Ghosts (Siobhán Donaghy album)

Ghosts is the second (and last) studio album by British singer Siobhán Donaghy. Released on 25 June 2007, the album peaked at #92 on the UK Albums Chart.^[2] This album received more media attention than her debut album, but was overall a commercial failure despite receiving excellent critical reviews. The album spawned two singles, "Don't Give It Up" and "So You Say", which were both moderately successful. This is Donaghy's only studio album with Parlophone, as she parted ways with the label in August 2008.

Donaghy's debut solo album, Revolution in Me, was released by London Records in 2003, but she parted ways with the label soon after it was issued.^[3] The standard edition of Ghosts does not feature any of the songwriters and producers who worked on her debut. She explained that she left London Records soon after it was absorbed by Warner Music Group. As a result of the independent record label being merged with a major label, she said the majority of her previous collaborators had "moved into different directions, so I looked for new people to collaborate with and start from scratch."^[4]

She was reluctant to create an album continuing in the same musical direction as her debut, saying she instead wanted "a fresh sound and I found a man with a vision."^[3] She began work on Ghosts with producer James Sanger in 2005, and recording took place over an eighteen month period,^[5] at his home studio in a 500 year old manor in an isolated region of northern France.^[4] Donaghy said the manor was "just about as isolated as you can get", saying it received no television or radio signals.^[6] The two recorded five of the album's songs without Donaghy being signed to a record deal. She eventually signed with Parlophone, who then financed the completion of Ghosts.^[5][6]

The recording process was frequently delayed by Donaghy's holidays and travelling.^[3] She also said her working relationship with Sanger was often fraught, saying tension initially developed between the two due to their differing backgrounds, noting she was raised in a working class household while Sanger came from a wealthy background. However, she said this "just made me want to prove myself", and that "In the end I kind of won him over just by working hard."^[7] At one point, Sanger announced to Donaghy that he "hated everything" she had ever recorded, but she later found out this was a ploy to inspire her to "try something different with my voice. He wanted it to be perfect so we bloody laboured over [Ghosts]."^[8]

Their working relationship was also impacted by Sanger's issues with mental health and addiction. His mother died prior to production, and he had developed a heroin addiction.^[7] Sanger entered rehab twice during the album's recording. Donaghy said he was "pretty unpredictable", and that she was "afraid he would kill himself".^[4] She said there was no consistency in the way they recorded, explaining: "Sometimes he'd get back at the end of the night and we'd work in the morning, or sometimes start in the evening and work through the night. It was a very frustrating way to work, but it did bring out some pretty intense emotions in me. You know, I was living in someone else's home and not really enjoying it, yet at the same time I was really pleased with the music we were making. I think Ghosts wouldn't be such an emotive record if it hadn't been made like that."^[7]

Following the completion of the record, Donaghy said Sanger has "completely changed his life now though. He is sober. It is truly a miracle."^[4] She described Sanger as a "complete inspiration", saying he taught her to play numerous keyboard instruments and synthesizers during production, including the Nord Lead 3, Moog, Rhodes and Electribe. She said Sanger wanted to "teach me everything as we went along", and that it was "really good for me to learn my craft and just try and become as good as possible, and he provides the perfect environment for that."^[9] She said she would work with Sanger again if she were to create another solo album, noting: "I love this record so much and I think, at the end of the record, James and I were just going off in a slightly different, more intense direction. I think we'll go more that way for the next record."^[7]

Musically, Ghosts has been described by authors and journalists as an alternative pop,^[10] and pop album, with elements of dance,^[11] trip hop,^[12] and blues.^[13] Donaghy described it as "essentially a pop record, but a challenging one." She said the album is "quite ethereal, very much looking back to old sixties records and there's some harpsichord on the record too. There's also a medieval side, and nods to stuff like Brian Eno and early Annie Lennox." Other influences include Kate Bush and Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins.^[7] She described the latter as one of her favorite vocalists, and said her voice is "one of the biggest inspirations" for the album vocally.^[14]

Donaghy said she wanted Ghosts to be an emotive album,^[3] and that she wanted to "go a bit further left-field and chose things that were a bit more abstract." She sought to balance the commercial interests of Parlophone and her own artistic expression by balancing songs that could be potential radio-friendly singles with others that could never be singles. She described the latter as the "actual essence" of the album, describing the title track as one that would never be played on radio.^[14] She derided people in the music industry who claim "you can't make left-field pop music and be commercial", describing that attitude as "bullshit. They always say that when there's nothing else out there like it. I remember what was on the radio when my career began and God, it's so diverse now in comparison. And it feels good to be a part of it."^[15]

In terms of production, Donaghy said the first half of the album has a "lighter feel", and said the album becomes more intense as it progresses.^[7] Digital Spy said Ghosts was imbued with the tension Donaghy and Sanger had when they were recording, saying that as it progresses, "Sanger's soundscapes become ever more layered and portentous, while Donaghy's vocals become bigger, bolder and more audacious. The results are frequently inspired."^[16] Lyrically, the album contains themes of lost love, independence and survival.^[17] Stylus Magazine said much of the album's lyrical content could "easily be interpreted as dealing with a serious and possibly long-term depression", specifically in the songs "Make It Right" and "Coming Up for Air".^[18]

The lyric of album opener "Don't Give It Up" references Sanger's time in rehab overcoming his addiction to heroin.^[12] Yahoo! Music noted similarities between the song and Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush's 1986 single "Don't Give Up", saying the two songs share similarities not just with their titles, but with their shared message of resilience and persevering against the odds.^[19] MusicOMH described the song as a mix of Kate Bush and Björk, saying it begins with "a bedrock of tasteful electronica" and a verse consisting of "half-spoken vocals of murmur dark threats", before gradually expanding to an "angelic" chorus.^[17] Stylus Magazine said "Don't Give It Up" and "So You Say" compliment one another, saying they "achieve an admirable state of blissful, catchy symphonic pop".^[18] Numerous reviews said "So You Say" contained a "colossal chorus".^[13][16] The lyric references Donaghy's first love, and is her only song examining a romantic relationship. So as to not write a "revengeful song", she changed the subject's name to Adam, a reference to the biblical first man.^[7]

The Scotsman praised Donaghy's vocal on "There's a Place",^[20] but Stylus Magazine negatively compared the song to a Sugababes ballad, complimenting the string arrangement but saying it was "not quite able to escape the twinkling syrup."^[18] Similarly, MusicOMH called it "tuneless", saying it "meanders around an acoustic shuffle before being bludgeoned with strings to add a bit of weight, but comes over as a bit wet."^[17] Donaghy said "Sometimes" is one of the most pop-sounding songs on the album. She said it was "very, very catchy", and that it helped break up the intensity found on the rest of Ghosts. She wrote around fifty lines worth of lyrics for the song, but said it contains only around six lines because she did not want to overcomplicate the track.^[21] MusicOMH said the song contains "lush soundscapes" and an "Oriental-sounding refrain", which they said lifted the song from a "downbeat Kylie-ish disco-pop feel into a naggingly addictive tune."^[17] Yahoo! Music said it has a "sunny, '60s feel" similar to the work of Burt Bacharach.^[19]

"12 Bar Acid Blues" references a vacation Donaghy had while recording the album, specifically a trip she and her friends made to Thailand where their passports were seized and they had near-death experiences while taking part in jungle treks.^[21] BBC said the song "all but obliterates any assumptions you might hold about the album or about the woman herself", calling it a "cordial, comedic and uber-literal tale". Their writer said that although the song "may not be in keeping with the rest of the material, it's a side to Donaghy and a buoyant sound that both deserve to be investigated further."^[22] The song is built around an acoustic guitar, beats and electronic instrumentation, and was compared by MusicOMH to the work of Nelly Furtado and Natalie Imbruglia.^[17] The Times called the song "intriguing", noting that "While it's not what Robert Johnson might think of as the blues, it is a song about tribulation, set to a strummed guitar. It's deftly done, and it works well."^[11]

Donaghy said she had to be convinced by her manager and A&R representative to include "Make It Right" on the album. She described the song is a "grower", noting it does not contain an immediate chorus. She considers the song a sibling to "So You Say", saying that on "So You Say" she is critical of her ex-boyfriend, but on "Make It Right" she is instead critical of herself and sympathises with him.^[21] "Coming Up for Air" is one of the last songs recorded for the album, with Donaghy saying the lyric "is probably just me wanting to get the hell out of the studio", noting the album had been "a long time in the making".^[21] The BBC said the song was "a spectacle of sharpness within a honeyed setting",^[22] while Digital Spy said it contains a "skittish rhythm" reminiscent of the Madonna song "Ray of Light".^[16]

The lyric of "Goldfish" was written by Donaghy after a discussion with Sanger, when Donaghy said she felt uninspired. Sanger responded: "Why don't you write about goldfish or something?".^[7] It is Donaghy's favourite song on the album, and contains its most personal lyric; she said it deals with feelings of insecurity, isolation, failure, and "of not really knowing where to go and what my place is in the world."^[4] The song contains extensive background vocals from Donaghy, who originally intended to recruit a choir to record the background vocals. However, she said "in the end it wasn't quite going to work because of all the different melody changes, but I think it sounds beautiful the way it is."^[9] The BBC described the song as a "trippy hymn with a captivating refrain", and that both "Coming Up for Air" and "Goldfish" were "testament to an expansive talent and a fascinating album."^[22] Digital Spy dubbed "Goldfish" the best song on the album, describing it as an "epic tale of mental anguish whose harmony-drenched final minutes manage to evoke all the sweeping grandeur of 'Unchained Melody'."^[16]

Like "Goldfish", the lyric of "Medevac" was inspired by a conversation Donaghy had with Sanger, where he explained the meaning of the military term medevac.^[7] The lyric deals with Sanger's addiction issues, which Donaghy said "got really bad" during the album's recording, to the point where he was forced to enter rehab. She said: "This song is basically saying this is the end of the line. You've got to choose. ... It was as serious as you've got to choose your life or the addiction." She said she came to a "true understanding of what he was going through, as well as I could. The first line I wrote was 'Help me out here, 'cause I'm strung out', and I think he was quite shocked that I'd come out with something like that." She said the pair gained "a hell of a lot of respect for each other coming out of this record."^[9] Digital Spy said the song contains a chorus "the size of Mars and a breathtakingly ballsy vocal from Donaghy."^[16] The Scotsman also praised Donaghy's vocal, saying the track shows her "swooping down the octaves",^[20] while Neu! Magazine said that, musically, the song is "like a hungover Kate Bush after a night out at a Muse gig."^[12]

"Halcyon Days" is inspired by the area in northern France where Donaghy and Sanger recorded the album, with Donaghy describing the area as a "a bit of a Twilight Zone in the French countryside". She said that she felt completely isolated there, with no TV or radio, and that during the summer she would "sit outside the converted barn that's converted into a studio and you just, you wouldn't wish to be anywhere else, and we wanted to capture that on a song."^[9] Numerous reviews noted similarities to the work of Massive Attack,^[13][12] specifically their song "Teardrop".^[17] The Scotsman said "Halcyon Days" and the title track end Ghosts on a "mystical and vaguely Oriental note".^[20]

Donaghy said the title track was the most difficult song on the album to make, noting she and Sanger "took forever" to create the backing track before any melody or lyric was composed. The backing track eventually developed to the point where they believed they any lyric or melody they composed "couldn't live up" to it. Donaghy wrote and sang three different sets of lyrics to the backing track, but said none of them worked. During the course of his experimentation, Sanger reversed Donaghy's vocals and processed them using effects such as reverb. When these vocals were played forwards, Donaghy said they provided "this complete new melody", and she sang new lyrics on top of the reversed lyrics. As a result, the song contains two complete set of lyrics: the song played forwards contains one lyric, and the song played backwards contains a different set. Donaghy described it as the most ethereal track on the album, saying it was an anthem as if made by Enya.^[9] Stylus Magazine said it was the best song on the album,^[18] while AllMusic called it the album's "standout" track, describing it as a "dreamlike four minutes of backwards studio trickery that is both haunting and mesmerizing in equal measure."^[13] NME said the song's "backwards vocals and eeriness ... sounds like the creepier bits of Kate Bush's 'Hounds of Love', as produced by Massive Attack."^[23]

The album was the subject of a manufacturing error just prior to its release, with Donaghy later confirming, "When Ghosts came out, it didn't go on a new release shelf in any shop because it got delivered and there'd been a mistake on the production line. I've never heard the music that was on the CDs, but it wasn't my album. When the stores were told about it, the album was lifted off the shelves and taken back. By the time it was ready, a lot of the stores didn't take it back because they were pissed off."^[8]

AllMusic called Ghosts an "accomplished and daring effort" that was more left-field than her debut. While comparing it to music released by other former girl-band members, they said the content of the album contained an "elegance and maturity far beyond her years". They went on to say that although she was not the first to "ditch her pop roots in favour of something a little edgier, Siobhan Donaghy has without question done it with the most conviction."^[13] The Scotsman said the record "embodies everything good about British girl bands of the past decade and edits out all the dross." They listed it as the release of the week, praising Donaghy's vocals and saying the album was "as perfect as pop music gets in 2007".^[20] The Times also praised Donaghy's vocals and lyricism,^[11] with Yahoo! Music complimenting the quality of the lyrics as well.^[19]

Digital Spy said that in the context of the current pop climate, Donaghy had carved out a "winning niche" and called the record a "singularly unlikely triumph". Their writer elaborated: "Nobody else in 2007 is making records this bold, this big-hearted and this defiantly different."^[16] BBC said Ghosts had a stronger sense of identity than its predecessor, calling it a "veritable work of art". They said that in comparison to her debut, Ghosts displays a "craftsmanship and an elegance to turn heads, win admirers and give Donaghy the spotlight she's long deserved." Their writer noted that Donaghy had quit the Sugababes prior to their commercial breakthrough, and that Revolution in Me had "underachieved massively. But now is the time for Siobhan Donaghy to shine, and if Ghosts can't help her do just that, we're all doomed."^[22] NME called the album a "not insignificant triumph", saying: "If 2003's quickly forgotten debut Revolution In Me took tentative steps towards remaking Donaghy as a future pop saviour, Ghosts delivers on that promise." They said that on the album, Donaghy "re-casts herself as the insouçiant, cut-glass-voiced heiress of eccentric English pop."^[23] In a brief review, Marie Claire said the album proved Donaghy was always the most talented member of the Sugababes.^[24]

Neu! Magazine rated the album 9/10, calling it a "masterclass in brave but accessible left-field pop" and saying it "might just be the best pop album you'll hear all year". Their writer summarised: "Though Ghosts is more likely to be a cult success than a chart smash, you get the impression Donaghy wouldn't mind either way. If she's making a record as accomplished and confident as Ghosts at just 22 years old, it's positively terrifying what she'll be conjuring up in five years time."^[12] In a more mixed review, MusicOMH said the record contains "songs you'd expect from a 22 year-old, full of emotional bruises, brush-offs and better days." However, they noted this lyrical content was in keeping with the Sugababes' 2000 single "Overload" and that song's "off-kilter originality." They said "on the whole this is a accomplished step into solo artist territory as an accessible album full of smart sounds and personality". They called the final three songs "something of a marvel".^[17] Although Stylus Magazine praised Donaghy's vocals and the songwriting, they said she would be better off "taking her eyes off the elusive specter of popular success and stepping away from the demands and 'advice' of a major label, especially one as hapless as EMI [sub-label Parlophone]".^[18]

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer

Credits adapted from the album liner notes.^[28]

• Siobhán Donaghy – vocals, Nord Electro and paraphonic keyboards
• James Sanger – backing vocals, guitar, aeolian harp, EMS VCS 3, Roland 303, Moog Taurus, omnichord, programming, string arrangements on "So You Say" and "There's a Place", production on all tracks except "Coming Up for Air", mixing on "There's a Place" and "Ghosts"
• Jason Boshoff – programming and additional engineering on "So You Say", engineering on "Coming Up for Air"
• Sacha Collisson – guitar on "Make It Right"
• Alan Crosthwaite – bass and guitar on "Ghosts"
• Marius de Vries – production and mixing on "Coming Up for Air", additional production on "So You Say"
• Darren Evans – sleeve design
• Rob Haggett – technicial assistant for Ash Howes
• Ash Howes – bass on "Don't Give It Up", mixing on all tracks except "There's a Place", "Coming Up for Air" and "Ghosts"
• Hiro Ishizaka – technicial assistant for James Sanger
• Paul Jones – technicial assistant for James Sanger
• Charles Lucy – keyboards on "Sometimes"
• Carl McIntosh – guitar on "There's a Place"
• Vladiswar Nadishana – bansuri and "Dzuddahord" (guitar/sitar) on "Halcyon Days"
• Ben Ranyard – guitar on "12 Bar Acid Blues"
• Floria Sigismondi – photography
• Lee Slater – assistant engineering on "Coming Up for Air"
• David Treahearn – technicial assistant for Ash Howes
• Sam Wheat – technicial assistant for James Sanger