Electric Light (album) explained

Electric Light is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter James Bay. The album was released on 18 May 2018 through Republic Records.^[1]

Background

On 7 March 2018, Bay announced that his second album was called Electric Light and would be released on 18 May 2018. In a press release, he said: "If I had to describe my first album visually it would probably be a flame – while this new album is about a real sonic and artistic evolution for me. The feeling of a 100 watt bulb expanding and brightening is what I envisioned. Electric Light came to my mind and I knew it was perfect."^[2]

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 71 based on 13 ratings, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[3] Jordan Bassett of NME stated "'Electric Light' is all over the place. There are hip-hop style spoken-word skits on the record and, actually, it sometimes sounds more like a lush, exploratory mixtape than a coherent album." He rated the album 3/5.^[4] Q magazine was quoted as saying the album contains "an admirable desire for transformation."^[3] Stereogum wrote "It’s a genuinely thrilling piece of work, one that converted me into a James Bay fan on impact."^[5]

Track listing

Notes

• signifies a co-producer
• signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Musicians

• Ashley Jones – spoken word (tracks 1, 7)
• Nick Selting – spoken word (tracks 1, 7)
• James Bay – lead vocals, background (tracks 2–6, 8–14); electric guitar (2–6, 8–13), drums (2–4, 6, 13), clapping (2, 5), acoustic guitar (5, 8, 9), piano (6), baritone guitar (9), percussion (10)
• Jon Green – background vocals (tracks 2–6, 8–14), bass guitar (2–6, 8, 9, 11–13), electric guitar (2, 4, 5, 8, 9), clapping (2, 5), keyboards (2–6, 8–13), drums (3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11–13), piano (5, 6, 14), percussion (6, 8, 9, 12), drum programming (6), baritone guitar (9); acoustic guitar, sound effects (12)
• Paul Epworth – drum programming (tracks 2, 6, 10), synthesizer programming (2), keyboards (4, 12); percussion, programming (4); additional vocals, drums, finger clicking (10); synthesizer (13)
• Eddie Serafica – programming (tracks 3, 11), drum programming (3)
• Gerry Morgan – drums (tracks 5, 8)
• Davide Rossi – string arrangement, strings (tracks 5, 10, 12)
• Capital Children's Choir – vocals (track 6)
• Harry Edwards – programming (tracks 10, 13); bass guitar, synth bass (10); drum programming (12)
• David Ryan Harris – spoken word (track 14)

Technical

• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Tom Elmhirst – mixing (tracks 2–6, 8–13)
• Matt Wiggins – mixing (track 14), engineering (2–6, 8–10, 12–14)
• Bryan Schlam – engineering (tracks 1, 7)
• Eddie Serafica – engineering (tracks 2–3, 5, 6, 9, 11–14)
• Paul Epworth – engineering (track 4)
• Jon Green – engineering (track 8)
• Brandon Bost – mixing assistance (tracks 2–6, 8–14)
• Luke Pickering – engineering assistance (tracks 2–6, 8–10, 12–14)
• Riley MacIntyre – engineering assistance (tracks 2–6, 8–10, 12–14)

Visuals

• James Bay – art direction
• Joe Spix – design
• Sarah Piantadosi – photography

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Italian Albums (FIMI)[6]	75
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7]	21
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[8]	81

Notes and References

1. Web site: Electric Light by James Bay. iTunes Store (US). 18 May 2018 .
2. Web site: James Bay announces new album, single, and UK and world tour dates. Daly. Rhian. 7 March 2018. NME. 3 June 2018.
3. Web site: James Bay – 'Electric Light' album review. Metacritic. 23 May 2018.
4. Web site: James Bay – 'Electric Light' album review. NME. 18 May 2018 .
5. Web site: Comparing Shawn Mendes And James Bay. Stereogum. 24 May 2018 .
6. Web site: Album – Classifica settimanale WK 21 (dal 2018-05-18 al 2018-05-24). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Italian. 26 May 2018.
7. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 28 May 2018. 25 May 2018.
8. Web site: Top 100 Albumes – Semana 21: del 18.5.2018 al 24.5.2018. Productores de Música de España. Spanish. 31 May 2018.