Familia (Sophie Ellis-Bextor album)

{{EngvarB|date=October 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}} {{Infobox album | name = Familia | type = studio | artist = Sophie Ellis-Bextor | cover = Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Familia.jpg | border = yes | alt = | released = {{Start date|df=yes|2016|9|2}} | recorded = | studio = State of the Ark <br /> (Richmond, London) | genre = {{hlist|Indie pop|folk|disco|Latin pop}} | length = {{duration|m=45|s=25}} | label = {{hlist|EBGB's|Red Essential}} | producer = Ed Harcourt | prev_title = Wanderlust | prev_year = 2014 | next_title = The Song Diaries | next_year = 2019 | misc = {{Singles | name = Familia | type = studio | single1 = Come with Us | single1date = 19 July 2016 | single2 = Crystallise | single2date = 10 October 2016 | single3 = Wild Forever | single3date = 13 January 2017 | single4 = Death of Love | single4date = 24 April 2017 }} }}

'''''Familia''''' is the sixth studio album by English singer and songwriter Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The album was produced by Ed Harcourt, who also produced Ellis-Bextor's previous album, ''Wanderlust''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/familia/id1134615941|title=Familia – Sophie Ellis-Bextor|publisher=iTunes Store|date=19 July 2016|access-date=24 July 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914012357/https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/familia/id1134615941|archive-date=14 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/come-with-us-f9-edits-single/id1131611429|title=Come with Us (F9 Edits) – Single|publisher=iTunes Store|date=19 July 2016|access-date=24 July 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914005339/https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/come-with-us-f9-edits-single/id1131611429|archive-date=14 September 2016}}</ref> It was released on 2 September 2016, by EBGB LLP and was critically acclaimed. It was preceded by disco-pop single "Come with Us", which was released on 19 July.

==Composition== {{Expand section|date=July 2016}} Before work commenced on the album, Sophie visited Mexico, which she claimed influenced the mood of the record: "The last album I wrote with Ed Harcourt was a wintery kind of record... I think we already had a slightly human instinct to do the complete opposite... we had all of that fresh warmth in our minds."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-09 |title=SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR: THE LOVE IS POP INTERVIEW – LoveIsPop |url=https://loveispop.com/interviews/sophie-ellis-bextor-the-love-is-pop-interview/ |access-date=2025-09-19 |language=en-US}}</ref><blockquote>"My new album ''Familia'' is the bolshier, more extrovert little sister to ''Wanderlust''. It sees the ''Wanderlust'' girl move away from Eastern Europe to the warmer, sunnier climate of Latin America where she's swapped vodka for tequila."<br />— Ellis-Bextor speaking about the album.<ref>{{cite news|last=Daw|first=Robbie|url=http://www.idolator.com/7640348/sophie-ellis-bextor-familia-album-september-cover-art-tracklist|archive-url=https://archive.today/20161001044055/http://www.idolator.com/7640348/sophie-ellis-bextor-familia-album-september-cover-art-tracklist|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 October 2016|title=Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 'Familia' Album Out in September: See The Cover Art & Tracklist|date=19 July 2016|access-date=24 July 2016|work=Idolator}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sophieellisbextor.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=29291|title=Familia – Signed Deluxe|publisher=Sophie Ellis-Bextor|date=19 July 2016|access-date=24 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816032257/http://sophieellisbextor.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=29291|archive-date=16 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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==Singles== Four singles were released, but none of them saw the success of Ellis-Bextor's previous singles. The four songs were backed with music videos, all of them directed by long-time collaborator Sophie Muller.

The first single from the album, "Come with Us", was released to radio stations on 19 July 2016 and was sent to radio stations across the UK, joining West Hull FM's playlist on 1 August and BBC Radio 2 on 5 August. The single release was in August 2016; it came ahead of the album in September. The release was accompanied with a simple music video,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F8mEQsXVkQ |title=Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Come With Us |website=YouTube |date=28 July 2016 |access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref> shot during the photoshoot of the album. It consists of Sophie singing and dancing to the song wearing colourful make-up and dresses. The aesthetics of the video take explicit inspiration from Mexican culture imagery.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://srastronauta.com/2016/09/06/sophie-ellis-bextor-que-viva-la-familia/ |title=Sophie Ellis-Bextor: ¡Que viva la familia! |date=6 September 2016 |access-date=18 January 2018 |archive-date=19 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119120209/https://srastronauta.com/2016/09/06/sophie-ellis-bextor-que-viva-la-familia/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The single received a digital release in some territories and included three additional dance mixes: the "F9 Radio Edit", "F9 Extended Disco Mix" and "F9 Mixshow Edit".

On 10 October the video for "Crystallise" was released on Vevo.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL6wE9uXQ4Y |title=Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Crystallise |website=YouTube |date=10 October 2016 |access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref> The digital single release followed one month later. About the ballad, Ellis-Bextor said: "Everyone has the potential to fall in love and 'Crystallise' is about how easy it is to realize it if you let yourself. The ability to love has been there since the day you were born". In the video we can see her wearing a long black lace dress, wandering through the rooms and gardens of an old house in the countryside of England. Two remixes of the song were released: the "F9 Radio Edit" and "F9 Extended Mix".

The third single was "Wild Forever", a track that was highlighted by specialised reviewers as a stand-out. The video was released on YouTube on 13 January 2017 and the next day the single followed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL6wE9uXQ4Y |title=Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Wild Forever (Official) |website=YouTube |date=16 January 2017 |access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref> A music video was filmed in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Part of it was filmed in Casa Kimberly, the residence of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the sixties. Cinematography was undertaken by John Pérez. As with previous singles, "Wild Forever" was remixed by F9 into the "F9 Radio Edit" and "F9 Extended Mix".

"Death of Love" was the fourth and last single from the album, released on 24 April 2017. The accompanying video was shot in San Sebastián del Oeste, Mexico, and released earlier the same month.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts8FhycZBHA |title=Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Death Of Love (Official) |website=YouTube |date=6 March 2017 |access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref> Instead of showing a glamorous and cosmopolitan Sophie, she is characterised as an inhabitant of a traditional Mexican town, shopping in the market, going to the church, walking in the streets and interacting with locals and eventually going to a bar to drink tequila and dance. The "Mariachi version" of the song and video was released less than a week after the official one.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9ljDWnducY |title=Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Death Of Love (Mariachi version) |website=YouTube |date=12 March 2017 |access-date=17 January 2018}}</ref> It was shot live at the ''La Barandilla'' tavern (that also appears at the end of the official version) with a group of uncredited mariachis.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saps.com.mx/noticias/sophie-ellis-bextor-graba-version-de-death-of-love-en-mariachi.html |author= Kharelly Valles |title= Sophie Ellis-Bextor graba versión de Death of Love en mariachi |date= 29 March 2017 |access-date= 17 January 2018}}</ref>

==Critical reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/familia-mw0002966211 |title=Familia - Sophie Ellis-Bextor |work=AllMusic |date=16 September 2016 |access-date=16 September 2016}}</ref> | rev2 = BBC Radio 2 | rev2Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="Jo Whiley">{{cite web |last=McAlpine |first=Fraser |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07tlm9v |title=BBC Radio 2 – Jo Whiley, 12/09/2016 |date=12 September 2016 |access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Classic Pop'' | rev3Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Classic Pop Magazine">{{cite web |last=W |first=W |url=http://www.classicpopmag.com/2016/09/classic-pop-magazine-25/ |title= Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Familia |work=Classic Pop |date=15 September 2016 |access-date=15 September 2016}}</ref> | rev4 = ''Idolator'' | rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Idolator">{{cite web |last=Sears |first=Stephen |url=http://www.idolator.com/7644961/sophie-ellis-bextor-familia-album-review |archive-url=https://archive.today/20161001044100/http://www.idolator.com/7644961/sophie-ellis-bextor-familia-album-review |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 October 2016 |title= Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 'Familia': Album review |work=Idolator |date=4 September 2016 |access-date= 4 September 2016}}</ref> | rev5 = ''London Evening Standard'' | rev5Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Evening Standard">{{cite web |last=Aizlewood |first=John |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/music/sophie-ellisbextor-familia-review-she-s-on-a-roll-a3335136.html |title=She's on a roll: Sophie Ellis-Bextor: Familia review|work=London Evening Standard |date= 2 September 2016 |access-date= 2 September 2016}}</ref> | rev6= ''Renowned for Sound'' | rev6Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Renowned for Sound">{{cite web |last=de Freitas |first=Sonia |url=http://renownedforsound.com/index.php/album-review-sophie-ellis-bextor-familia/ |title=Album Review: Sophie Ellis-Bextor Familia |work=Renowned for Sound |date=16 September 2016 |access-date=16 September 2016}}</ref> }}

''Familia'' earned critical acclaim. John Aizlewood of the ''London Evening Standard'' said, "The pop singer brings ice-cold vocals and massive dance beats on her sixth LP. Sophie Ellis-Bextor's startling transformation from well-dressed pop poppet to mistress of imperious doom on 2014's ''Wanderlust'' didn't quite receive the acclaim it deserved."<ref name="Evening Standard"/>

Stephen Sears of Idolator said, "Ellis-Bextor returns to Harcourt with ''Familia'' (released September 2), an autumnal record, literally and figuratively. The crisp arrangements are organic, built on bass, guitar, piano and drums. But Harcourt and Ellis-Bextor reference a range of pop styles with details like the bubbling synths on 'The Death of Love' and the power chords that launch the album's galloping opener, 'Wild Forever'. The widescreen love song 'Crystallise', which ranks among Bextor's finest, has a lush chorus ribboned with violin" and praised Sophie for taking the risk with her ''Wanderlust'' album and this one saying, "What ''Familia'' ultimately recalls is the era of female singer-songwriters. Like predecessor Carly Simon, Ellis-Bextor knows that a lifelong career is built on a certain amount of risk-taking. 'Why be so ordinary? Why just conform?' she questions on 'Wild Forever'. ''Familia'', released on her own record label, is the sound of an artist making the music she wants to make."

Sonia de Freitas of ''Renowned for Sound'' referred to the album as "highly enjoyable", saying that "''Familia'' is a successful new release by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. In it, she showcases her skill in writing music in a variety of styles, while showing restraint in the balance of instrumentation (using acoustic, electronic and more traditional timbres). The Latin American influence on the music is evident without becoming a caricature, which can happen if the music is not well crafted by a meticulous musician. Throughout the album Ellis-Bextor displays her versatility as a singer; her distinctive voice delivers the lyrical content meaningfully and with purpose."<ref name="Renowned for Sound"/>

''Classic Pop'' magazine wrote that "It's easy to forget Sophie Ellis-Bextor started out in the late-nineties as singer for the indie-rockers Theaudience. She has always been something of a chameleon, however, scoring a massive hit in 2000 with Spiller's immaculate disco-styled 'Groovejet' – which went on to become the decade's most played single – and notching up more electro-pop hits before drafting in Ed Harcourt for 2014's sophisticated but more low-key ''Wanderlust''." The magazine favoured songs "Here Comes the Rapture", "Unrequited", "Hush Little Voices", "My Puppet Heart" and heralded "Wild Forever" and "Crystallise" as standout tracks. "The former – an effervescent, galloping pop tune, her voice at its sweetest as it rushes towards an ecstatic chorus – remains closest to the dancefloor-friendly Ellis-Bextor template with which we're most familiar. The latter – a lush, mid-paced slice of piano-led elegance – confirms that she remains one of our more refined pop stars. The audience may be forgotten, but Ellis-Bextor's audience has every reason to remain loyal."<ref name="Classic Pop Magazine"/>

==Track listing== The album was released in the following formats; Digital download on iTunes and CD, LP and mp3 download via Ellis-Bextor's official online store.

{{Track listing | all_writing = and composed by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Ed Harcourt. All tracks are produced by Harcourt | headline = ''Familia'' track listing | total_length = 44:05 | title1 = Wild Forever | length1 = 4:21 | title2 = Death of Love | length2 = 4:20 | title3 = Crystallise | length3 = 3:31 | title4 = Hush Little Voices | length4 = 4:14 | title5 = Here Comes the Rapture | length5 = 4:06 | title6 = Come with Us | length6 = 3:54 | title7 = Cassandra | length7 = 3:38 | title8 = My Puppet Heart | length8 = 4:05 | title9 = Unrequited | length9 = 4:32 | note9 = featuring Matthew Caws | title10 = The Saddest Happiness | length10 = 4:14 | title11 = Don't Shy Away | length11 = 4:30 }}

==Releases== * CD deluxe edition (book-bound) * CD standard edition * LP heavyweight vinyl (gatefold) * LP heavyweight pink vinyl (exclusively released for HMV) (gatefold) * iTunes digital album * Mp3 digital album (for sale at Ellis-Bextor's website and for free via giftcard for those who bought the vinyl) * The album was released in Japan on EBGB's EBGBCD-4J and Octave EBGBCD-4J

Signed copies of the vinyl and deluxe CD formats were made available via Ellis-Bextor's website.

==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (2016) ! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |- {{album chart|Flanders|164|artist=Sophie Ellis-Bextor|album=Familia|rowheader=true|access-date=9 September 2016}} |- {{album chart|Scotland|12|date=20160909|rowheader=true|access-date=10 September 2016}} |- {{album chart|UK2|12|date=20160909|rowheader=true|access-date=10 September 2016}} |- {{album chart|UKIndependent|3|date=20160909|rowheader=true|access-date=10 September 2016}} |}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Familia (album)}} Category:2016 albums Category:Sophie Ellis-Bextor albums Category:Albums produced by Ed Harcourt Category:Folk albums by English artists Category:Indie pop albums by English artists Category:Octave (record label) albums