X Factor in 2008 it was announced that Vickers had been signed to RCA Records and that she had begun working on her debut album Recorded between April 2009 to January 2010 a five track album sampler was leaked in January 2010 The track Jumping into Rivers had previously been leaked in July 2009 The track listing and artwork was changed a number of times causing delays 3 The album title came from a track written by Chris Braide and Vickers called The Boy Who Murdered Love about which she later stated Basically I co wrote a song with Chris Braide called The Boy Who Murdered Love and there s a line in there about a tainted cherry tree and I found it very poetic It painted imagery of the forbidden fruit and Adam and Eve and this boy that s absolutely beautiful and so tempting but so wrong for you Vickers 4 Braide also collaborated with Vickers on three other tracks Me amp You Four Leaf Clover and N U M B which were recorded at the songwriter producer s London studio 5 The debut album saw Vickers work with an array of other writers and producers including Nerina Pallot Andy Chatterley Ellie Goulding Cass Lowe Savan Kotecha Alexis Strum Dev Hynes Guy Sigsworth and Starsmith 6 Vickers s debut single Once was co penned by Cathy Dennis and Eg White 7 and produced and mixed by Mike Spencer Vickers also collaborated with Gary Lightbody the frontman of the alternative rock band Snow Patrol 4 8 The album contains a cover version of The Sugarcubes 1992 song Hit Singles edit Once was released as the album s lead single on 19 April 2010 Upon its release it generated mainly positive reviews from critics with the most positive coming from Nick Levine of Digital Spy who called it a straight up brain invader with a huge chorus that is hard to ignore 9 The single achieved commercial success by topping the UK Singles Chart and debuting at number three on the Irish Singles Chart The Boy Who Murdered Love was confirmed as the second single by Vickers on Twitter on 7 May 2010 10 The music video premiered on 2 June 2010 via the MSN video player The song was officially released on 18 July 2010 reaching number 36 on the UK Singles Chart Critical reception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingBBC MusicMixed 11 Digital Spy nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 12 The IndependentNegative 1 The Irish Times nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 13 London Evening Standard nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 14 musicOMH nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 15 NME5 10 16 The ObserverFairly negative 2 Virgin Media nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 17 Yahoo Music nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 18 Upon its release Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree received mixed reviews from music critics Mayer Nissim of Digital Spy stated that Vickers and her collaborators have crafted an album that s drenched in accessible pop melodies while never sacrificing the charm and personality 12 Kevin Courtney of The Irish Times commented that t he blend of pop and indie works in her favour and having a few catchy songs helps 13 Johnny Dee of Virgin Media deemed it commercial but without sacrificing Vickers s slightly eccentric charms and noticed that it works best when it s mixing beats with folky whisperings concluding that t he girl s done great 17 musicOMH s Ben Urdang stated that Vickers manages to achieve a consistency throughout so that the album sits comfortably as a fluid piece of work He went on to add that although the album is not groundbreaking nor perfect it is a solid start to her recording career 15 Mike Diver from BBC Music praised Vickers s voice for the ability to stand out from any crowd but was not astounded by the lyrics and the album as a whole stating that the impression it leaves is compromised by songwriting by committee and noticed that it would have been considerably improved with a little more compositional guile 11 Elizabeth Sankey of NME faulted the album for its telling lack of objectivity adding that if Vickers had concentrated on one genre this might have been victorious 16 The Independent s Simon Price opined that the album consists mostly of forgettable dance pop and folktronica and that it doesn t stand out 1 while Dan Gennoe of Yahoo Music noted that it is too busy trying to keep everyone happy to be anything other than indistinct and polite 18 David Smyth from the London Evening Standard felt that Vickers s voice is almost indistinguishable from Ellie Goulding s and concluded by saying that her songs are blander but the public seems open to a singer who will do more interesting work than this the debut 14 Hugh Montgomery of The Observer felt that despite employing indie minded collaborators such as Ellie Goulding and Lightspeed Champion the album was given over to commercial box ticking matching generic electro pop with the kind of tasteful balladry that suggests a Dido in waiting 2 Commercial performance editSongs from the Tainted Cherry Tree debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart selling 35 951 copies in its first week 19 The album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry BPI on 27 August 2010 denoting shipments in excess of 100 000 copies in the United Kingdom 20 In Ireland the album debuted and peaked at number seven on the Irish Albums Chart 21 Promotion editMain article Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour To promote the album Vickers went on a tour or the United Kingdom and Ireland throughout 2010 Track listing editNo TitleWriter s Producer s Length1 Once Cathy DennisEg WhiteMike Spencer3 112 Remake Me You VickersEllie GouldingGuy SigsworthSigsworth3 353 The Boy Who Murdered Love VickersChris BraideBraide3 214 Four Leaf Clover VickersBraideSigsworth4 115 Put It Back Together Nerina PallotPallotAndy Chatterley4 046 You ll Never Get to Heaven VickersStarsmithCass LoweStarsmith4 027 Me amp You VickersDev HynesBraideHynes a Braide b 3 058 My Hip Harmony BoucherTobias KarlssonSpencer3 249 N U M B VickersBraideBraide3 5910 Hit Bjork GudmundsdottirSigtryggur BaldurssonEinar Orn BenediktssonBragi olafssonTHor Eldon JonssonMargret OrnolfsdottirSigsworth3 0911 Notice VickersGouldingSigsworthSigsworth3 3412 Jumping into Rivers VickersGouldingSigsworthSigsworth3 3713 Chasing You VickersBoucherSigsworthSigsworth4 07 iTunes Store bonus videosNo TitleLength14 Track by Track Commentary 11 1615 Once Making of the Video 4 03 Notes edit a signifies an original producer b signifies an additional and vocal producerCharts editWeekly charts edit Chart 2010 Peakposition European Albums Billboard 22 4 Irish Albums IRMA 21 7 Scottish Albums OCC 23 2 South Korean International Albums Gaon 24 15 UK Albums OCC 25 1 Year end charts edit Chart 2010 Position UK Albums OCC 26 108Certifications editRegion Certification Certified units sales United Kingdom BPI 20 Gold 100 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Release history editRegion Date Format Label Ref Ireland 30 April 2010 CDdigital download RCA 27 United Kingdom 3 May 2010 28 Poland 5 July 2010 CD Sony 29 Germany 6 August 2010 CDdigital download 30 Worldwide 25 February 2022 digital download streamingNotes edit Tracks 3 7 and 9 Track 5 Track 7References edit a b c Price Simon 1 May 2010 Album Diana Vickers Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree RCA The Independent Retrieved 2 May 2010 a b c Montgomery Hugh 2 May 2010 Diana Vickers Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree RCA The Observer Retrieved 26 May 2016 Nissim Mayer 29 January 2009 Vickers Quigg sign to RCA Digital Spy Retrieved 26 May 2016 a b Bazley Lewis 20 April 2010 Diana Vickers Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree inthenews co uk Archived from the original on 26 May 2010 Retrieved 22 April 2010 Bouwman Kimbel 30 August 2010 Interview with Chris Braide HitQuarters Archived from the original on 29 March 2012 Retrieved 1 September 2010 Moreno Chino 16 December 2008 Lightspeed Champion working with X Factor contestant exclusive NME Archived from the original on 5 June 2011 Retrieved 20 July 2009 Levine Nick 22 December 2009 Diana Vickers single details revealed Digital Spy Retrieved 28 April 2010 Savage Mark 31 March 2010 Talking Shop Diana Vickers BBC News Retrieved 22 April 2010 Levine Nick 30 March 2010 Diana Vickers Once Digital Spy Retrieved 26 May 2016 Copsey Robert 7 May 2010 Diana Vickers announces new single Digital Spy Retrieved 26 May 2016 a b Diver Mike 22 April 2010 Review of Diana Vickers Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree BBC Music Retrieved 22 April 2010 a b Nissim Mayer 23 April 2010 Diana Vickers Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree Digital Spy Retrieved 26 May 2016 a b Courtney Kevin 23 April 2010 Diana Vickers Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree The Irish Times Retrieved 24 April 2010 a b Smyth David 30 April 2010 CDs of the week Hole and Diana Vickers London Evening Standard Archived from the original on 6 June 2011 Retrieved 3 May 2010 a b Urdang Ben 2010 Diana Vickers Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree musicOMH Archived from the original on 5 July 2015 a b Sankey Elizabeth 7 May 2010 Album Review Diana Vickers Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree Sony NME Archived from the original on 12 December 2013 a b Dee Johnny Diana Vickers Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree Diana Vickers Virgin Media Archived from the original on 26 September 2012 Retrieved 18 May 2010 a b Gennoe Dan 6 May 2010 Diana Vickers Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree Yahoo Music Archived from the original on 13 June 2011 Retrieved 18 May 2010 Jones Alan 23 September 2013 Official Charts Analysis Arctic Monkeys beat Avicii to No 1 on albums chart Music Week Retrieved 26 May 2016 a b British album certifications Diana Vickers Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree British Phonographic Industry 27 August 2010 Retrieved 16 January 2021 a b GFK Chart Track Albums Week 18 2010 Chart Track IRMA Retrieved 25 May 2016 Sexton Paul 14 May 2010 AC DC Tops Euro Chart For Third Week Billboard Retrieved 16 January 2021 Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 25 May 2016 Gaon chart history for Diana Vickers Gaon Music Chart Archived from the original on 18 February 2013 Retrieved 21 November 2017 Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 25 May 2016 UK Year End Charts 2010 PDF UKChartsPlus p 7 Retrieved 25 May 2016 Songs from the Tainted Cherry Diana Vickers CD HMV Ireland Archived from the original on 26 May 2016 Retrieved 26 May 2016 Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree Amazon United Kingdom Archived from the original on 11 August 2016 Retrieved 16 January 2021 Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree in Polish Sony Music Entertainment Poland Archived from the original on 7 July 2010 Diana Vickers Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree in German Sony Music Entertainment Germany Archived from the original on 3 January 2011 Retrieved 26 May 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree amp oldid 1171245015, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
