Sing to the Moon is the debut studio album by English singer Laura Mvula. It was released on 1 March 2013 by RCA Victor. The album includes the singles "She" and "Green Garden". The album debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart. It was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize.

On 11 August 2014, Mvula released an orchestral version of the entire album 'Sing to the Moon' which she recorded at Abbey Road Studios accompanied by the Metropole Orkest.

Inspiration

In 2013, during an interview with Blues and Soul magazine, Mvula revealed that the inspiration behind her song "Sing to the Moon" came from a biography of the American jazz singer Adelaide Hall titled Underneath a Harlem Moon: The Harlem to Paris Years of Adelaide Hall written by Iain Cameron Williams.Underneath a Harlem Moon review in the Guardian (retrieved February 26, 2022)Underneath a Harlem Moon Worldcat.

History

Singles Several of the album's singles were released before the album came out in March 2013. "She" was released as the lead single from the album on 29 October 2012. It was released both as a standalone single and as part of the She EP which contained three other songs ("Like the Morning Dew", "Can't Live with the World" and "Jump Right Out"). "She" was re-released on 16 August 2013 as an EP containing a new "2013 Edit" of the song and five other remixes.

"Green Garden" was released as the second single from the album on 22 February 2013. The song peaked at number thirty-one on the UK Singles Chart. It has also charted in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands. "That's Alright" was released as the third single in March 2013.

Release Sing to the Moon was released on 1 March 2013 by RCA Victor. The album debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 18,954 copies. The individual song "Sing to the Moon" was sampled by rapper XXXTentacion and used in his song "Vice City".

National Album Day 2019 Sing to the Moon was chosen by critic Lyle Bignon to represent Sounds of the Midlands for National Album Day, 2019, accompanied by an exhibition staged at various Railway stations across the UK.National Album Day partners with Network Rail to launch Album Exhibition in Stations around the UK (retrieved Feb. 25, 2022):https://www.grapevinebirmingham.com/national-album-day-partners-with-network-rail-to-launch-album-exhibition-in-stations-around-the-uk/

Reception Critical

The album met with a largely positive reception, receiving a perfect score from The Independent, and 3.5/5 from Rolling Stone. AllMusic stated the album is "rooted in decades-old forms of gospel, jazz, R&B, and, most deeply, orchestral pop. Almost all of the material is as serious and as refined as it is majestic, with vocal showcases and hushed-belted-hushed-belted dynamics galore."

Commercial The album debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 18,954 copies.

In the United States, the album first entered the R&B Albums chart at No. 19 for chart dated May 4, 2013, and it reached No. 8 on the chart a month later. It also peaked at No. 173 on the Billboard 200. The album has sold 32,000 copies in the US as of April 2016.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Sing to the Moon Chart (2013) Peakposition Irish Albums (IRMA) 15

Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for Sing to the Moon Chart (2013) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) 176

Release history RegionDateFormat(s)LabelIreland1 March 2013CD, digital downloadRCA VictorUnited Kingdom4 March 2013DenmarkSony MusicAustralia15 March 2013Germany5 April 2013United States16 April 2013Digital downloadColumbia Records14 May 2013CDFrance3 June 2013CD, digital downloadSony MusicJapan5 June 2013

Orchestral version

In March 2014, Mvula re-recorded an orchestral version of her debut album Sing to the Moon in collaboration with all 52 members of the Metropole Orchestra. Conducted by Jules Buckley, the orchestral version of Sing to the Moon was recorded over two days and saw its release on 23 June 2014 as a high quality download via Bowers & Wilkins' Society of Sound. The album was released to the public on 11 August 2014.

Track listing

Snarky Puppy version

"Sing to the Moon" was reworked and recorded with Snarky Puppy for the album Family Dinner - Volume 2 released February 12, 2016.

References