Breathless (Shayne Ward album)

Breathless is the second studio album by English singer Shayne Ward. It was released through Syco Music in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2007.[1] The album is mostly written by Rami Yacoub, Arnthor Birgisson and Savan Kotecha. The album was commercially successful, debuting at number two on the UK Albums Chart. It sold 95,801 units within a week of release, although ultimately less successful than its predecessor, Ward's self-titled album.

Breathless
Studio album by Shayne Ward
Released	26 November 2007 (standard) 4 November 2008 (deluxe)
Recorded	2006–07
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	43:38
Label	Sony BMG, Syco
Producer	Rami Yacoub, Arnthor Birgisson, Jonas Jeberg, Cutfather, AJ Junior, Paul Meehan, Justin Trugman, Ryan Tedder
Shayne Ward chronology
Shayne Ward (2006) Breathless (2007) Obsession (2010)
Singles from Breathless
"If That's OK with You" Released: 19 August 2007 "No U Hang Up" Released: 19 August 2007 "Breathless" Released: 19 November 2007

Two singles were released from the album, one of which was a Double A-side. On 31 October 2007, an official Breathless DVD, which included exclusive interviews and five music videos, was released via Woolworths stores in the UK. The album has earned a platinum certification in the United Kingdom and went five times platinum in Ireland.

Background

Ward worked on the album for nearly a year and a half, longer than he had spent on his previous solo album and The X Factor put together. Ward described the album as a more "funky, sexy and different step from him."[2] Producers Rami Yacoub, Arnthor Birgisson, and Ryan Tedder also worked on the album.[3] The first single from the album, "If That's OK with You" / "No U Hang Up", was released to radio on 7 September 2007. The video for "If That's OK With You" were premiered on 18 August 2007. On 14 September, the single was released physically, and the video for "No U Hang Up" was released via Channel 4 and Ward's official YouTube page. The single reached number two in the Britain and number eleven in Ireland.

The second and final single from the album was "Breathless", which was released on 19 November 2007. Television promotion included appearances on the fourth series of The X Factor on 10 November 2007 and The Paul O'Grady Show on 19 November 2007. The single entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 2 on 25 November 2007. During the release of "Breathless", it was announced that Ward was planning a six-month-long British tour to support the album. The tour started in Glasgow, Scotland on 12 May 2008 and eventually ended in Ireland on 29 December 2008, following extra dates being added. The tour visited cities such as London, Sheffield, Aberdeen and Manchester.

Reception

Commercial performance

On 2 December 2007, the album reached number one in the Irish Albums Chart, knocking Leona Lewis's Spirit off the top.[4] It debuted at number two in the UK Albums Chart selling 95,801 in its first week, being held off by Lewis[4][5] To date it has sold over 450,000 copies in the UK.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[7]
Digital Spy	[8]
The Times	[9]
Virgin Media	[10]
Yahoo! Music UK	[11]

The album has received mixed reviews from music critics. Times Online gave the album three out of five stars[9] stating "With chart battles involving producers rather than artists, poor Ward finds himself fighting it out with the big budget likes of Justin Timberlake in the sweet voice stakes."[9] The website also commented that the album was largely ballad-free, and the gleeful If That's OK With You borrows deftly from Rihanna's "Pon De Replay". "Damaged" and a cover of the SOS Band's "Just Be Good to Me" eschew bland international R&B for the pop reggae that Ace of Base once sold by the million. Better still is "Stand by Your Side" and the soul stomper "Tangled Up", both reminiscent of George Michael's finest, could signpost his future."[9] The BBC gave the album a mixed-to positive review, calling it "an album that sums up the predicament of the reality pop star. Having taken the fast track to the big time, Shayne has no style of his own and is open to the whims of his production team."[12]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"No U Hang Up"	Rami Yacoub, Arnthor Birgisson, Savan Kotecha	Rami, Arnthor	4:22
2.	"Breathless"	Yacoub, Birgisson, Kotecha	Rami, Arnthor	3:47
3.	"If That's OK with You"	Birgisson, Kotecha, Max Martin	Arnthor	3:36
4.	"Damaged"	Yacoub, Birgisson, Kotecha	Rami, Arnthor	4:03
5.	"Stand by Your Side"	Remee, John Reid, Joe Belmaati, Mich Hansen	Jonas Jeberg, Cutfather	3:39
6.	"Until You"	Yacoub, Birgisson, Kotecha	Rami, Arnthor	4:08
7.	"Some Tears Never Dry"	Yacoub, Birgisson, Kotecha	Rami, Arnthor	3:49
8.	"Melt the Snow"	Yacoub, Birgisson, Kotecha	Rami, Arnthor	3:47
9.	"Tangled Up"	Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken	Rami, Arnthor, AJ Junior	3:53
10.	"Just Be Good to Me"	James Harris III, Terry Lewis	Brian Rawling, Paul Meehan	3:45
11.	"U Got Me So"	Yacoub, Birgisson, Kotecha	Rami, Arnthor	3:38
12.	"You Make Me Wish"	Yacoub, Birgisson, Kotecha	Rami, Arnthor	3:56
13.	"Tell Him"	Ryan Tedder, Justin Trugman, Kotecha, Ashraf Jannusi	Justin Trugman, Ryan Tedder	3:59

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks[13]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"If That's OK With You" (Moto Blanco Remix)	Birgisson, Kotecha, Max Martin	Arnthor	9:19
15.	"Breathless" (The Snowflakers Remix)	Yacoub, Birgisson, Kotecha	Rami, Arnthor	3:46
16.	"Gonna Be Alright"	Ryan Tedder	Ryan Tedder	4:23

Deluxe Edition Bonus DVD[13]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"If That's OK With You" (Music Video)	3:36
2.	"No U Hang Up" (Music Video)	4:21
3.	"Breathless" (Music Video)	3:47
4.	"No Promises" (Music Video)	3:44

Breathless: The DVD[14]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Interview"	20:00
2.	"That's My Goal" (Video)	3:41
3.	"No Promises" (Video)	3:44
4.	"Stand by Me" (Video)	4:21
5.	"If That's OK with You" (Video)	3:36
6.	"No U Hang Up" (Video)	4:21

Charts and certifications

Charts Chart (2007–2008) Peak position Danish Albums Chart[15] 39 European Top 100 Albums 12 Irish Albums Chart[16] 1 Scottish Albums Chart[17] 3 UK Albums Chart[17] 2

Certifications Country Provider Certification Sales Ireland IRMA 5xPlatinum 80,000+

Release history

Region	Date	Edition
United Kingdom[18]	26 November 2007	Standard Edition
Japan[19]	2 February 2008	Standard Edition
Asia[20]	4 November 2008	Special Edition

See also

• The Breathless Tour 2008

References

1. "Breathless Arriving at the end of 2007". play. 9 September 2007. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2007.
2. Shayne Ward: Still leaving them Breathless Archived 31 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine video interview, November 2007
3. "Release date and producer confirmed". Hmv.co.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
4. "Shane Ward – Breathless". aCharts.us. Retrieved 18 November 2007.
5. "EG 2008: SHAYNE WARD". Evening Post. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
6. "Music – News – Ward: 'My new album is unbelievable'". Digital Spy. 11 September 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
7. Mawer, Sharon. "Breathless - Shayne Ward". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
8. "Shayne Ward: 'Breathless'". 28 November 2007.
9. Jelbert, Stevee (24 November 2007). "Times Online reviews Breathless". The Times. London: Times Online UK. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
10. "Virgin TV Edit - TV, Sport, Movies & More".
11. "Celebrity - Yahoo News UK". uk.launch.yahoo.com.
12. Long, Chris (24 November 2007). "BBC Talks about Breathless". The Times. Times Online UK. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
13. "Images for Shayne Ward – Breathless". discogs. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
14. "Images for Shayne Ward – Breathless". discogs. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
15. "danishcharts.dk – Shayne Ward – Breathless". IFPI. Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
16. "Chart Track". Irish Albums Chart. GfK. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
17. "Archive Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
18. "Shayne Ward: Breathless (2007): CD". hmv.com. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
19. "Amazon.co.jp： ブレスレス: シェイン・ワード: 音楽". Amazon.com. 20 February 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
20. "Amazon.co.jp： Breathless (Bonus Dvd): Shayne Ward: 音楽". Amazon.com. 4 November 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2010.