Maria Lawson is the self-titled debut studio album from British X Factor contestant, Maria Lawson. It was released by Phonogenic Records and Sony BMG on 28 August 2006 in the United Kingdom. The album reached number 41 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 19,000 copies. It includes Maria Lawson's only single, "Sleepwalking", asw well as cover versions of Lamya's "Black Mona Lisa", Liberty X's "The Poet" and James Blunt's "You're Beautiful."
| Maria Lawson | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 August 2006 | |||
| Length | 49:18 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Maria Lawson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Maria Lawson | ||||
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Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Orange |   [1] |
BBC Music critic Tom Young called the album "a polished and credible first attempt, but one unlikely to figure in 2006 X Factor champion Leona Lewis’ list of influences. Without doubt, the smooth listening effort will draw comparisons with Gabrielle and Beverley Knight, but that isn’t exactly the fail safe stamp of approval at a time when Beyoncé Knowles and Gwen Stefani are the leading female yardsticks."[2] Orange found that Lawson "has a strong, appealing voice, but she’s never going to be allowed to go out on a limb. She’ll be given safe and undemanding material, a reasonably modern R&B production, and that cover of "You're Beautiful" will be tacked on the end [...] There just isn’t the material or character to carry this off. Worse still, even amongst the pleasant stuff, there’s no bona fide hit single to give you hope for Maria’s future."[1]
Commercial performance
editMaria Lawson debuted and peaked at number 41 on the UK Albums Chart in the week of 3 September 2006.[3] It also reached number 14 on the UK R&B Albums Charts.[4]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sleepwalking" |
|
| 3:59 |
| 2. | "Black Mona Lisa" |
| Lester Mendez | 4:01 |
| 3. | "Give All You Got" |
|
| 3:14 |
| 4. | "The Poet" |
| The Heavyweights | 4:46 |
| 5. | "Old School Lovin'" |
| The Heavyweights | 3:35 |
| 6. | "Your Life" |
|
| 3:30 |
| 7. | "Let It Break" |
|
| 3:04 |
| 8. | "His World" |
|
| 3:26 |
| 9. | "Overrated" |
|
| 3:01 |
| 10. | "Naked with You" | Diane Warren | Ellis | 3:31 |
| 11. | "Pretty Face" |
| The Heavyweights | 3:33 |
| 12. | "Woman's Intuition" |
|
| 3:05 |
| 13. | "It's Love" | Frampton | Frampton | 3:59 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "You're Beautiful" | Nigel Wright | 3:19 | |
| Total length: | 49:11 | |||
Sample credits
- "Sleepwalking" includes a sample of the Chi-Lites song "Have You Seen Her"
- "His World" includes a sample from "Midnight Train to Georgia"
Charts
edit| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[3] | 41 |
| UK R&B Albums (OCC)[4] | 14 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Album review: Maria Lawson - Maria Lawson". Orange.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 September 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ Young, Tom. "BBC Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
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