11 Past the Hour

by Imelda May

Overview

Having transformed her sound with 2017's empowered Life. Love. Flesh. Blood, Ireland's Imelda May continues her bold artistic metamorphosis with her sixth studio album, 2021's 11 Past the Hour. At turns dusky and ebullient, 11 Past the Hour builds nicely upon May's past work as she continues to move away from the twangy retro-rockabilly of her early years and fully embrace the anthemic, yet still organic pop/rock she showcased on Life. Love. Flesh. Blood. Co-produced by Tim Bran (James Morrison, London Grammar), the album finds May joined by an elite cadre of special guests, all of whom add their distinctive pop charisma to the proceedings. Early in her career, May's vintage-inspired Chuck Berry-esque rock caught the ear of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, who then brought her on tour with him in 2019. Here, Wood continues the goodwill, applying his crunchy electric guitar riffs to several tracks, including "Just One Kiss," a very Stonesy duet with another special guest, Oasis' Noel Gallagher. Wood also plays on "Made to Love" a soulful pop anthem featuring backing vocals by noted women's rights activists Gina Martin and Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu. That May, who has worked on charities dealing with homelessness and domestic abuse, chooses to spotlight two nonprofessional singers with strong activist voices speaks to the deeper messages at play in her work here. Equally uplifting is "Don't Let Me Stand on My Own," a folky and soulful Celtic duet with singer Niall McNamee that brings to mind Rod Stewart's '70s work with the Faces. May also brings along Last Shadow Puppets' Miles Kane for the wicked, Berlin-esque post-punk anthem "What We Did in the Dark." Thankfully, none of the guest choices seem overly calculated and primarily feel like natural additions to the album. Furthermore, while the duets are a highlight, May's solo work also shines here as she delves into the Johnnie Ray-meets-Portishead-sounding title track and proves her diva mettle on the rousing piano ballad "Diamonds." With 11 Past the Hour, May has crafted a generous, collaborative album that feels like she's lifting others up, just as they are lifting her. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	04/16/2021
Label:	Decca
UPC:	0602508986468

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Imelda May   Primary Artist,Bodhran,Percussion,Piano (Thumb),Vocals (Background),Lead,Piano,Vocals
Noel Gallagher   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Niall McNamee   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Acoustic)
Miles Kane   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Ron Wood   Primary Artist,Guitar,Featured Artist
Gina Martin   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Cam Blackwood   Keyboards,Synthesizer,Guitar,Guitar (Bass)
Davide Rossi   Guitar (Bass),Violin (Electric),Strings,Keyboards
Charlie Jones   Guitar (Bass)
Leo Abrahams   Guitar
Cameron Blackwood   Guitar,Keyboards
Matthew Racher   Drums,Percussion
Sam Lewis   Guitar
Oliver Darling   Guitar
Alex Thomas   Drums,Percussion
Charlotte Hatherley   Guitar,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Electric)
Tim Bran   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Keyboards,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Electric)
Tom Visser   Piano
Hannah Roddy   Vocals (Background)
Andrew Innes   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Cam Blackwood   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Imelda May   Composer,Lyricist,Producer,Creative Director
Guy Davie   Mastering Engineer
Cameron Blackwood   Programming
Matthew Racher   Drum Programming
Tom Hough   Engineer
Eddie Otchere-Dhagren   Photography
Luke Losey   Photography
Sacha Skarbeck   Composer
Joe Rubel   Composer
Daniel Moyler   Mixing,Engineer
Drew Smith   Engineer
Sebastian Sternberg   Composer
Jenn Decilveo   Composer
Max Hayes   Engineer
Tim Bran   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Sacha Skarbek   Composer
Al Lawson   Engineer
Pedro Vito   Composer
Tom Visser   Engineer,Programming
Tim Visser   Engineer
Niall McNamee   Composer
Ami Jade Cadillac   Creative Director
Tim Varlow   Artwork
Torsten Dettlaff   Engineer
Davide Rossi   Composer,Producer