The Letter (Lemar album)

The Letter is the sixth studio album by English soul/R&B singer Lemar. The album was released on 9 October 2015, and contains the singles "The Letter" and "Love Turned Hate". It reached number 31 on the UK Album Chart, an improvement on his two previous albums which fell short of the Top 40.

Background

The Letter was recorded at the legendary EastWest Studios in Los Angeles, where Frank Sinatra recorded "My Way" and Marvin Gaye made "Let’s Get It On". The album is a combination of reinterpreted soul classics and original tracks.

Lemar stated The Letter is a record he has long wanted to make. It is primarily a soul record with a deliberate vintage sound, recorded live, showcasing Lemar's distinctive vocals. Lemar has reinterpreted tracks by a who’s who of classic soul singers, including Al Green, Sam Cooke and Van Morrison, while purposely avoiding the obvious track choices. Discussing the covers Lemar said: "For me, the artists who have made this type of album – interpreting other people’s work – and done it convincingly have taken a no-holds-barred approach. Basically, if I was going to do this, I had to do it properly. My versions had to be raw and gritty. They had to expose the essence of the songs."

Legendary producer Larry Klein, who has worked with the likes of Tracy Chapman, Norah Jones and Joni Mitchell produced the album. Klein is not the only collaborator, with The Waters, who previously worked with Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and more recently Adele, taking up backing vocalist duties on the album. Lemar remarked: "The calibre of musicians and the vibe in the studio made it magical. So many great artists have recorded there. It's hard to write a happy song when you're down. Being in those rooms, knowing who had been before me, was inspirational."

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Higher Love"	3:20
2.	"The Letter"	3:29
3.	"Love Song"	4:18
4.	"Gimme Some Lovin'"	4:08
5.	"Bring It On Home to Me"	3:50
6.	"Love Turned Hate"	3:13
7.	"Tainted Love"	2:54
8.	"Love and Happiness"	4:56
9.	"Crazy Love"	3:19
10.	"Someday We'll Be Together"	4:15
11.	"Never Be Another You"	3:38
12.	"River" (hidden track)	4:04

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)^[1]	31

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
United Kingdom	October 9, 2015^[2]	Digital download, CD	BMG

References

↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
↑ "The Letter Lemar". www.amozon.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-10-03.

Lemar

Discography

Albums	Dedicated (2003) Time to Grow (2004) The Truth About Love (2006) The Reason (2008) Invincible (2012)

Compilation albums	The Hits (2010)

Singles	"Got Me Saying Ooh" "Dance (With U)" "50/50 & Lullaby" "Another Day" "If There's Any Justice" "Time to Grow" "Don't Give It Up" "It's Not That Easy" "Someone Should Tell You" "Tick Tock" "If She Knew" "Weight of the World" "The Way Love Goes" "Coming Home" "Invincible" "The First Time"

Featured singles	"Saturday Night Hustle"

Related articles	Fame Academy

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