{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox album | name = The Dreaming Room | type = studio | artist = [[Laura Mvula]] | cover = Laura Mvula - The Dreaming Room.jpg | alt = | released = 17 June 2016 | recorded = 2015–2016 | studio = | genre = * [[Soul music|Soul]] * [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] | length = 36:17 | label = [[RCA Records|RCA Victor]], [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] | producer = * Troy Miller * Laura Mvula * [[The London Symphony Orchestra]] | prev_title = [[Sing to the Moon]] | prev_year = 2013 | next_title = [[Pink Noise (Laura Mvula album)|Pink Noise]] | next_year = 2021 | misc = {{Singles | name = The Dreaming Room | type = studio | single1 = Overcome | single1date = 21 January 2016 | single2 = Phenomenal Woman | single2date = 4 May 2016 | single3 = Show Me Love | single3date = 27 May 2016 | single4 = [[Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)|Ready or Not]] | single4date = 4 November 2016 }} }} '''''The Dreaming Room''''' is the second studio album by British singer [[Laura Mvula]], released three years after her debut album. It features production works from executive producer Troy Miller and has been heavily produced by the instrumental crew that make up [[The London Symphony Orchestra]]. The album was released on 17 June 2016 through [[RCA Records]].
==Background== After the moderate success of Mvula's debut album ''[[Sing to the Moon]]'', she began working on different projects. On 6 December 2013, she recorded a track, entitled "Little Girl Blue", which ended up being part of the original soundtrack for the 2013 film ''[[12 Years A Slave (film)|12 Years A Slave]]''. The track was produced by Troy Miller, which was Mvula's first ever encounter with him. It was from this point which she wanted to work with him on her second album.
Then, within 2015, she recorded another track, which was entitled, "You Work For Me", which was her second soundtrack recording. It was released as part of the original soundtrack for the 2015 film ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (film)|The Man From U.N.C.L.E.]]''. This song was also produced by Troy Miller.
==Release== Then, on 21 January 2016, Laura Mvula released her first single in three years and was entitled "Overcome". It featured production works from electric guitarist [[Nile Rodgers]] whom, at the time, was working with other artists. It was later to be revealed that the song was Rodger's first ever major feature of 2016 as part of an ever-growing project of working with a variety of artists and musicians, such as [[Nervo (duo)|NERVO]], [[Sigala]], [[Alex Newell]], [[DJ Cassidy]] and [[Jess Glynne]]. The song was revealed to have been a concept that Mvula was working on since her first encounter with Troy Miller, who produced the song, and Rodgers asked if he could work with her, telling her through [[Twitter]], "I want to be in your universe where angels live. I worship you! We must work together", to which she immediately replied, "let's make it happen soon please".<ref>{{Citation |title=Laura Mvula (Ft. Nile Rodgers) – Overcome |url=https://genius.com/Laura-mvula-overcome-lyrics |access-date=2025-02-17}}</ref>
After the song was released, the second album was announced under the title ''The Dreaming Room'' and that it was going to be released, originally, on 20 May 2016. It was also revealed that Mvula, with Troy Miller, was going to be producing the entire album, alongside the instrumental crew which make up [[The London Symphony Orchestra]].{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}
The album's first promotional single was released on 7 April 2016, entitled "People". The song featured vocals from rapper [[Wretch 32]] and was released to all digital streaming platforms.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}
A couple of weeks later in May 2016, Laura released her second official single from the album, entitled "Phenomenal Woman". The song was revealed to have been inspired by her grandmother and classed it as being one of the most happiest songs on the album. She described it as being the kind of song that, if performed live, she could be able to "jump off the stage" if she wanted to.<ref>{{Citation |title=Laura Mvula – Phenomenal Woman |url=https://genius.com/Laura-mvula-phenomenal-woman-lyrics |access-date=2025-02-17}}</ref>
After the song was released, she announced that the official release date for the album was to be pushed back to 17 June 2016 to avoid direct competition with trending artists [[Kygo]], [[Meghan Trainor]], [[Ariana Grande]] and [[Yuna (Malaysian singer)|Yuna]].{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}
Then, on 27 May 2016, the album's second and last promotional single was released, entitled "Show Me Love" and was released to all digital streaming platforms.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}
Then, to promote the album further, Mvula released an album sampler which revealed snippets of each song off of the album. Many people took to comment on the sampler, some of them stating that the instrumental track "Renaissance Moon", which was primarily produced by The London Symphony Orchestra, was likened to previous track "Sing To The Moon", which was released through her debut album.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S87s4PUBqh0 |title=Laura Mvula - The Dreaming Room Album Sampler |date=2016-06-06 |last=lauramvulaVEVO |access-date=2025-02-17 |via=YouTube}}</ref> This was later confirmed to be true, prior the album's release.
The album, was eventually released prior to its delayed release date of 17 June 2016.
==Critical reception== {{Album ratings |ADM=7.6/10<ref>{{cite web |title=Laura Mvula: The Dreaming Room |url=http://anydecentmusic.com/review/8091/Laura-Mvula-The-Dreaming-Room.aspx |publisher=AnyDecentMusic? |accessdate=15 January 2019}}</ref> |MC=82/100<ref name = "MC">[http://www.metacritic.com/music/the-dreaming-room/laura-mvula/critic-reviews "Critic Reviews for The Dreaming Room"]. [[Metacritic]]. Retrieved 2 August 2016.</ref> |rev1=[[AllMusic]] |rev1score={{rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="allmusic">Kellman, Andy (17 June 2016). [http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-dreaming-room-mw0002918271 "The Dreaming Room - Laura Mvula"]. [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved 30 August 2016.</ref> |rev2=[[Associated Press]] |rev2score={{rating|3|5}}<ref>Gorondi, Pablo (20 June 2016). [https://web.archive.org/web/20160621142503/http://www.thenational.ae/arts-life/music/album-review-laura-mvula-has-a-lot-to-offer-fans-in-the-dreaming-room "Album review: Laura Mvula has a lot to offer fans in The Dreaming Room"]. [[Associated Press]]. Retrieved 24 June 2016.</ref> |rev3=''[[Exclaim!]]'' |rev3score=9/10<ref name="exclaim">B. Patrick, Ryan (1 June 2016). [http://exclaim.ca/music/article/laura_mvula-the_dreaming_room "Laura Mvula The Dreaming Room"]. ''[[Exclaim!]]''. Retrieved 24 June 2016.</ref> |rev4=''[[The Guardian]]'' |rev4score={{rating|4|5}}<ref>[[Alexis Petridis|Petridis, Alexis]] (16 June 2016). [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jun/16/laura-mvula-dreaming-room-cd-review "Laura Mvula: The Dreaming Room review – vivid, original, it's the real deal"]. ''[[The Guardian]]''. Retrieved 24 June 2016.</ref> |rev5=''[[The Irish Times]]'' |rev5score={{rating|4|5}}<ref>Clayton-Lea, Tony (16 June 2016). [http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/laura-mvula-the-dreaming-room-album-review-gorgeous-soul-hymns-1.2685878 "Laura Mvula – The Dreaming Room album review: gorgeous soul hymns"]. ''[[The Irish Times]]''. Retrieved 24 June 2016.</ref> |rev6=''[[London Evening Standard]]'' |rev6score={{rating|4|5}}<ref>Aizlewood, John (17 June 2016). [https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/music/laura-mvula-the-dreaming-room-review-unashamedly-epic-a3274256.html "Laura Mvula – The Dreaming Room, review: 'unashamedly epic'"]. ''[[London Evening Standard]]''. Retrieved 24 June 2016.</ref> |rev7=''[[Mixmag]]'' |rev7score=8/10<ref>[http://www.mixmag.net/feature/july-2016-18-albums-you-need-to-hear-this-month/40 "June: 18 Albums You Need To Hear This Month"]. ''[[Mixmag]]''. July 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.</ref> |rev8=''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' |rev8score={{rating|4|5}}<ref>Wilson, Lois (17 June 2016). [http://www.mojo4music.com/24205/laura-mvula-dreaming-room/ "Laura Mvula's The Dreaming Room is MOJO's Album of the Week"]. ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''. Retrieved 24 June 2016.</ref> |rev9=''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' |rev9score=7.8/10<ref>[[Jia Tolentino|Tolentino, Jia]] (24 June 2016). [http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21719-the-dreaming-room/ "Laura Mvula: The Dreaming Room Album Review"]. ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''. Retrieved 24 June 2016.</ref> |rev10=''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' |rev10score={{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=Laura Mvula: The Dreaming Room |journal=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=361 |date=June 2016 |page=112}}</ref> }} ''The Dreaming Room'' received critical acclaim from music critics. At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 12 reviews. Writing for ''[[Exclaim!]]'', Ryan B. Patrick gave the album a rave review, calling it "a subconscious succession of visuals, emotions and ideas — sometimes abstract, sometimes allegorical, but always dredging up something for the conscious mind to ponder. The Dreaming Room is this and more."<ref name="exclaim" />
==Track listing== {{Track listing | headline = ''The Dreaming Room'' {{nobold|– Standard edition}} | extra_column = Producer(s) | total_length = 36:17
| title1 = Who I Am | writer1 = {{hlist|[[Laura Mvula]]}} | extra1 = {{hlist|Troy Miller|Mvula}} | length1 = 1:18 | title2 = Overcome | note2 = featuring [[Nile Rodgers]] | writer2 = {{hlist|Mvula|[[Nile Rodgers]]}} | extra2 = {{hlist|Miller|Mvula}} | length2 = 3:11 | title3 = Bread | writer3 = {{hlist|Mvula|Miller}} | extra3 = {{hlist|Miller|Mvula}} | length3 = 3:22 | title4 = Lucky Man | writer4 = {{hlist|Mvula|Miller}} | extra4 = {{hlist|Miller|Mvula}} | length4 = 2:52 | title5 = Let Me Fall | writer5 = {{hlist|Mvula|Miller|[[Steve Brown (composer)|Steve Brown]]}} | extra5 = {{hlist|Miller|Mvula}} | length5 = 3:40 | title6 = Kiss My Feet | writer6 = {{hlist|Mvula|Miller}} | extra6 = {{hlist|Miller|Mvula}} | length6 = 3:43 | title7 = Show Me Love | writer7 = {{hlist|Mvula|Miller}} | extra7 = {{hlist|Miller|Mvula}} | length7 = 6:03 | title8 = Renaissance Moon | writer8 = {{hlist|Mvula|Brown}} | extra8 = {{hlist|Miller|Mvula}} | length8 = 0:45 | title9 = Angel | writer9 = Mvula | extra9 = {{hlist|Miller|Mvula}} | length9 = 3:41 | title10 = People | note10 = featuring [[Wretch 32]] | writer10 = {{hlist|Mvula|[[Wretch 32|Jermaine Scott Sinclair]]}} | extra10 = {{hlist|Miller|Mvula}} | length10 = 3:47 | title11 = Nan | writer11 = {{hlist|Mvula}} | extra11 = Mvula | length11 = 1:11 | title12 = Phenomenal Woman | writer12 = {{hlist|Mvula|Miller}} | extra12 = {{hlist|Miller|Mvula}} | length12 = 2:44 }}
{{Track listing | headline = ''The Dreaming Room'' {{nobold|– Special edition}} | extra_column = Producer(s) | total_length = 58:10
| title13 = [[Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)|Ready or Not]] | writer13 = {{hlist|[[The Delfonics|William Hart]]|[[Thom Bell|Thomas Bell]]}} | extra13 = {{hlist|Miller|Bell{{ref|a|[a]}}}} | length13 = 2:32 | title14 = You Work for Me | writer14 = {{hlist|[[Tobias Jesso Jr.]]|[[Bag Raiders|Chris Stracey]]|[[Bag Raiders|Jack Glass]]}} | extra14 = {{hlist|Miller}} | length14 = 2:49 | title15 = [[Magic (Coldplay song)|Magic]] | note15 = BBC Live Version | writer15 = {{hlist|[[Coldplay|Guy Berryman]]|[[Coldplay|Jonny Buckland]]|[[Coldplay|Will Champion]]|[[Coldplay|Chris Martin]]}} | extra15 = {{hlist|Miller|[[Coldplay]]{{ref|a|[a]}}|[[Paul Epworth]]{{ref|a|[a]}}|Daniel Green{{ref|a|[a]}}|[[Rik Simpson]]{{ref|a|[a]}}}} | length15 = 5:06 | title16 = Silence Is the Way | note16 = [[Miles Davis]] & [[Robert Glasper]] featuring [[Laura Mvula]] | writer16 = {{hlist|[[Miles Davis]]|Mvula|[[Joe Zawinul|Josef Erich Zawinul]]}} | extra16 = {{hlist|Davis|[[Robert Glasper]]}} | length16 = 5:18 | title17 = Same Ol' Mistakes | note17 = BBC Live Version | writer17 = {{hlist|[[Kevin Parker (musician)|Kevin Parker]]}} | extra17 = {{hlist|Miller|Parker{{ref|a|[a]}}|[[Kuk Harrell]]{{ref|a|[a]}}}} | length17 = 3:37 | title18 = Mellow Man | writer18 = {{hlist|Mvula}} | extra18 = {{hlist|Miller}} | length18 = 2:31 }}
'''Notes''' * <sup>{{note|a|a}}</sup> signifies an original producer * "Ready or Not" is a cover of [[The Delfonics]]' "[[Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)]]". * "You Work for Me" was a song taken from the soundtrack of the 2015 film ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (film)|The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]''. * "Magic" is a cover of the [[Coldplay]] song of the same name, released through their 2014 album ''[[Ghost Stories (Coldplay album)|Ghost Stories]]''. * "Same Ol' Mistakes" is a cover of [[Tame Impala]]'s "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" from their 2015 album ''[[Currents (Tame Impala album)|Currents]]''. * "Mellow Man" was a song taken from the soundtrack of the 2016 film ''[[Brotherhood (2016 film)|Brotherhood]]''.
==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ Chart performance for ''The Dreaming Room'' ! scope="col"| Chart (2016) ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position |- {{album chart|Flanders|52|artist=Laura Mvula|album=The Dreaming Room|rowheader=true|accessdate=24 June 2016}} |- {{album chart|Netherlands|117|artist=Laura Mvula|album=The Dreaming Room|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 March 2021}} |- ! scope="row"| French Albums ([[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|SNEP]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snepmusique.com/tops-semaine/top-albums-fusionnes/?ye=2016&we=25|title=Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes - SNEP (Week 25, 2016)|date=10 June 2013 |publisher=[[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]]|language=French|accessdate=25 June 2016}}</ref> | 170 |- {{album chart|Ireland2|23|artist=Laura Mvula|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 March 2021}} |- ! scope="row"| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums ([[Recorded Music NZ|RMNZ]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/albums/2016-06-24|title=NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart|publisher=[[Recorded Music NZ]]|date=27 June 2016|access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref> | 5 |- {{album chart|Scotland|20|date=20160624|rowheader=true|access-date=2 October 2025}} |- {{album chart|Switzerland|85|artist=Laura Mvula|album=The Dreaming Room|rowheader=true|accessdate=29 June 2016}} |- {{album chart|UK2|21|date=20160624|rowheader=true|accessdate=25 June 2016}} |- {{album chart|UKR&B|3|date=20160624|rowheader=true|accessdate=30 October 2016}} |- ! scope="row"| [[UK R&B Singles and Albums Charts|UK R&B Albums]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/official-hip-hop-and-r-and-b-albums-chart/20161202/115/|title=Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart 2 December 2016 - 8 December 2016|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|accessdate=23 June 2024}}</ref><br /><small>''Special Edition''</small> | 15 |- ! scope="row"| UK Album Sales Chart ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-sales-chart/20160624/7511/|title=Official Albums Sales Chart 24 June 2016 - 30 June 2016|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|accessdate=2 October 2025}}</ref> | 16 |- {{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|50|artist=Laura Mvula|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 March 2021}} |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dreaming Room}} [[Category:2016 albums]] [[Category:Laura Mvula albums]] [[Category:RCA Records albums]]