Necessary Evil, is the fifth solo album by the American singer Deborah Harry. Released in September 2007, it was her first solo album in fourteen years and the first since reformation of Blondie at the end of the '90s.
| Necessary Evil | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 17, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Genre |
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| Length | 48:29 | |||
| Label | Eleven Seven | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Deborah Harry chronology | ||||
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| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 50/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Digital Spy | [3] |
| Robert Christgau |  [4] |
| Rolling Stone | |
Background
editIn several interviews, Harry said the album was recorded slowly. At first, the project was just a handful of songs from over a few years that she had never intended to develop into a full album. Then, before she knew it, she was working with Barb Morrison and Charles Nieland of production team Super Buddha and found herself on the Eleven Seven Music label.[citation needed]
Release and Promotion
editThe album was preceded by the single "Two Times Blue", released on the iTunes Store on June 6, 2007.
Harry promoted the album on Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour 2007, performing a number of songs from the album. Upon its release in the UK, it debuted at No. 86. In the US, it debuted at No. 37 on the Independent Chart.
On January 18, 2008, an official music video for "If I Had You" was released. The video starred, then unknown, pop star Austin Riva.[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Debbie Harry, Barbara Jean Morrison, Charles W. Nieland, exceptions were noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Two Times Blue" | 3:56 | |
| 2. | "School for Scandal" | 3:09 | |
| 3. | "If I Had You" | Morrison, Nieland | 3:18 |
| 4. | "Deep End" | 3:11 | |
| 5. | "Love with a Vengeance" | 4:41 | |
| 6. | "Necessary Evil" | 3:31 | |
| 7. | "Charm Redux" | 1:15 | |
| 8. | "You're Too Hot" | 3:41 | |
| 9. | "Dirty and Deep" | Harry, Morrison, Nieland, Sean Travis Dempsey | 3:16 |
| 10. | "What Is Love?" | 4:32 | |
| 11. | "Whiteout" | 4:30 | |
| 12. | "Needless to Say" | 4:15 | |
| 13. | "Heat of the Moment" | 4:09 | |
| 14. | "Charm Alarm" | Harry, Morrison, Nieland, Guy Furrow | 5:02 |
| Total length: | 48:29 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Jen Jen" | Chris Stein | Chris Stein | 5:15 |
| 16. | "Naked Eye" | Harry, Stein | Stein | 4:28 |
| 17. | "Paradise" | Roy Nathanson, Bill Ware | Bill Ware | 6:20 |
| Total length: | 64:22 | |||
Personnel
edit- Deborah Harry – vocals, guitar (track 8), percussion (track 10)
With
- Tracks 1–14
- Super Buddha – all instruments, except as noted
- Mark Marone – drums (tracks 2–4, 14)
- Sean Travis Dempsey – keyboards and drum programming (track 9)
- Miss Guy – additional vocals (track 14)
- Tracks 15–16
- Chris Stein – all instruments
- Track 17
- Roy Nathanson – saxophone
- Bill Ware – all other instruments
Charts
edit| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[6] | 86 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[7] | 37 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | September 17, 2007 |
| United States | October 9, 2007 |
| Germany | October 26, 2007 |
References
edit- ^ Metacritic
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Digital spy review
- ^ Robert Christgau review
- ^ Debbie Harry – If I Had You – Free Music Videos on ARTISTdirect Network
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ "Debbie Harry Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2023.