Call Off the Search

by Katie Melua

Overview

English listeners went mad for Katie Melua with the release of her debut album in late 2003. Issued domestically in June 2004, Call Off the Search posits the lovely Melua pristinely in between pop, adult contemporary, and traditional American musical forms, with savvy marketing handling the finishing touches. (Think Norah Jones.) It's a comfortable, lightly melodic affair that drinks red wine safely in the middle of the road. Raised in Soviet Georgia and the United Kingdom, Melua has a beguiling accent that colors the ends of her phrases, adding character to her velvety, if occasionally only satisfactory singing voice. She has a nice time with the understated R&B sashay of John Mayall's "Crawling Up a Hill," as well as Mike Batt's "My Aphrodisiac Is You," which is spiced up with barrelhouse piano, muted trumpet, and sly references to opium and the Kama Sutra. The singer's own "Belfast (Penguins and Cats)" opens nicely with a few measures of solo acoustic guitar before it's joined by the orchestral maneuvers that sweep through the majority of Call Off the Search's after-dark cabaret. (Melua also penned a dedication to Eva Cassidy, who she's been compared to vocally.) While the instrumentation is never overbearing, a stoic version of Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" and a couple of late-album pop vocal entries do dawdle a bit in the soft-focus halo that hovers over Search's more easygoing stretches. These selections are perfectly capable, yet pretty obvious, as if the decision was made to sprinkle Melua's debut equally with safety and variety, in case a particular style didn't stick. Still, despite a few detours down easy street, Call Off the Search is a promising debut, and comfortable like the first drink of the evening. ~ Johnny Loftus

Product Details

Release Date:	11/17/2023
Label:	Bmg Rights Management
UPC:	4050538954180
Rank:	63350

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Katie Melua   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Chris Spedding   Guest Artist,Guitar
Mark Edwards   Keyboards
Joe Yoshida   Drums
Zurab Melua   Guitar
Mike Darcy   Violin
The Irish Film Orchestra   Ensemble,Orchestra
Henry Spinetti   Drums
Michael Kruk   Drums
Dominic Glover   Trumpet
Jim Cregan   Guitar
Tim Harries   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Mike Batt   Organ,Piano,Conductor

Technical Credits

Steve Sale   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Mike Batt   Audio Production,Producer,Arranger,Composer
Peter DeRose   Composer
James Shelton   Composer
Delores Silver   Composer
Maxwell Anderson   Lyricist
Michael Halsband   Cover Photo
Steve Digman   Composer
Justin Sandercoe   Composer
Simon Fowler   Photography
The Irish Film Orchestra   Musician,Orchestration
Katie Melua   Composer
James Alan Shelton   Composer
Delores Vicki Silvers   Composer
John Mayall   Composer
Randy Newman   Composer
Mitchell Parish   Composer
Alan Smale   Leader
Kurt Weill   Composer