Rating: 8/10

Track Amount: 15

Running Time: Approx. 1 hour

Genre: Pop

Personnel: Sophie Ellis-Bextor, plus others as indicated

Producer: Gregg Alexander, Richard Hall, Ben Hillier, Alex James, Korpi & Blackcell, Damian LeGassick, Steve Osborne, Marco Rakascan, Matt Rowe, Gary Wilkinson

Recording Location: Various studios in London, UK

Record Label: Polydor Records

Art Direction: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot, Michael Nash Associates

Best Tracks: Murder On The Dancefloor, Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) – Live Mix

Quick Verdict: The perfect mixture of Pop, Disco and House Music onto a winning album

As the 21st century dawned, the time came for Sophie Ellis-Bextor to shine in her own unique way. After the previous group she was in, Theaudience, disbanded, she decided to commence a solo career after being signed to Polydor Records as such. Despite being offered a career in film and the opportunity to work with Moby, Sophie Ellis-Bextor avoided both as she wanted to make a name for herself in the music industry. The result? This album, which although divided critics, was a major international selling point for Pop Music at the time. Many critics did note that even though the album was essentially a mix between 1970s Disco Music and 1980s Synth Pop Music, Sophie Ellis-Bextor had a unique and powerful singing voice of her own. Without further hesitation, let’s go back to 2001 and take a listen to this album, and we shall hear how it sounds.

1. Murder On The Dancefloor is the key track from this album. It begins with some hi-hats and pleasant electronic sounds and textures throughout. This quickly launches into a good and listenable song that has some unique personality and character overall. Sophie Ellis-Bextor has a very distinctively British accent and singing voice throughout. A good take on Disco Music that one simply cannot ignore. This is an outstanding listen overall, with some muted guitar, Disco styled string sections and a pounding 4/4 beat section. Nonetheless, a really cool and interesting listen. There is a guitar solo in the second half of the song, which sounds really different and great throughout. A Pop Music classic that has some reasonable and pleasantly listenable appeal throughout. A wonderful and great song, even to this day. A Poppy and enjoyable song.

2. Take Me Home (A Girl Like Me) features Jeremy Wheatley. It continues the album with some neat and poppy sounds set to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s pleasantly enjoyable vocals at hand. It is no wonder that Moby wanted to sign her for his own music projects as such. She isn’t the greatest singer ever, but she certainly can carry a tune well enough to listen to with her singing. This is typical Pop Music that is a good mixture of Disco Music and EDM sensibilities from way back in 2001. For its poppiness, this does sound super cool and interesting to listen to. This continues to flow and sound melodically gorgeous throughout. This music may seem retro to today’s music listeners of Pop, but does it really matter? The lush breakdown in the second half sounds extremely pretty and cool throughout. A truly pretty and magical sounding song from 2001 that has a groovy and colourful sound basis that sounds seriously cool. Cool, calm and collected throughout. Sophie Ellis-Bextor sounds great and is matched by danceable and pleasant music.

3. Lover is a slightly shorter piece which begins with some weird electronic sounds, and launches into a frankly terrible-sounding song at hand. This should not have seen the light of day. The chorus is okay, but even so, this is nothing melodically fantastic or musically special. This is junk Pop trash, but even so, this is not particularly bad per se. However, it could have been constructed much better than this. There is a strange breakdown in the middle, followed by a neat section of vocals and breakbeats. Again, this tune does have its merits, despite it being very much a Pop Music album as such. Really pretty and extraordinary singing is present at hand, which sounds simple and like the sort of music that is easy listening. The instrumentation mix is quite bad, however. You can skip ahead if you wish. This is not that good, and it fades out quickly.

4. Move This Mountain begins with a clock chime, and launches into some interesting and unusual Pop Music that sounds moody, deep and introspective overall. This may sound like more filler to many, but the overall concept and sound of the album in general is quite good to hear. This has church bells, minor key moody melodies and downtempo beats to match it all. Nonetheless, this music is genuinely interesting. It is quite a lot better than expected, and it sounds sweet, like Pop Music should do. Sure, Sophie Ellis-Bextor may have only had a brief level of success with this album, but there is proof that she was in fine form throughout this LP. The second half has some interesting and nicely layered sounds and sound effects throughout. The music changes and flows very beautifully, in its very own way. This continues to play a tune with triumphant lyrics, soft beats and church bells galore. A very nice listen, and something quite underrated on this album. Good work by all. It ends with some breakbeats and electronic textures that sound decent.

5. Music Gets The Best Of Me is another key track from this album. It sounds really energetic and fantastic from the start, with a unique and progressively Disco Music feel, updated for the 21st century. This may seem dated for some today, but honestly, this feminine music still has a huge amount of appeal for young people today. Sophie Ellis-Bextor professes that music is her love, and this is matched by gloriously fantastic music at hand. Of course, the music and vocals perfectly complement each other, and this euphoric and fantastic song definitely deserves to be heard. A seriously cool and tranquil listening experience that has some genuinely pleasant and danceable appeal throughout. The breakdown in the second half sounds trippy and lovely simultaneously, with some neat music progressions throughout. Although some may dismiss this music as feministic Pop sell out music, it has quite stood the test of time here and is just female, not feminist. It sounds much better than the likes of some Pop stars today. It fades out very nicely at the end.

6. Sparkle begins with some harpsichord and ascending electronic textures, launching into an unusual tune at hand. Sophie Ellis-Bextor sings nicely on this tune, although this is likely filler on this album. Having said that, this is far better than some of the so-called “celebrity with a laptop” tunes that are being made today in the world of music that is popular and well loved. Still, this lesser tune has its own moodiness and appeal in its own way that some listeners will definitely love. This album isn’t a million miles away from efforts by the likes of Dua Lipa. Still, this is a 2001 release that sounds realistically interesting and very good for all its faults. The breakbeats and sounds throughout are very pretty and well-defined. Even on some of the off-sounding tracks, this album definitely has an interesting and fantastic musical appeal to it all. This goes on for four and a half minutes, a little longer than it should. Still, the conclusion is great. Good job and kudos to Sophie Ellis-Bextor. A neat tune.

7. The Universe Is You is a shorter piece with some liquid Acid House styled sounds, and launches into a fairly weird song at hand. Sophie Ellis-Bextor sings nicely here, and she sounds interesting and pure throughout. This is yet further proof that this album, for all the mixed and negative reviews it got, is a genuinely good Pop Music album that was eons ahead of the crowd at the time. All in all, this is a smart, well-constructed and pleasant listen. A funky, energetic and interesting listening experience at hand, which is about the self-centred nature of humanity. This music is a real winner overall, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor delivers a fine and danceable Pop song that makes one feel upbeat and happy. Not bad for an album that wasn’t designed to be that long-lasting. On the contrary, it still sounds great today. Excellent.

8. I Believe features Jeremy Wheatley. It begins with some unusual electronic sounds and melodies, before cut-up breakbeats enter nicely. Sophie Ellis-Bextor sings sweetly and nicely on this song, and she sounds strong emotionally and has a pleasant singing voice throughout. This album was her moment to shine musically, and she sounds gorgeous and wonderful throughout. Again, this song is surprisingly good listening, and paves the way for future experiments in Electronic based Pop Music. A seriously wonderful and pretty tune that is one of the best Pop Music albums during the early 2000s. This maintains a passionate and lovable energy throughout. The music, beats and sonic textures perfectly match Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s singing, clear and true. The second half of the song has some pleasant harmonies and an upbeat chorus that simply works nicely. This does go on a bit longer than it should. Having said that, this is still an enjoyable and interesting Pop Music effort. Wonderful overall. It ends with the guitars, beats and sonic sounds to finish.

9. Get Over You has some trippy and watery vocals to begin with. This launches into an off-sounding tune about leaving a lover. This is a good piece of music about a relationship breakup from a lady’s perspective. Sophie Ellis-Bextor sings in her lovely and delightful English accent on this song, melodically and modestly. A short but bittersweet tune overall. This is a minor key tune with a more moody impact, but again, this is another solidly good listen at hand. Sophie Ellis-Bextor mixed 1970s Disco, 1980s House Music and 1990s attitude into a good album released in 2001. Obviously, she was paying attention to music history in her own way. A good but dreary listening experience of a song.

10. By Chance features Jeremy Wheatley. It begins with some strange electronic sounds in the left channel, followed by some heavy and punchy breakbeats. Sophie Ellis-Bextor sings very sweetly and gently on this song, and she delivers a wonderful song at hand, which is really passionate, romantic and tasteful to listen to. This is a simple, dramatic and tasteful Pop Music tune that has some impressive and melodic sounds about it all. This music is no doubt very underrated in the music history books for what it is. Sophie Ellis-Bextor delivers some sweet and articulate lyrics, matched with pleasant singing. All in all, a really cool and pleasant listen at hand. Another good and solid song about love from the female perspective, which is a refreshing change to hear. Sophie Ellis-Bextor paints the picture nicely here, and this is an absolutely solid and pretty piece of music. Absolutely pretty and dynamic listening overall. Just worth it. The outro is different.

11. Is It Any Wonder features Marco Rakascan. It begins with some loose melodies and bongo drums, launching into another pretty and introspective song that sounds, again, ver,y very good to listen to. Sophie Ellis-Bextor gets singing nicely on this song, and she sounds relaxed and emotionally sound here. This is a song of hope and optimism in a young lover’s eyes. Sophie Ellis-Bextor may have been seen more as a singles artist, but she delivers the goods very well here. A very excellent and strong tune at hand, which has some pleasantly enjoyable and stylish sounds that are both imaginative and gentle. This album was an answer to the increasingly lesser quality Rock Music of the 21st century, and it proved that a much more technologically based approach was arriving. If you are hopelessly in love, this song is definitely for you to hear. A seriously solid listen for all to hear. Another good cut by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her contributors. It ends with the melodic backing track playing away nicely.

12. Leave The Others Alone launches into some rather off-sounding melodies and beats, with some dashes of Disco styled strings at hand. Sophie Ellis-Bextor brings to life a digital ballad that sounds very interesting, especially with the string sections thrown into it. This is okay, but to be fair, it sounds quite a lot like filler. Still, fans of EDM, Pop and Disco will dig this album as such. The music is fresh and inspired overall, even if parts of it do sound a bit off. The instrumental chorus section is undeniably good to listen to. This tune has an element of trippiness about it all, although this is Pop Music more than anything else, really. Still, Sophie Ellis-Bextor has created and delivered a Pop Music album that even today deserves attention. She sounds lovely and pleasant with her singing, in amongst all the chaos of love. A really cool tune to listen to. It goes on a bit longer than it should, but that’s okay. A good but moody tune. The Disco styled strings at the end are just delicious.

13. Final Move begins with some odd electronic sounds and beats. This is such a good album that even the lesser tracks on the album sound consistently good. Sophie Ellis-Bextor sings clearly, positively and wonderfully on this album. This is a pleasant and wonderful song about dealing with a man that she wants the best out of. This is much more a textural Pop Music tune than anything else, really. Even so, Sophie Ellis-Bextor is in charge here, and she sings very simply, wonderfully and beautifully throughout. Another better-than-expected song with some innovative sounds and textures that have some unique and memorable appeal throughout. This is about a breakup in the name of love, and risking throwing it all away after a disastrous set of romantic experiences. The tune mixes Pop, Disco, House Music and other sounds into a very interesting yet dark song. A good listen, just as we continue to approach the end of this underrated album. Good work by all, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor should be proud of this album release. It ends with liquid sounds and beats.

14. Everything Falls Into Place begins with some upbeat and snappy drum beats, liquid trippy melodies and launches into a very 1980s Synth Pop styled tune overall. This is a bit cheesy to listen to. However, having said that, this is still a monumentally wonderful and energetic listening experience overall. Sophie Ellis-Bextor sings about more relationship dramas, both the highs and lows of it all. This is a bit like New Order in its sound and construction overall. The sounds and beats are extremely cool, although a bit retro overall. Still, this album points ahead to the future of music in the 21st century. So what if Sophie Ellis-Bextor was seemingly a one-hit wonder? People sat up and paid attention to this album, for better or worse, proving the contrary. This track is very lush-sounding, but pretty nonetheless. Good music to listen to, all the same. Short and sweet Pop Music to lick your lips to. The outro is different.

15. Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) – Live Mix begins with audience cheering, some real drumming and funky Fender Stratocaster guitar playing, and launches into a song that sounds sweet, pretty and unique throughout. This is a live cut of a Sophie Ellis-Bextor tune that seriously should have been on this album. Even so, this tune and performance are really outstanding and magical throughout. The music and sounds throughout are sensationally impressive to listen to. One can simply close their eyes and listen along to this pleasant-sounding music anthem that has artistry and class throughout. Sophie Ellis-Bextor proves herself to be an essential and unique artist from this point in time. An awesome song to listen to, with some anthemic singing and music to match it. A must listen for fans of Pop Music from around this time. It has a catchy and groovy Disco Music feel to it all. The end has some incredible drumming and guitar playing, before it wraps up with crowd applause. Good work.

This is way better than expected for the likes of a successful album. Instead of being absolutely throwaway, like most Pop Music of any given era, Sophie Ellis-Bextor put in 100% to ensure that this not only sold well, but paved the way for future music releases by both herself and others with its delightful sounds and pleasant consistency. The only real flaw of this album is that some tracks are a bit longer than needed, and some tracks also could benefit from some gentle editing. Nonetheless, this is still a winner overall. Should you listen to this album? If you want to hear a very good Pop Music album from back in 2001, by all means, check this out. Fans of Metal will hate this release, however.

If you like this article, please like, share, comment and follow me on The Ultimate Music Library. Thank you, Chris Airey.