Loved Me Back to Life

by Celine Dion

Overview

Loved Me Back to Life is Celine Dion's first English-language album in seven years, but even that long gap of time doesn't tell the whole story. The last time Dion placed in the Billboard Top 40 was in 2002, when "A New Day Has Come" reached 22, and the last time she saw the Top 10 was in 1999, when "That's the Way It Is" reached number six. That's a roundabout way of saying that Dion's days as a formidable hitmaker are long gone, but the interesting thing about Loved Me Back to Life is how the French-Canadian diva has seized this opportunity to try a little bit everything, ranging from duets with neo-R&B stalwart Ne-Yo to covers of Janis Ian's "At Seventeen." Some of this piecemeal feel is due to the album's convoluted creation, growing from a simple studio re-creation of her on-going Vegas revue Celine, but then expanding to something a little more modern and something with a subtle but palpable R&B undercurrent. This soulful streak surfaces on the duets -- the aforementioned Ne-Yo collaboration "Incredible," plus Stevie Wonder sings his "Overjoyed" on a Tricky Stewart production -- but also in the stuttering rhythms of "Somebody Loves Somebody," the slow-burning "Didn't Know Love," and the lively, new jack swing of "Save Your Soul" (strangely, the two Babyface productions -- "At Seventeen" and "Always Be Your Girl" -- are thoroughly colorless adult contemporary). Still, that suggests Loved Me Back to Life is a livelier, riskier album than it actually is; despite these deeper grooves and sparkling surfaces, there's no question this is a Celine Dion album, a record that flirts with new ideas but never hooks up. Yet, that flirtation counts for something: it means the album is livelier, less self-conscious, less beholden to the expected, and quick-footed enough to not seem mired in show biz glitz. That doesn't mean Loved Me Back to Life will reverse her Billboard chart trajectory -- there's nothing here that screams big hit -- but it's something better: the work of a diva who is comfortable in her own skin. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/05/2013
Label:	Columbia / Sony Music
UPC:	0886971371529
Rank:	78146

Tracks

1. Loved Me Back to Life
2. Somebody Loves Somebody
3. Incredible
4. Water and a Flame
5. Breakaway
6. Save Your Soul
7. Didn't Know Love
8. Thank You
9. Overjoyed
10. Thankful
11. At Seventeen
12. Always Be Your Girl
13. Unfinished Songs

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Celine Dion   Primary Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Antonio Dixon   Percussion
Andrew Goldstein   Guitar,Keyboards
Marije Johnston   Violin
Simone Van Der Giessen   Viola
Kotono Sato   Violin
Malcolm Kelley   Featured Artist
Danny Mercer   Guitar,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Johan Fransson   String Conductor,Piano
Tobias Lundgren   Vocals (Background)
Helen Cox   Violin
Magnus Johnston   Violin
Audra Mae   Vocals (Background)
Michael Thompson   Guitar
Ulf Janson   String Conductor
Emanuel Kiriakou   Guitar,Keyboards
Doug Petty   Organ,Piano
The Nashville String Machine   Orchestra
Walter Afanasieff   Piano
Michael Ripoll   Guitar (Acoustic)
Rowena Calvert   Cello
Andreas "Toya" Johansson   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Daniel Lykkeklev   Bass (Electric)
Jessie Anne Richardson   Cello
Eg White   Bass,Drums,Piano,Guitar,Percussion
Stevie Wonder   Vocals,Featured Artist
Rebecca Low   Viola
Annabelle Meare   Violin
Henrik Janson   String Conductor
Kenneth Edmonds   Bass
Hannah Dawson   Violin
Jeanette Olsson   Vocals (Background)
Ne-Yo   Vocals,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
Janice Graham   Violin
Harvey de Souza   Violin
Richard Harwood   Cello
Jonathan Evans-Jones   Violin
Timothy Grant   Viola
Beatrix Lovejoy   Violin
Stockholm Session Strings   Orchestra

Technical Credits

Antonio Dixon   Programming,Instrumentation
Vlado Meller   Mastering
Hasham Hussain   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Vocal Producer
Andrew Wuepper   Engineer
Nik Karpen   Assistant Engineer
Jason Sherwood   Assistant Engineer
Chris Galland   Mixing Assistant
Josh Gudwin   Engineer
Shaffer Smith   Composer,Producer
John Doelp   Executive Producer
Tim Larsson   Composer,Programming
Andrew Schubert   Assistant Engineer
Andrew Goldstein   Composer,Engineer,Programming,Additional Production
Michelle Gayhart   Copyist
Rob Katz   Assistant Engineer
Brad Townsend   Assistant Engineer
Moses Gallart   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Adrian Bradford   Programming,Engineer
Nick Spezia   Assistant Engineer
Alex Kovacs   Music Preparation
Alix Malka   Photography
Jens Koerkemeier   Editing,Engineer,Digital Editing
Denarius "Motesart" Motes   Composer,Producer,Programming,Instrumentation
Jesse Wilson   Arranger,Producer,Instrumentation
Kyle Townsend   Vocal Producer
Jasper Lemaster   Assistant Engineer
Trehy Harris   Mixing Assistant
Ryan Kaul   Mixing Assistant
Delbert Bowers   Mixing Assistant
Mark Everton Gray   Assistant Engineer
Ray Holzknecht   Assistant Engineer
Daniel Murcia   Composer
Danny Mercer   Producer,Programming
Johan Fransson   String Arrangements,Composer,Programming
Dernst Emile II   Producer
Tobias Lundgren   Composer,Programming
Francois Lalonde   Engineer,Vocal Engineer
Maria P. Marulanda   Design,Art Direction
Audra Mae   Composer
Chris "Tek" O'Ryan   Engineer
Brian "B-Luv" Thomas   Engineer
Ulf Janson   String Arrangements
Eg White   String Arrangements,Composer,Engineer,Producer,String Engineer
Pat Thrall   Editing,Engineer,Digital Editing
Emanuel Kiriakou   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Assistant Engineer
Wayne Haun   Orchestration
Janis Ian   Composer
John Hanes   Mixing
Jeremy Hunter   Engineer
Jessi Alexander   Composer
Niko Bolas   Vocal Engineer
Walter Afanasieff   Arranger,Producer,Instrumentation
Keith Armstrong   Assistant Engineer
Jessica Manis   Assistant Engineer
Josh Drucker   Assistant Engineer
Reginald "Regg" Smith   Arranger,Producer,Instrumentation
Bernad Loehr   Technician
Matt Mrok   Tracking
Bad Eagle   Producer
Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Paul Boutin   Engineer
Andrew Hollander   Composer
Kevin Globerman   Engineer
Carl Gorodetzky   Orchestra Contractor
Mick Guzauski   Mixing
Tommy Lee James   Composer
Daniel Merriweather   Composer
Diane Warren   Composer
Armin Steiner   Orchestration Recording
Stevie Wonder   Duet,Composer
Manny Marroquin   Mixing
Jaycen Joshua   Mixing
Henrik Janson   String Arrangements
William Ross   Orchestration
Kuk Harrell   Vocal Producer
Kenneth Edmonds   Arranger,Producer,Programming,Instrumentation
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart   Producer
Sia   Composer
Chris Lord-Alge   Mixing
Luis Navarro   Assistant Engineer
Ne-Yo   Duet
Aaron Pearce   Producer,Orchestration
Dana Parish   Composer
Christine Sirois   Assistant Orchestra Engineer
Dmitar Krnjaic   Assistant Engineer
Curtis "Sauce" Wilson   Vocal Producer
Phil Seaford   Mixing Assistant