Brief Encounters | ||||
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Studio album by Amanda Lear | ||||
Released | 16 October 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2008–2009 | |||
Genre | Pop, jazz, dance | |||
Length | 90:33 (Original edition) | |||
Language | English, French | |||
Label | Just Good Music for Your Ears, Universo Music Group, PMG Music | |||
Producer | Nerio Poggi, Enrico Petrelli, Carl M Cox, Nathan Thomas, Peter Wilson, Chris Richards | |||
Amanda Lear chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Rockol | (favorable) |
Stile | (mixed) |
Brief Encounters is a studio album by French singer Amanda Lear, released in 2009 by independent label Just Good Music for Your Ears.
Amanda Lear met the singer and producer Enrico Petrelli in Paris in 2008, and started working on the album in the autumn of 2008, with recording sessions taking place in Rome and Paris. Together with PMG (Prolific Media Group) producers Carl M Cox and Nathan Thomas, she recorded a song called "Doin' Fine", previously recorded by Australian singer-producer Peter Wilson. Wilson and his songwriting partner Chris Richards have contributed four songs to the album, however, only two would make the cut, while the other two were included in Lear's next musical project. PMG continued to work with Amanda in 2009 producing two remixes of the ballad "Someone Else's Eyes".
Lear announced that new album was in the works in late 2008 on French and Italian TV. The album was then previewed at the annual Midem music conference in France on 18–20 January. Originally scheduled for April 2009 release, then the summer, it was eventually released on 16 October 2009 in Italy. A two-CD set, Brief Encounters consists of downtempo pop songs and ballads on disc 1 ('For the Heart'), and uptempo dance tracks and remixes on disc 2 ('For the Feet'). The album included a number of cover versions of tracks like Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black", Lenny Kravitz's "I Belong to You" and Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" alongside new songs, written mainly by Enrico Petrelli and Amanda Lear.
The official track list posted in early 2009 on the album's site originally included two songs written by Peter Wilson and Chris Richards ("Brand New Love Affair", "C'est la vie") as well as "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" and "It's a Good Day" on disc 2, which were all replaced with remixes of "For What I Am", "Someone Else's Eyes" and "This Is Not America". The acoustic version of "Cupidon" on disc 1 was replaced with the "Someone Else's Eyes" video.
"Someone Else's Eyes", the duet with Enrico "Deadstar" Petrelli, was chosen as the album's lead and only single at that time, although promo video for "Doin' Fine" was also produced, and in 2012, "Back to Black" was released as a 3-track digital single. Brief Encounters was soon followed by the release of a dance music-oriented EP Brand New Love Affair.