Black and White Heart is the debut studio album recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Andee, released May 26, 2015 through Universal Music Canada.[2] Primarily an English-language album, the deluxe edition includes four tracks recorded in French to reflect Andee's heritage as a French Canadian. Musically, the album incorporates elements of pop, rock, and soul.[3][4][5] Sébastien Lefebvre, best known as a member of Simple Plan, produced the album and also co-wrote nine of the thirteen songs; Andee is credited as a writer (under her birth name Andrée-Anne Leclerc) on eight tracks.
Black and White Heart | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 26, 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2013–14 in Montréal, QC (Man of the Hour Studio, Fever Music Group) | |||
Genre |
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Length | 54:28 | |||
Language |
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Label | Universal Canada | |||
Producer | Sébastien Lefebvre | |||
Andee chronology | ||||
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Singles from Black and White Heart | ||||
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The album received generally positive reviews upon release, with critics noting Andee's "powerhouse" vocals and unique sound.[4][5] It entered the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart at number sixteen on the chart dated June 6, 2015.[6] On iTunes Canada, the album reached as high as number four on the pop sales chart.[7][non-primary source needed] The album has produced three singles, including the top-forty-peaking lead single "Never Gone".
Background
editIn 2012, Andrée-Anne Leclerc auditioned for the fifth edition of the Québecois reality singing competition Star Académie, where she eventually placed in the top eight.[8] On the show, she was discovered by Paul Jessop, the vice-president of promotions at Universal Music Canada, who requested her to perform the French vocals for the "Version Française" of Universal-signed band Hedley's hit single "Kiss You Inside Out", released in June 2012.[9] This version is included on the deluxe edition of Black and White Heart. Leclerc encountered Simple Plan guitarist Sébastien Lefebvre in the spring of 2013, who reportedly knew upon hearing her for the first time that Leclerc had the ability to "touch people deeply with her music," and the two decided to work together on her debut studio album.[3] In January 2014, Leclerc adopted the stage name Andee (an anglophone derivative of her birth name, Andrée-Anne) and signed a record deal with Universal Music Canada and a management deal with Coalition Music.[9]
Recorded principally between the summers of 2013 and 2014,[10] Black and White Heart is executive produced by Lefebvre and features mostly songs written by Lefebvre and/or Andee. The song "Sorries" was written for Andee by Pink, Kara Dioguardi and The New Royales, while "Beautiful Bullet" from the deluxe edition was initially intended to be recorded by its co-writer Anjulie.[11] Described as pop rock with a blend of soul,[3] the album's sound was developed by merging Lefebvre and Andee's musical influences. Black and White Heart became available for pre-order on May 12, 2015 and was released May 26, 2015.[12][non-primary source needed][2]
Singles
edit"Never Gone" serves as the album's lead single and was released to digital retailers in both English and French versions on May 19, 2014.[13] Its music video, directed by Alon Isocianu, premiered June 26, 2014.[14] "Never Gone" entered the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 at number ninety-four for the week of June 28, 2014 and rose to its peak position of forty for the week of August 23, 2014.[15] It saw the most commercial success at adult contemporary radio, where it reached a peak airplay position of six.[16]
The second single was "Sorries," released digitally on October 21, 2014.[17] The song was co-written by Pink, Kara DioGuardi, and Canadian-American music group The New Royales as a "gift" welcoming Andee to the industry.[11][18] It is the only track on the standard edition on which neither Andee nor Lefebvre collaborated. "Sorries" peaked at a moderate position of fifty-three on the Canadian Hot 100.
The title track, "Black and White Heart," was released as the album's third single. It impacted Canadian adult contemporary radio on May 25, 2015 in conjunction with the album's release and has so far risen to a position of 30 on the AC airplay chart.
"Tu Enflammes Mon Corps" was released in August 2015 as the album's second francophone single (following the Version Française of "Never Gone") and the fourth single from the album overall.[1][non-primary source needed]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "If You Want Me" |
| 0:32 |
2. | "Bit O' Love" |
| 2:41 |
3. | "Never Gone" |
| 2:51 |
4. | "Hope" |
| 3:10 |
5. | "Mute" | Leclerc | 3:39 |
6. | "Black and White Heart" |
| 3:49 |
7. | "Unblind Me" |
| 3:40 |
8. | "Sorries" | 3:36 | |
9. | "For Better or Worse" |
| 3:47 |
10. | "Calling" |
| 3:16 |
11. | "Let 'Em Talk" |
| 3:46 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Beautiful Bullet" |
| 3:02 |
13. | "Black and White Heart" (Lesko Cerf Remix) |
| 3:15 |
14. | "Never Gone" (Version Française) |
| 2:52 |
15. | "Tu Enflammes Mon Corps" | Leclerc | 3:14 |
16. | "Kiss You Inside Out[A]" (Version Française) |
| 3:38 |
17. | "Black and White Heart" (Version Française) |
| 3:47 |
- All songs produced by Sébastien Lefebvre, except for
- "Beautiful Bullet," produced by Lefebvre and Carl Ryden, and
- "Kiss You Inside Out," produced by Adrian Newman, with vocals produced by Brian Howes (English vocals) and Marc Dupré (French vocals).
- Notes
Credits and personnel
editCredits adapted from liner notes.[18][A]
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- Instruments
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- Production
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- Notes
- ^ Credits denoted by (16) refer exclusively to track 16, i.e. "Kiss You Inside Out".
Charts
editChart (2015) | Peak position |
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Canadian Albums (Billboard)[20] | 16 |
References
edit- ^ a b Coalition Music (August 21, 2015). "Coalition Music on Twitter: "Download @AndeeOfficial's debut album #BlackAndWhiteHeart to hear her new single "Tu Enflammes Mon Corps"!"". Twitter. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Black and White Heart by Andee". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ a b c Lepage-Boily, Elizabeth (May 26, 2015). "Lancement de l'album Black and White Heart d'Andee". Showbizz.net (in French). Média Happy Geeks. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ a b PT, Shawn (May 26, 2015). "Andee's Got Soul on Black and White Heart". Canadian Music Blog. Music Canada. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Melanson, Jenna (May 28, 2015). "Review – Andee". Canadian Beats. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ "Billboard Canadian Albums: Top Albums Chart" (The Week Of: June 13, 2015). Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ^ AndeeOfficial (May 30, 2015). "ANDEE on Twitter "It is nice to be riding shot gun with Taylor Swift! 4e position des ventes pop sur iTunes, merci! #BlackAndWhiteHeart"". Twitter. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ "Andrée-Anne Leclerc- | Star Académie". Star Académie. Québecor Média. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ^ a b Verge, Isabelle. "Andrée-Anne Leclerc signe avec Universal Music". Le Journal de Montréal (in French). Canoe Sun Media. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
- ^ "Never Gone by Andee". Sébastien Lefebvre. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Jessica (April 30, 2015). "Andee Has Big Florence, McCartney & Gaga Collaboration Dreams". MuchMusic. Viacom. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
- ^ Coalition Music (May 11, 2015). "Coalition Music on Twitter "The presale for @andeeofficial's album #BlackAndWhiteHeart is TOMORROW! It's available in stores and online May 26th!"". Twitter. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ References for language-specific releases of "Never Gone":
- In English: "Never Gone – Single by Andee". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- In French: "Never Gone (Version Française) – Single by Andee". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ "Andee – Never Gone (2014)". IMVDb. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ References for chart trajectory of "Never Gone":
- For debut (94): "Canada Singles Top 100 (June 28, 2014) – Music Charts". aCharts.us via Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- For peak (40): "Canada Singles Top 100 (August 23, 2014) – Music Charts". aCharts.us via Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ "Andee – Chart history (Canada AC)". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ "Sorries – Single by Andee". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ a b Black and White Heart (booklet). Andee. Universal Music Canada Inc. 2015. B00WRLK5HS.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Black and White Heart (Deluxe) by Andee". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
- ^ "Andee Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2019.