You is the third studio album by British singer-songwriter James Arthur. Released on 18 October 2019,[3] it spawned the singles "Naked", "Empty Space", "Falling Like the Stars", "Treehouse", "Finally Feel Good", "You", and "Quite Miss Home". Arthur embarked on the You – Up Close and Personal tour in North America from 13 September 2019 to 23 September 2019[citation needed] and was on the UK You – Up Close and Personal tour until 29 October 2019.[4] The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart.
| You | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 October 2019 | |||
| Studio |
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| Length | 62:33 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
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| James Arthur chronology | ||||
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| Singles from You | ||||
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Background
Arthur told 1883 Magazine in June 2019 that the album was "pretty much finished" and that it was undergoing mixing and mastering.[5] He described it as "diverse, conceptual, [and] soulful" as well as "inspired by the stories of others" and "definitely not introspective" as compared to his previous album, 2016's Back from the Edge.[5]
Critical reception
Writing for the Star Tribune, Mark Kennedy gave an overall negative review, calling Arthur "buried in sadness [on You]", adding "[t]o borrow a song title from him, if you can get through this album, you can get through anything".[6] Lisa-Marie Ferla of The Arts Desk gave it a mixed review: she awarded it 3 out of 5 stars but said "[p]rune away at least four soporific ballads, though, and you'll find a decent pop-soul album".[7]Phoebe Luckhurst from The Evening Standard gave a positive review, stating "He demonstrates his range on soulful 'Marine Parade', and the R'n'B-inflected 'If We Can Get Through This We Can Get Through Anything'. He's in intelligent power-ballad form in 'Car's Outside' and 'Quite Miss Home'".[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You" (featuring Travis Barker) |
| Red Triangle | 3:52 |
| 2. | "Finally Feel Good" |
| 3:36 | |
| 3. | "Marine Parade (2013)" |
| 3:12 | |
| 4. | "If We Can Get Through This We Can Get Through Anything" | Eg White | 3:35 | |
| 5. | "Car's Outside" |
| 4:09 | |
| 6. | "Quite Miss Home" |
|
| 4:03 |
| 7. | "Treehouse" (with Ty Dolla Sign featuring Shotty Horroh) |
|
| 3:40 |
| 8. | "Sad Eyes" | King Henry | 4:10 | |
| 9. | "Unconditionally" (featuring Adam Lazzara) |
| 3:02 | |
| 10. | "Homicide Love" |
| Jonathan Quarmby | 3:57 |
| 11. | "Breathe" | Arthur | Quarmby | 3:20 |
| 12. | "Maybe" |
|
| 3:40 |
| 13. | "Fall" | Arthur |
| 3:43 |
| 14. | "Falling Like the Stars" |
|
| 3:32 |
| 15. | "Empty Space" |
|
| 3:33 |
| 16. | "Naked" | Carlsson | 3:53 | |
| 17. | "From Me to You I Hate Everybody" | Hartman | 3:36 | |
| Total length: | 62:33 | |||
Notes
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[9]
Vocals
- James Arthur – vocals, songwriting (all tracks)
- Johan Carlsson – backing vocals (16)
- Johanna Strömblad Jonasson – backing vocals (16)
- Max Martin – backing vocals (16)
- Charlie Puth – beatbox (16)
- Eg White – backing vocals (4)
Instrumentation
- James Arthur – guitar (4, 9, 13, 15)
- Tom Barnes – drums (3)
- Alexander Beitzke – bass, guitar (5), keyboards (5, 12)
- Dan Bingham – bass (15), drums, piano (5, 12)
- David Bukovinszky – cello (16)
- Mattias Bylund – strings (16)
- Johan Carlsson – guitar, electric guitar, piano, synths, tambourine, B3 organ (16)
- Jack Duxbury – electric guitar (4, 13)
- Verity Evanson – cello (13)
- Rob Harris – guitar (5, 12)
- Mattias Johansson – violin (16)
- Pete Kelleher – bass, guitar (3)
- Ben Kohn – keyboards (3)
- Jeremy Lertola – guitar (16)
- Nate Mercereau – bass, guitar, piano (2)
- Gemma Sharples – violin (13)
- Paul Turner – bass (12)
- Eg White – Rhodes piano, synth (4)
Production
- Alexander Beitzke – production (5, 12, 14), vocal production (5)
- busbee – production (6)
- Johan Carlsson – production, vocal production (16)
- Mark Crew – production (5, 9, 13, 15), vocal production (5)
- Ryan Daly – production (6)
- DaviDior – production (7)
- Digital Farm Animals – production (15)
- Carlos de la Garza – additional vocal recording (6)
- Jamie Hartman – production (17)
- King Henry – production (8)
- Nic Nac – production (7)
- Dan Priddy – production (5, 9, 13, 15), vocal production (5)
- Jonathan Quarmby – production (10, 11)
- Red Triangle – production (1)
- Ricky Reed – production (2)
- Bradley Spence – production (5, 12, 14), vocal production (5)
- TMS – production (3)
- Eg White – production (4)
Technical
- busbee – engineering (6)
- Greg Eliason – engineering, recording (8)
- Jamie Hartman – engineering, recording (17)
- Wes Maebe – engineering (10)
- Nate Mercereau – engineering (2)
- Red Triangle – engineering, recording (1)
- Ricky Reed – engineering, programming (2)
- Alexander Beitzke – engineering, mixing, recording (5, 12, 14)
- Billy Foster – assistant recording engineering (12)
- Jeremy Nichols – assistant recording engineering (8)
- Max Anstruther – assistant engineering (10)
- Marek Deml – assistant engineering (10), additional programming (11)
- Scott Desmarais – assistant engineering (15)
- Robin Florent – assistant engineering (15)
- Fabio Senna – assistant engineering (12)
- Jesse Brock – assistant mix engineer (2, 7, 8)
- Miles Comaskey – assistant mix engineer (6)
- Joel Davies – assistant mix engineer (1, 3)
- Charles Haydon Hicks – assistant mix engineer (1, 3)
- Tom Barnes – programming (3)
- Dan Priddy – programming (4, 9, 13)
- Ricky Reed – programming (2)
- Steve Fitzmaurice – additional programming (11), mixing (10, 11)
- Serge Courtois – mixing (17)
- Mark Crew – mixing, programming (4, 9, 13)
- Serban Ghenea – mixing (16)
- Dan Grech-Marguerat – mixing (1, 3)
- Manny Marroquin – mixing (15)
- Tony Maserati – mixing (6)
- Sean Moffitt – mixing (2, 7, 8)
- Emerson Mancini – mastering (15)
- Randy Merrill – mastering (1–14, 16, 17)
Design
- Adult Art Club – design
- Louis Browne – photography
Charts
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] | 23 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[11] | 31 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] | 87 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[13] | 57 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] | 60 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[15] | 130 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 35 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[17] | 7 |
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[18] | 39 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[19] | 33 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[20] | 40 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[21] | 12 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[22] | 4 |
| South Korean Albums (Gaon)[23] | 96 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[24] | 65 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] | 5 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[26] | 2 |
| US Billboard 200[27] | 186 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[28] | 3× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[29] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[30] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[31] | Platinum | 20,000* |
| Poland (ZPAV)[32] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
| Singapore (RIAS)[33] | Platinum | 10,000* |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[34] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[35] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||