Charlotte Church

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Charlotte Church

Charlotte Church "Back To Scratch" album

- Release date : October 2010 -

Back to Scratch is the sixth studio album from Welsh classical crossover artist and singer songwriter Charlotte Church. The album was released on October 25, 2010, five years after the release of Church's last studio album Tissues and Issues. Produced by Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbeck, the album is a world away from the classical crossover sound of her early work. The album has been described by Church as having a "new different sound but also one that goes with my voice"; Church has also described the album as more mature and as having a more "quirky" vibe than her last album.

The album was preceded by the lead single and title track "Back to Scratch" on September 19, 2010 which was originally written about a relative but which Church has recently described as being more relevant to her own split from former boyfriend Gavin Henson. The album will be her first release on independent label Dooby Records after signing a $3m investment deal with all her previous albums being released on longtime label Sony BMG. The song "Ruby" is a cover of Camille Dalmais' song of the same name, written by Euston Jones, taken from her debut album Le Sac des Filles.

The album entered the official UK Top 75 album chart at Number 23 on 31 October 2010. The following week it dropped 42 places to Number 65.

"Back To Scratch" album tracks and lyrics

"Back To Scratch" album reviews

Charlotte Church’s first album in five years is also her first album since her separation from rugby star Gavin Henson, so it’s not entirely a surprise that Back to Scratch showcases a more mature singer in several different respects. Thematically, the album surely and repeatedly touches upon loves gone wrong -- there are wistful looks back to when “We Were Young,” she looks upon things “Unravelling,” and recounts “The Story of Us” -- and the tenor of the music is suitably reserved yet dramatic, structured to give the illusion that Church can still hit glory notes like she used to. Illusion is the key to Back to Scratch: it is just somber enough to suggest that it cuts deeper than it does. All its melancholy shimmers on the surface, and it’s easy enough to tune out the sorrow and let Back to Scratch simmer as pleasant background music.

*** by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide ***

With song titles like "Unravelling" and "The Story Of Us", it's tempting to read this as Church's divorce album, although a millionaire since her teens singing about "our couch we spent months trying to buy" counsels against seeking autobiography.

To the dismay of anyone who preferred her vomiting in a gutter, this is a mature album, its domestic dramas sharing a Carole King-like, jazz-folk-pop backing with Charl variously sombre and surreal: "I took the form of a spoon, and scooped out a piece of the moon..."

*** by Simon Price, The Independent ***