Straight No Chaser (Mr Hudson album)

Straight No Chaser
Studio album by
Mr Hudson
Released19 October 2009
Recorded2008–2009
Genre
Length44:16
Label
Producer
Mr Hudson chronology
A Tale of Two Cities
(2007) 		Straight No Chaser
(2009) 		When the Machine Stops
(2019)
Singles from Straight No Chaser
  1. "There Will Be Tears"
    Released: 2008
  2. "Supernova"
    Released: 14 July 2009
  3. "White Lies"
    Released: 12 October 2009
  4. "Anyone But Him"
    Released: November 2010[1]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic63/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
BBCfavourable[4]
Digital Spy[5]
Drowned in Sound8/10[6]
NME[7]

Straight No Chaser is the second overall album by British pop musician Mr Hudson and his first as a solo artist. It is the follow-up to the last album released with his band Mr Hudson and the Library entitled A Tale of Two Cities. Straight No Chaser was released in the UK on 19 October 2009. It was released in the United States on 29 June 2010.

Background

Sessions first started at Gizzard Studios in Bow, East London, with the album being engineered by Ed Deegan, however the Library (Mr Hudson's backing band) were soon fired and tapes were shelved when Mr Hudson was then flown to the Bahamas to record a new album with Kanye West. In an interview, singer Ben Hudson was asked to describe the album: "My mission statement was to make a pop record, but not a throwaway pop record. My heroes are people like Bowie and Prince and Damon Albarn. I didn't want to do anything niche. Kanye threw down the gauntlet. He said, 'Let's see if we can make you a popstar'. I was like 'Let's have a go!'. It's a bit more widescreen, a bit more punchy, but the eclecticism of the first record's still there. There's a tune where I'm a cross between Deliverance and Sade".[8]

Singles

  • "There Will Be Tears" was the first single from Straight No Chaser, but failed to attract the attention of the media, something only "Supernova" achieved in chart success.
  • "Supernova" was the second single from Straight No Chaser. The single features American artist Kanye West, usually a rapper, as a singer on this track. It debuted at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, behind the number-one single "Beat Again" by JLS.[9]
  • "White Lies" was the third single from Straight No Chaser. The song was released on 12 October 2009 in the United Kingdom and reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart.[9]
  • "Anyone But Him" was the fourth single from Straight No Chaser.

Track listing

Straight No Chaser track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Supernova" (featuring Kanye West)
  • Dave McCracken
  • West (add.)
3:13
2."White Lies"
  • McIldowie
  • Kaywan Qazzaz
  • Sef Naqui
McCracken3:11
3."Knew We Were Trouble"
  • McIldowie
  • Carl Wilkinson
Mr Hudson3:15
4."Straight No Chaser"
3:23
5."Learning to Live"McIldowieMr Hudson, Andrew Savours4:18
6."Instant Messenger"McIldowieMr Hudson3:44
7."There Will Be Tears"McIldowieMr Hudson3:47
8."Stiff Upper Lip"
  • McIldowie
  • Martin Brammer
  • Steve Robson
2:52
9."Central Park"McIldowieMr Hudson2:53
10."Anyone But Him" (featuring Kanye West)
  • McIldowie
  • West
Mr Hudson3:10
11."Everything Is Broken" (featuring Kid Cudi)
  • The Bullitts
  • Mr Hudson (add.)
2:44
12."Lift Your Head" (available only in the UK)McIldowieMr Hudson3:08
13."Time"
  • McIldowie
  • Samuel
Mr Hudson3:58
Total length:44:16
iTunes edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Supernova" (Calvin Harris Remix)
Harris5:41
Total length:49:57

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Straight No Chaser
Chart (2009) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[10] 25

References

  1. ^ "Mr Hudson debuts video for 'Anyone But Him' with Kanye West". 29 November 2010. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023 – via Pressparty. The single is off of Hudson's second studio album Straight No Chaser which came out in June and is one of two songs featuring Kanye, the other being 'Supernova'.
  2. ^ "Straight No Chaser by Mr. Hudson Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 11 December 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Straight No Chaser – Mr. Hudson". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  4. ^ Hocknell, Tom. "Music – Review of Mr Hudson – Straight No Chaser". BBC. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  5. ^ Nissim, Mayer (14 October 2009). "Mr Hudson: 'Straight No Chaser'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  6. ^ Miller, Ed (20 October 2009). "Album Review: Mr Hudson – Straight No Chaser / Reviews". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  7. ^ Mackay, Emily (18 October 2009). "Album review: Mr Hudson – 'Straight No Chaser'". NME. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Mr Hudson". Digital Spy. 12 October 2009. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Mr Hudson | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 April 2023.