Stages is the sixth studio album by English singer Melanie C, released on 7 September 2012 by Red Girl Records and Universal UK. A cover album, it features a collection of song covers from various musical theatre shows and films, which consequently makes it Chisholm's first studio album where she holds no writing credits whatsoever to any of the tracks. The album was supported by one single, a cover of "I Know Him So Well", featuring fellow English singer and Spice Girls member Emma Bunton.
Background
On 25 June 2012 it was announced on her official website that Chisholm was in the process of putting the finishing touches on her upcoming album, to be called Stages. The record was to be produced by her longtime collaborator Peter-John Vettese,[1] and features a collection of songs from the theatre that have been important to Chisholm at various stages of her life.[2]
On 6 July 2012, after a succession of mysterious tweets between Chisholm and her former Spice Girls group mate Emma Bunton, it was revealed that the two had recorded a song together for Chisholm's upcoming album. The song "I Know Him So Well" from the musical Chess, was to be a duet featuring the two.[3]
The original artwork for the album featured Chisholm sitting in a black leather chair.[4] Alongside the album's track list, it was unveiled on 21 July 2012.[5] It was later reported that this art would serve only for digital versions of the album and a photograph of Chisholm walking down stairs would serve as the image for physical releases.[6] However, the latter image ended up being used for both physical and digital releases.[7]
Promotion
To increase the sales of the album, Chisholm held an album signing sessions on HMV. In September 2012 and October 2012, she visited six HMV stores to sign the copies of her album Stages.[8] Chisholm also performed the album track "I Don't Know How to Love Him" on This Morning, QVC, Superstar and The Late Late Show.[9] Chisholm also performed at "Beats at the Beach" in Abu Dhabi on 1 November 2012 as part of Yasalam 2012.[10]
Singles
"I Don't Know How to Love Him", a song taken from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, was released on 22 July 2012 as a digital download on iTunes, serving as a special preview[11] for the album. The song peaked at number twenty[12] in the Official UK Indie Chart.
The Daily Express rated the album three out of five stars. The daily newspaper wrote: "Melanie C has become a bit of a West End Wendy [..] which makes this album of covers of mainly show tunes more than appropriate [...] It’s a great selection but perhaps the most enjoyable moment is when Emma Bunton joins her on a cover of the Elaine Paige/Barbara Dickson classic "I Know Him So Well"."[16]
Chart performance
Stages debuted and peaked at number 50 on the UK Albums Chart,[17] giving Chisholm her sixth consecutive entry in the Official Albums Chart Top 100. The album also reached the top ten on the Official UK Indie Album Chart, at number seven.[18]
