Indigo: Women of Song is the nineteenth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John. It was first released by Festival Mushroom Records on 17 October 2004 in Australia. An album of cover versions of songs previously recorded by female singers, it was entirely produced by Phil Ramone. Indigo: Women of Song peaked at number 15 on the Australian Albums Chart and was eventually certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[1] In the United States, the album was issued under the title Portraits – A Tribute to Great Women of Song, featuring different artwork.[2] The album was eventually released in Japan, 2006 under the Universal Music label.
| Indigo: Women of Song | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 October 2004 | |||
| Recorded | November 2003 – March 2004 | |||
| Studio | Indigo Ranch Studios (Malibu, California); Shire Studios (Bedford, New York); Right Track Recording (New York City, New York); Henson Recording Studios (Hollywood, California) | |||
| Genre | Vocal | |||
| Length | 43:01 | |||
| Label | Festival Mushroom | |||
| Producer | Phil Ramone | |||
| Olivia Newton-John chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
AllMusic editor Jon O'Brien rated the album two and a half stars out of five, writing that "Newton-John's light and airy vocals are the perfect foil for the swooning lounge-pop" of the Burt Bacharach/David, Stephen Sondheim and Astrud Gilberto renditions on Indigo, but "her clean-cut sweetly sung tones lack the emotion to pull off" the rest of the material".[2]
Track listing
All tracks produced by Phil Ramone.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "How Insensitive" | 4:19 | |
| 2. | "Love Me or Leave Me" | 3:26 | |
| 3. | "Cry Me a River" | Arthur Hamilton | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Anyone Who Had a Heart" | 3:17 | |
| 5. | "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" | Pete Seeger | 4:25 |
| 6. | "How Glad I Am" |
| 2:54 |
| 7. | "Lovin' You" |
| 3:59 |
| 8. | "Rainy Days and Mondays" | 3:50 | |
| 9. | "Send in the Clowns" | Stephen Sondheim | 3:41 |
| 10. | "Summertime" | 4:31 | |
| 11. | "Alfie" |
| 4:04 |
Personnel
Performers and musicians
- Elena Barere – concertmaster (2, 4, 5, 6, 10)
- Jill Dell'Abate – orchestral contractor (New York)
- Bruce Dukov – concertmaster (1, 3, 11)
- Lisa Fischer – backing vocals (4, 7)
- Julliann French – orchestral contractor (Los Angeles)
- Scott Kreitzer – tenor saxophone (1, 4, 10)
- Rob Mathes – acoustic piano (11)
- Hendrik Meurkens – harmonica (3, 8)
- Rob Mounsey – orchestral conductor (2, 4, 5, 6, 10)
- Olivia Newton-John – lead vocals
- Brian O'Connor – French horn (11)
- Dean Parks – guitar (1, 3–8, 10)
- Shawn Pelton – drums (1–8, 10)
- Philippe Saisse – keyboards (7, 9)
- Vaneese Thomas – backing vocals (4, 7)
- Randy Waldman – keyboards, programming, arrangements, orchestral conductor (1, 3, 11)
Technical
- Jon Berkowitz – assistant engineer
- Kevin Bosley – assistant engineer
- Jill Dell'Abate – production manager
- Andrew Felluss – assistant engineer
- Ted Jensen – mastering (at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
- Chuck Johnson – assistant engineer
- Richard Kaplan – assistant engineer
- Brian Montgomery – assistant engineer
- Joel Moss – mixing (at Shire Studios), recording
- Phil Ramone – producer
- Chad Allen Smith – design and photograph
- Jay Spears – assistant engineer
- Ed Thacker – recording
- Mark Valentine – recording
Charts
| Chart (2004–2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[3] | 15 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[4] | 27 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[5] | 31 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[1] | Gold | 35,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 9 November 2004 | Green Gill | [2] |