Safe Trip Home

Summary

Safe Trip Home is the third studio album by Dido. It was released in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2008.[3] The album features collaborations and production with Jon Brion, her brother Rollo Armstrong, Brian Eno, Mick Fleetwood, Citizen Cope and Questlove.[1] The album was the 44th best-selling album worldwide of 2008, according to IFPI.[4] In the UK the album was certified gold, which was a massive drop from her previous album which went nine-times platinum. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[5]

Safe Trip Home
Studio album by
Released17 November 2008
StudioLondon and Los Angeles at Ocean Way Recording, Westlake Recording Studios, Abbey Road Studios, Ocean Productions, Henson Recording Studios, NRG Recording Studios, British Grove Studios and various cupboards, kitchens and bedrooms[1]
Genre
Length49:47
LabelCheeky, Sony Music, RCA
ProducerDido, Jon Brion, The Ark
Dido chronology
Live at Brixton Academy
(2005)
Safe Trip Home
(2008)
Girl Who Got Away
(2013)
Singles from Safe Trip Home
  1. "Don't Believe in Love"
    Released: September 2008
  2. "Quiet Times"
    Released: February 2009

Release edit

The album's cover artwork and track listing were revealed by Dido's official website on 5 September 2008.[6] The album was originally due to be released on 3 November,[7][8] but was delayed for two weeks due to manufacturing delays.[3] In the UK, the album launch was heralded with a special listening party, which fans could win an invitation to through the Nectar loyalty card points scheme.[9]

The album cover features a photograph of astronaut Bruce McCandless II during a spacewalk, as part of the 1984 Space Shuttle mission STS-41-B. McCandless later sued Dido, Sony Music Entertainment and Getty Images over violating his publicity rights.[10] The case was settled under undisclosed terms on 14 January 2011.[11]

On 27 October 2008, it was announced that eleven short films were being produced to accompany the tracks on the album, based around the theme of home.[citation needed]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [13]
The A.V. ClubB−[14]
Entertainment WeeklyB[15]
The Guardian     [16]
The Observer     [17]
Q     [18]
Rolling Stone     [19]
Slant Magazine     [20]
Spin5/10[21]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[22]

The album received very positive reviews. Metacritic rates the album at 74 out of a 100.[12] Stephanie Merritt from The Guardian wrote "This album is a mature and thoughtful collection of songs and a fine memorial to her father, who would have been right to be proud."[17] While Chris Willman from Entertainment Weekly said "The emotion in these sad, subtle songs seems inherent enough, though you may still find yourself wishing she'd allowed the slightest hint of it to creep into her voice."[15] Will Hermes of Rolling Stone said: "Dido's voice is so comforting, you almost miss the blues it conceals."[19]

Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave a more critical review: "The album might be Dido's least adventurous to date, [with] her brand of vanilla soul going down like a warm cup of milk on tracks like the lead single "Don't Believe in Love" and "Quiet Times", the lyrics of which pretty much capture her overall state of mind: "My home is home and I'm settled now/I've made it through the restless phase." Though he noted that there was a "timeless quality to the songwriting and production."[20] Elizabeth Goodman of Blender was also more critical. "The songs are ostensibly sad but [they are] as pleasant as a pile of warm, unfolded laundry. ...Dido should let her socks go unsorted for a while; genuine sorrow sounds good on her."[23] Regardless of the album's late release in the year, it was ranked No. 50 in Q's 50 Best Albums of the Year 2008.[24] In 2010, the album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Singles edit

Two singles were released from the album. On 22 August 2008, the day that the album's title was announced, the track "Look No Further" was released as a free digital download through her official website.[7] The first official single from Safe Trip Home, "Don't Believe in Love", was released on 27 October 2008. It was also made available on iTunes stores internationally from 29 October.[8] The second single, "Quiet Times", was released in February 2009.[citation needed]

Track listing edit

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[25]

Safe Trip HomeStandard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Don't Believe in Love"Brion3:53
2."Quiet Times"D. Armstrong3:17
3."Never Want to Say It's Love"
  • D. Armstrong
  • R. Armstrong
  • Brion
Brion3:35
4."Grafton Street"
  • Dido
  • The Ark
5:59
5."It Comes and It Goes"
  • D. Armstrong
  • R. Armstrong
  • Brion
Brion3:28
6."Look No Further"
  • D. Armstrong
  • R. Armstrong
  • Brion
Brion3:14
7."Us 2 Little Gods"
  • Dido
  • The Ark
4:49
8."The Day Before the Day"
  • D. Armstrong
  • R. Armstrong
  • Dido
  • The Ark
4:13
9."Let's Do the Things We Normally Do"
  • D. Armstrong
  • Brion
Brion4:10
10."Burnin Love" (with Citizen Cope)
  • Dido
  • The Ark
4:12
11."Northern Skies"
  • D. Armstrong
  • R. Armstrong
Brion8:57
Total length:49:47
Safe Trip HomeDeluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."For One Day"D. Armstrong
  • Dido
  • The Ark
5:43
13."Summer"D. Armstrong
  • Dido
  • The Ark
3:55
14."Northern Skies" (Rollo & Sister Bliss remix)  5:53
Safe Trip HomeDeluxe edition enhanced section
No.TitleLength
15."Dido Studio Film" 
Total length:11:19

Personnel edit

Musicians

Production

  • Chris Bolster – studio staff
  • Jon Brion – mixer (track 3, 5, 6, 9, 11), orchestra arranger and conductor (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11)
  • Nick Braun – studio staff
  • Bobby Campbell – studio staff
  • Eric Caudieux – programming/editing (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11)
  • Peter Edge – album mastering (at A&R)
  • Isobel Griffiths – contractor
  • Grippa – mixer (track 8)
  • Kayt Jones – photographer[citation needed]
  • Rouble Kapoor – studio staff
  • Greg Koller – mixer (tracks 3, 5, 6, 9, 11)
  • Peter Leak – manager
  • Josh Newell – studio staff
  • Alex Pavlides – studio staff
  • Bret Rausch – studio assistant for Jon Brion
  • Joanne Rooks – designer
  • Jim Scott – mixer (track 2, 4, 7, 10), vocal and string mixer (track 8)
  • Wesley Seidman – studio staff
  • Paul Smith – studio staff
  • Todd Steinhauer – assistant mixer (track 2, 4, 7, 10)
  • Jill Streater – copyist
  • Brady Woodcock – studio staff
  • Alan Yoshida – album mastering (at Ocean Way)

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[59] Gold 35,000^
Belgium (BEA)[60] Gold 15,000*
France (SNEP)[61] Gold 75,000*
Germany (BVMI)[62] Gold 100,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[38] Gold 7,500^
Hungary (MAHASZ)[63] Gold 3,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[64] Gold 7,500^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[65] Gold 7,500^
Poland (ZPAV)[66] Gold 10,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[67] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[69] Gold 285,000[68]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Aizlewood, John. "In The Studio" Archived 3 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Q. October 2007.
  2. ^ Anderson, Stacey (16 November 2008). "Dido, 'Safe Trip Home' (Arista)". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved 21 December 2014. Dido's third solo album reveals an unyielding fear of intimacy, her mellow trip-pop (coproduced by Jon Brion) buckling underneath sadness and alienation
  3. ^ a b "Album Release Date Change" Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. DidoMusic.com. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
  4. ^ IFPI Archived 24 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "GRAMMY.com – The Official Site of Music's Biggest Night". The GRAMMYs. Archived from the original on 3 December 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
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  8. ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan. "Dido bringing it all "Home" in November". Reuters. 22 August 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
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  13. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Allmusic review". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
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  17. ^ a b Stephanie Merritt (20 December 2008). "The Guardian review". The Observer. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
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External links edit

  • Album's official website