Face the Fire
Studio album by
Michelle Chamuel
ReleasedFebruary 10, 2015
Recorded2014
GenrePop
Length36:09
LabelThe End, Marquis(Canada)[1]
ProducerMichelle Chamuel, Tyler Duncan, Theo Katzman
Michelle Chamuel chronology
The Drift EP
(2014)		 Face the Fire
(2015)		 Feel It EP
(2016)
Singles from Face the Fire
  1. "Face the Fire"
    Released: October 7, 2014
  2. "Lottery"
    Released: December 1, 2014
  3. "Golden"
    Released: January 9, 2015

Face the Fire is the debut studio album by singer-songwriter Michelle Chamuel. The album was released on February 10, 2015.[2] All songs were written and produced by Chamuel and collaborators Tyler Duncan and Theo Katzman.[3][4] This was Chamuel's first pop album following her performances on The Voice.[5] The songs are based on the two themes of "universal love" and "authenticity".[6] The album debuted at number 21 on the U.S. Independent Albums chart.[7]

Background

Chamuel said as a teenager she was obsessed with Max Martin's pop hits on Top 40 radio, and in this album she wanted to produce fun, honest, well-crafted pop music. In February 2014 she got together with former bandmates Duncan and Katzman, and over a three weeks period they wrote the songs from musical nuggets they each had written in advance.[8] The songs were then recorded, mixed and produced by the three artists along with engineer Devin Kerr, with Chamuel as the executive and vocal producer.[9] The album's fourth track "Made for Me" was originally written for Valentine's Day 2014. The song was later revised and reproduced for the album.[10][11]

Chamuel said "facing the fire" is a metaphor for doing what you believe in, having the strength to be yourself, and facing the challenges and rewards that come with it.[8] She said the metaphor also applies to her role in the production of this album as she took full responsibility for its production and sound.[9]

Singles

The album's first single and title track, "Face the Fire", was released on October 7, 2014.[12] The song is about the consuming desire to accomplish, one that can be either destructive or a positive guide.[13] The album's second single, "Lottery", premiered on Billboard on December 1, 2014. The song is about taking a chance on love knowing the uncertainty involved.[4] "Golden", the album's third track premiered on Chamuel's official YouTube channel on January 9, 2015.[14][15] In an interview with She Magazine, Chamuel singled out "Golden" as the song that she always wanted to write.[16]

Release and promotion

The album was released through Brooklyn-based The End Records.[17] Chamuel showcased the album's music during her Turn It Up tour in late 2014.[3][18] The seventeen city U.S. tour included Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta and Washington D.C.[12] In interviews leading to the album's release Chamuel described her songwriting process, as well as her learning process on The Voice. She said the show taught her to remove the barriers between her as a performer and the audience[8] and acknowledged Usher's contribution in making her see the entirety of a performance.[6] She called the pop focus in this album a continuation of that.[19] She said her goal is to make music "that people can resonate with" and "feel at home", and in an interview with Michigan Radio she added she wants the listener "to process their own stories through the lyrics."[8][20] On March 4, 2015, Chamuel performed "Face the Fire" on CTV's Canada AM morning show.[21] On March 17, she performed "Golden" on VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live show.[22]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[23]

David Jeffries of AllMusic had a positive view. He noted the music has "a pop edge that's post-mashup, post-Internet, and maybe even post-genre" and called the album "a thoughtful gift" for Chamuel's Voice fans, and added her producer persona remains tamed in the background. Jeffries called the singing "powerful" and the songwriting "sincere".[23] In an article for Digital Trends, Mike Mettler characterized the music as a "fusing [of] dancestyle pop with elements of rock, jazz, electronic, soul, and punk." He noted a melodic house influence in "Weight of the World" and a reggae influence in "Money".[9] In describing the musical style, New University's Sana Aljilani wrote the album "draws inspiration from music [of] the late 1990s and early 2000s, yet Chamuel manages to put a modern twist on the album."[24]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Face the Fire"3:17
2."The Fall"3:36
3."Golden"3:38
4."Made for Me"3:41
5."Lottery"3:38
6."Weight of the World"3:54
7."Rock It"3:06
8."Wake Up"4:22
9."Money"3:17
10."Give You"3:40

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic and Bandcamp.[25]

  • Michelle Chamuel – primary artist, composer, producer, engineer, executive producer, vocals, background vocals, vocal producer, additional keyboards/programming, design
  • Tyler Duncan – composer, producer, head engineer, sound design, keyboards, programming, background vocals/guitar/percussion, mixing
  • Theo Katzman – composer, producer, engineer, drums, guitar, bass, percussion, background vocals
  • Devin Kerr – mastering, mixing
  • Andrew C. Taylor – photography
  • Robert Lux – graphic design
  • Tom Stoepker – additional composition (track 9)
  • Tomek Miernowski – additional composition (track 9)
  • Background vocals – Mike Shea, Julian Allen, Joe Dart, Jack Stratton, Woody Goss

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[7] 21

Release history

Country Date Label Format Ref.
United States February 10, 2015 The End Records
[26]
Canada [27]
United Kingdom [28]
Germany [29]
Worldwide Digital download [30][31][32]

References

  1. ↑ "Michelle Chamuel Set To Release Hotly Anticipated Solo Debut Face The Fire On February 10th". fritzmedia.ca. January 14, 2015. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Face the Fire – Michelle Chamuel album". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Michelle Chamuel faces the fire with new album". CBS News. November 14, 2014. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Exclusive Premiere: Michelle Chamuel Battles the Odds in 'Lottery'". Billboard Magazine. December 1, 2014. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Michelle Chamuel Hits Milestone on 'Face the Fire' (Exclusive Album Premiere)". The Wall Street Journal - Speakeasy. February 3, 2015. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "'Voice' Runner-Up Michelle Chamuel Talks Reality TV Arcs and Usher's Best Lessons". Billboard Magazine. February 2, 2015. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Independent Albums Chart - February 28, 2015". Billboard Magazine. February 24, 2015. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Face The Fire: Michelle Chamuel On Her Career, New Album And Upcoming Tour!". iconvsicon.com. October 12, 2014. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 Mike Mettler (February 10, 2015). "After facing judges on The Voice, Michelle Chamuel faces the fire in the studio". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Made For Me (crunchy v day version)". bandcamp.com. February 14, 2014. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Michelle Chamuel - Facebook - February 10, 2014". facebook.com. February 10, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "The Voice's Michelle Chamuel returns with 'Face the Fire'". Entertainment Weekly. October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Daily Discovery: Michelle Chamuel, 'Face The Fire'". American Songwriter. November 13, 2014. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Michelle Chamuel – Golden (official audio)". YouTube Channel mchamuelmusic. January 9, 2015. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  15. ↑ "'The Voice' Michelle Chamuel Releases New Song 'Golden' From Upcoming Album 2015". celebeat.com. January 9, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  16. ↑ Denise Warner (February 2015). "Michelle Chmauel Getting Ready to Wow Us". She Magazine. 17 (1): 16–17. Archived from the original on September 20, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Michelle Chamuel Announces Debut LP 'Face The Fire' Coming February 2015!". The End Records. September 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Concert review: Michelle Chamuel debuts new music at Pearl Street". masslive.com. November 16, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Michelle Chamuel at Howard Theatre Nov. 17". ontaponline.com. October 31, 2015. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Michelle Chamuel fuses pop influences with intimate lyrics on new album". Michigan Radio. February 10, 2015. Archived from the original on July 31, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  21. ↑ "IMDb: Canada AM - 4 March 2015". imdb.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Golden (Big Morning Buzz Live)". VH1.com. March 17, 2015. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  23. 1 2 David Jeffries. "Allmusic: Face The Fire - Review". Allmusic.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  24. ↑ Sana Aljilani (February 16, 2015). "Reality TV Alum Capable of Creating 'Fire'". newuniversity.org. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  25. ↑ Credits:
  26. ↑ "Face The Fire (Vinyl, CD, download)". Amazon.com (US). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Face The Fire (Vinyl)". Amazon.com (Canada). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Face The Fire (Vinyl)". Amazon.com (UK). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Face The Fire (Vinyl)". Amazon.com (DE). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Face The Fire (digital download)". iTunes Store (Hong Kong). Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Face The Fire (digital download)". iTunes Store (Brazil). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Face The Fire (digital download)". iTunes Store (Russia). Retrieved February 19, 2015.
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