Where We Land

Infobox Album |
Name = Where We Land
Type = studio
Artist = Damien Leith


Released = 18 August 2007 (Australia)
28 September. 2007 (Ireland)
Recorded = Sony BMG Music Studios, Sydney, 2007
Genre = Pop rock, alternative rock, acoustic rock
Length = 45:11
Label = Sony BMG Australia
Producer = James Roche
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wifrxzyhld6e link]
Last album = "The Winner's Journey"
(2006)
This album = "Where We Land"
(2007)
Next album = ""
(2008)
Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Type = studio


Lower caption = Christmas edition CD cover Singles
Name = Where We Land
Type = studio
single 1 = 22 Steps
single 1 date = 21 July 2007
single 2 = All I Want Is You
single 2 date = non-commercial release
single 3 = Not Just For The Weekend
single 3 date = non-commercial release

"Where We Land" is the first studio album by Australian Idol 2006 winner Damien Leith. It was released by Sony BMG in Australia on 18 August 2007, and in Ireland on 28 September 2007. Leith produced the album for seven months and created the album entirely with acoustic songs. He wrote or co-wrote nine of the twelve songs, collaborating with Alex Lloyd and his music director Paul Gray (Wa Wa Nee) in a few songs. All of his original songs were inspired by his friends and family. Leith included two cover songs in the album, Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird" from the album "Rumours" and the traditional Irish song "Danny Boy". "Where We Land" received mostly average reviews from critics. It debuted in the Australian Albums Chart at number-one and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The album spawned the singles "22 Steps", "All I Want Is You" and "Not Just For The Weekend". Leith embarked on a national tour across Australia to promote the album in November 2007.

Background

Damien Leith stated how his debut studio album wanted to pan out: "I didn't really want to do anybody else's songs... I just wanted this album to be mine".Moran, Jonathon. " [http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22177159-5001021,00.html Why Damien Leith's flying high] ", "The Daily Telegraph", 5 August 2007. Retrieved on 9 September 2007.] Immediately after "Australian Idol" concluded, he convinced the producers of the show to break from protocol by giving him longer time to record the album.Mathewson, Catriona. " [http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22249255-5003421,00.html One hell of a journey] ", "Courier Mail", 16 August 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] The protocol was that the "Australian Idol" winners had only one week after the competition ended to record their first album. He decided to work on his first studio album for the next few months. Leith was aware of the little success of the previous two "Idol" winners, Casey Donovan and Kate DeAraugo, so he decided to turn something more palpable than the previous winners by producing an album of original songs. He comments, "I suppose the main thing for me was trying to establish myself as a songwriter out of it because that's something that hasn't really been promoted in the past." He was determined to create as much original material as possible for the album, and create songs that truly represent who he was." [http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=409993 Damien Leith releases album of originals] ", "The West Australian", 17 August 2007. Retrieved on 9 September 2007.] He also wanted the themes in the lyrics to not only be personal, but broad enough so that listeners can relate to them.

Production and recording

Leith remarked that recording the album was an exciting but nerve-racking experience.Sams, Christine. " [http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/edgy-start-to-songs-in-the-attic/2007/08/12/1186857326981.html Edgy start to songs in the attic] ", "Sydney Morning Herald", 13 August 2007. Retrieved on 9 September 2007.] He recorded his music at Sony BMG's recording studio in East Sydney. [Sams, Christine. " [http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/the-damien-sessions/2007/06/24/1182623722239.html Damien Leith's recording sessions] ", "The Sun-Herald", 25 June 2007. Retrieved on 21 September 2007.] His producers already had in mind what kind of album they want to produce for Leith. He, however wanted his album to be totally acoustic. [Delaney, Colin. " [http://www.tntdownunder.com/article/2441469719.html Interview with Damien Leith] ", Travel Down Under, 20 August 2007. Retrieved on 21 September 2007.] Knowing that he was well known by the Australian public as the new "Australian Idol", he knew that it was risky to produce an acoustic based album because it was very different from the records produced by the previous "Idol" contestants, as many of their records predominantly featured up-beat pop songs. He noted that the music he was making could make the album harder to sell commercially.

As a result, he and his producers spent the time to work on the songs which would appeal to a broader audience. Leith did this by holding onto several elements in his music that people had enjoyed on "Australian Idol".Adams, Cameron. " [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22132538-2902,00.html?from=public_rss Q & A with Damien Leith] ", "Herald Sun", 26 July 2007. Retrieved on 15 September 2007.] However, he still wanted to show new elements to the album, so he held on some elements of acoustic music. Leith comments,

"We didn't want to be too acoustic, or too rocky. I've been conscious of the people who bought "The Winner's Journey", but also conscious about grabbing a new audience as well... I think this album's got all those kind of "Winner's Journey" elements – the falsetto and the emotional thing. But it's got a lot of me in it too."

Damien Leith was also conscious of the lyrics we wrote. He added a few emotional ballads which contained strong lyrics, but had left out the songs he thought were too depressing.

Leith spent seven months of recording and writing and worked with Bryon Jones, James Roche and Ross Fraser. Initially, he wanted the album to he released in March, but it was pushed back to August, partly due to the prolonged success of "The Winner's Journey" and partly because of the large amount of songs they had to cull.

Writing and inspiration

The songs he wrote were inspired by his family and friends. A few of the songs explored the themes of love and fulfillment. "Not Just for the Weekend" was a song he wrote after the birth of his second son, Jagger. The song "Beautiful" is a love song written to his wife Eileen. Other songs in the album explored much darker themes. "Blew It All Away" is a heartfelt song about the suicide of a friend, which happened shortly after another friend died from cancer. Another song, "Alone" was inspired from a friend who was struggling after his father's death. "Shine Like the Sun" is about a friend in Ireland who was experiencing a rough relationship.

Leith wrote or co-wrote a total of nine tracks out of the twelve in the album. Incidentally, the first single and the opening track "22 Steps" was a song he did not write; it was written by Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Stochansky. Another non-original track Leith recorded was a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird" from their album "Rumours". This song holds special meaning for Leith, as his sister sang this song during his and Eileen's wedding.Moran, Jonathon. " [http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22221945-5009160,00.html No new Leith on life] ", "The Sunday Telegraph", 12 August 2007. Retrieved on 15 September 2007.] Leith collaborated with Australian writers in a few songs, including Alex Lloyd who co-wrote with Leith the songs "Beautiful" and "Blew It All Away". [McCabe, Kathy. " [http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,22293662-5007184,00.html Damien Leith's beautiful partnership] ", "The Daily Telegraph", 23 August 2007. Retrieved on 15 September 2007.] They also wrote four other songs which they did not include in the album because they were too alternative. His musical director Paul Gray of Wa Wa Nee co-wrote the track "Alone". He left out his debut single "Night of My Life", originally written for his win on "Idol", because he could not relate to the lyrics in his everyday life, only within the context of the show. Sony BMG added a raw bonus track, the traditional Irish song "Danny Boy" which Leith did a one-take recording of for a fan. Initially, Leith was hesitant to include it in the album because it was so raw.

Damien Leith chose to name the album "Where We Land" as it described all the things that happened to him in the past year individually and professionally, and also illustrated his journey to Australia in various ways. [ [http://www.damienleith.com.au/biography/home.do Damien Leith Biography] . Sony BMG. Retrieved on 21 September 2007.]

Album and single releases

"Where We Land" was officially released on 18 August 2007 in Australia. Beforehand, the first single of the album, "22 Steps" was released to Australian radio on 22 June 2007, [ [http://www.damienleith.com.au/newsEvents/home.do?newsId=20030829004650 Tune In This Friday For The Radio Debut Of Damien's New Single '22 Steps'] . Sony BMG. 19 June 2007. Retrieved on 21 September 2007.] with a physical release on 21 July. [ [http://www.damienleith.com.au/releases/home.do?catalogueNo=88697086362&bc=1 Releases: 22 Steps] . Sony BMG. Retrieved on 21 September 2007.] Another track also included in "Where We Land" was "I Still Miss Us", which was a bonus track with the release of "22 Steps" only available in the Australian iTunes Store. [ [http://www.damienleith.com.au/newsEvents/home.do?newsId=20030829004748 Get Damien Leith's '22 Steps' Single In Stores This Saturday!] . Sony BMG. 18 July 2007. Retrieved on 21 September 2007.] The music video for "22 Steps" premiered on "rage" on 22 June. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/rage/archive/s1976166.htm playlist - Friday, 22 June 2007] . "rage". Retrieved on 20 November 2007.] The second single, "All I Want Is You", was released as a non-commercial single; its music video debuted on "rage" on 19 October. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/rage/archive/s2064193.htm playlist - Friday, 19 October 2007] . "rage". Retrieved on 20 November 2007.]

"Where We Land" was later released in Ireland on 28 September 2007. [" [http://www.rte.ie/tv/latelate/20070921.html The Late Late Show] ", Radio Telefís Éireann, 21 September 2007. Retrieved on 8 December 2007.] On 17 November 2007, a limited special Christmas edition of "Where We Land" was released in Australia which included a second disc with five bonus tracks, including an original track "This Christmas". [" [http://www.damienleith.com.au/newsEvents/home.do 'Where We Land' Special Edition For Christmas Out This Saturday!] ", Sony BMG, 16 November 2007. Retrieved on 20 November 2007.]

Chart performance

In the week beginning on 27 August 2007, "Where We Land" debuted on the ARIA Albums Chart at number one." [http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,22313991-5000660,00.html "Idol's" Damien Leith debuts at No.1] ", AAP, 27 August 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] The album was certified gold status in its first week of release and sold 12,760 copies [http://www.undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=2982 "Damien Leith, Another Idle Idol"] . "Undercover". Retrieved 9 October 2007.] , 4,939 than the second highest selling album of the week, which was "The Dutchess" by Fergie." [http://www.damienleith.com.au/newsEvents/home.do?newsId=20030829004912 Damien's 'Where We Land' Australia's #1 Album!!] ", Sony BMG, 27 August 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] This feat follows his previous live album "The Winner's Journey" which was at number-one earlier in the year in January. [ [http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?key=47783&cat=a Damien Leith - The Winner's Journey] . australian-charts.com. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] He is also the first "Australian Idol" winner to achieve two consecutive number-one albums. The album dropped to number-two in its second week on the charts, replaced by Paul Potts' "One Chance". In its third week, "Where We Land" it was certified platinum status [" [http://www.take40.com/action/newsdetail?articleId=13267 Damien Leith's Album Goes Platinum!] ", Take 40, 13 September 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] and moved down to number-four. It dropped outside the top ten in the following week on the Australian charts. [ [http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?key=66835&cat=a Damien Leith - Where We Land] . australian-charts.com. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.]

"Where We Land" debuted on the Irish Albums Chart at number 43 on the week after its release in Ireland, remaining in the Top 75 for a second week, before falling off the chart the week after.

Critical reception

Responses from critics have given mostly average reviews of the album. Polly Coufos from "The Sunday Times" considers Damien Leith as "the most complete artist "Australian Idol" has yet uncovered". Coufos rated the album 3.5 stars, and comments that "Leith uses that heavenly falsetto as often as possible without making himself appear a one-trick pony". Coufos, however says that the two cover songs, "Songbird" and "Danny Boy" are an "unnecessary hedging of bets". [Coufos, Polly. " [http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22308184-5005381,00.html Reviews of the week] ", "The Sunday Times", 25 August 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] Andrew Murfett from "The Age" notices the album's different arrangement from the previous "Idol" debuts and considers it to be better than those, but says that the album still contains too many ballad songs. Murfett remarks "Songbird" as a good choice for a cover song. [Murfett, Andrew. " [http://www.theage.com.au/news/cd-reviews/where-we-land/2007/08/23/1187462427656.html Where We Land] ", "The Age", 23 August 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] Lauren Katulka from 'Oz Music Scene' compliments Leith's songwriting and composing, and says that "Where We Land" "is a great indication of the potential of Australia's revamped "Idol" franchise". [Katulka, Lauren. " [http://www.ozmusicscene.com/where-we-land-damien-leith/ Where We Land - Damien Leith] ", Oz Music Scene, 10 September 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] Lucy Tyler from the Sydney Anglican Network says that though the album is well-produced; it is unbalanced and bland, and "its lack of variety means that it gives listeners little to think about". Tyler notes that "Where We Land" focuses on the melancholic aspects of life and remarks that "Leith appears to have forgotten that life can sometimes be happy, too". [Tyler, Lucy. " [http://your.sydneyanglicans.net/culture/listening/where_we_land_damien_leith/ Where We Land - Damien Leith] ", Sydney Anglican Network, 10 September 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.]

Promotion

Damien Leith made several appearances in the week after "Where We Land" was released. On 19 August 2007, Leith performed songs from the album at the Warringah Mall Center Stage in Brookvale, [ [http://www.damienleith.com.au/newsEvents/home.do?newsId=20030829004831 See Damien Performing Live At Warringah Mall Next Sunday!] . Sony BMG. 2 August 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] and on 23 August, he performed songs at the Robina Town Centre in Robina, Queensland. [ [http://www.damienleith.com.au/newsEvents/home.do?newsId=20030829004893 Attention Queenslanders! Damien To Play In-Store This Thursday!] . Sony BMG. 22 August 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] He made a guest appearance on 26 August on "Rove" [ [http://www.rovedaily.com.au/the-show-guest-damian-leith.htm THE SHOW: Guest - Damien Leith] . Rove Daily. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] and performed live on 30 August on "Australian Idol". [ [http://www.australianidol.com.au/news-damien-leith-performance-semi-finals.html The Journey Continues] . "Australian Idol". 26 August 2007. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] He again made a special guest appearance on "Australian Idol" on 7 October, singing "All I Want Is You"." [http://www.australianidol.com.au/news-damien-returns-to-idol.html Damien Leith returns to Idol – again!] ", "Australian Idol", 4 October 2007. Retrieved on 27 October 2007.]

Leith is currently embarking on a national "Where We Land" tour across Australia from 1 November to 24, 2007, touring in various venues located specifically in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne, the Central Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong and Hobart. He is performing the tracks from the album as well as several of his classic performances from "Australian Idol". [ [http://ten.com.au/ten/8342.html Where We Land - Tour Announced] . Network Ten. Retrieved on 22 September 2007.] It was announced on 28 September that the tour was extended to include the other major cities of Australia; Adelaide and Perth. [http://www.damienleith.com.au/newsEvents/home.do?newsId=20030829005023 Damien To Include Perth + Adelaide In His Tour!] . Sony BMG. Retrieved on 28 September 2007.]

Track listing

# "22 Steps" (Andy Stochansky, Ian LeFeuvre) – 3:35
# "All I Want Is You" (Damien Leith) – 3:16
# "Beautiful" (Leith, Alex Wasiliev) ; 3:43
# "Shine Like the Sun" (Leith) – 4:10
# "I Still Miss Us" (Leith, Bryon Jones) – 4:17
# "The Long Way Back" (Leith) – 3:30
# "Not Just for the Weekend" (Leith) – 3:48
# "Songbird" (cover version) (Christine McVie) – 4:17
# "Blew It All Away" (Leith, Wasiliev) – 3:21
# "Alone" (Leith, Paul Gray) – 3:51
# "Cold Cold Heart" (Leith) – 3:52
# "Danny Boy" (Bonus Track) (cover version) (Frederick Weatherly) – 3:31

;Christmas edition bonus tracks

# "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (Buck Ram, Kim Gannon, Walter Kent) – 3:13
# "The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells) – 3:21
# "This Christmas" (Damien Leith, Eileen Stapleton) – 3:35
# "O Holy Night" (Adolphe Adam) – 2:44
# "Silent Night" (Josef Mohr) – 2:09

Personnel

* Damien Leith - vocals, guitar, arranger
* Matt Cornell - bass
* Dave Leslie - guitar
* James Roche - bass, piano, strings, keyboards, programmer, producer, mixer
* Irwin Thomas - guitar
* David Champion - manager
* Daniel Clinch - engineer
* James Patrick Cooper - art director, designer, photographer, illustrator
* Ross Fraser - A&R
* Amy Kelly - art director, designer, illustrator
* Christopher Morris - photographer
* Martin Pullan - mastering engineer

References