The Sound of White

For the title track, see The Sound of White (song).

The Sound of White
Studio album by
Missy Higgins
Released6 September 2004
Recorded2004
Length49:46
Label
ProducerJohn Porter
Missy Higgins chronology
The Missy Higgins EP
(2003) 		The Sound of White
(2004) 		All for Believing
(2005)
Singles from The Sound of White
  1. "Scar"
    Released: 2 August 2004
  2. "Ten Days"
    Released: 15 November 2004
  3. "The Special Two"
    Released: 4 April 2005
  4. "The Sound of White"
    Released: 15 August 2005

The Sound of White is the debut studio album by Australian pop singer-songwriter Missy Higgins, released 6 September 2004 by Eleven. It won the 2005 ARIA Music Award for Best Female Artist. Higgins had secured recording contracts with Eleven and Warner Bros. while still in high school, after winning a competition for unsigned artists run by radio station Triple J. Her winning song, "All For Believing", is included on this album. After a backpacking trip in 2002, Higgins toured and wrote songs during 2003. She wrote most tracks alone and collaborated on three songs, with Kevin Griffin, Jay Clifford and Clif Magness respectively. The Sound of White was recorded in 2004 with producer John Porter.

Higgins' first single from the album was "Scar", released in August ahead of the album. Three more singles were released, "Ten Days" in November, "The Special Two" in April 2005 and "The Sound of White" in August. Critics gave the album mixed reviews and it achieved commercial success, reaching number one on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Albums Chart and was accredited platinum twelve times. The album was nominated for five ARIA Awards in 2004 and won 'Best Pop Release'. The following year it was nominated for eight ARIA awards and won five. In 2005, Higgins won the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) 'Song of the Year' award for "Scar".

Background and recording

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In 2001, while still at high school, Higgins wrote the song "All for Believing" as part of a music assignment.[1] The song won Unearthed, a competition for unsigned artists run by radio station Triple J and was added to their playlist.[2] She was offered recording contracts by Sony and Eleven.[3] She signed with Eleven before setting off in 2002 on a backpacking trip to Europe. She planned to write music during her trip but, leaving her guitar on a train in Spain, only completed one song.[4] While holidaying, "All for Believing" was picked up by Los Angeles (LA) radio station KCRW and at the end of her trip, she flew to LA to sign an international recording contract with Warner Bros.[5]

In 2003, Higgins spent several months touring as a support act for other artists, and writing music for her debut album. She wrote most of the songs alone, and most of them on the piano.[6] She collaborated with Better Than Ezra musician Kevin Griffin on two songs; "Scar" and "Don't Ever". "Ten Days", inspired by Higgins' break-up with her boyfriend before she travelled to Europe, was co-written with Jay Clifford from Jump, Little Children.[7] "The River" was co-written with Clif Magness.

In November, Higgins released a self-titled extended play (EP), which contains four songs, including "All for Believing" and "Greed for Your Love", the song she had written in Europe.[4] In 2004, she travelled to the US to work with British musician and record producer John Porter and engineer and mixer Jay Newland. Porter assembled a group of session musicians for the album, including drummer Michael Barker, bassist John Patitucci and cellist Martin Tillman.[8][9]

Release

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Higgins released her first single from the album, "Scar" on 2 August 2004; it entered the ARIA Singles Chart at No. 1.[10] The Sound of White was released in Australia on 6 September. It entered the ARIA Albums Chart at No. 1 and stayed in the top 50 for 85 weeks.[11] It was certified nine times platinum by ARIA.[12] It entered the New Zealand album chart at No. 40, peaked at No. 19 and remained on the chart for 11 weeks.[13] Three more singles were released from the album. "Ten Days" was released 15 November, entering at No. 14, later rising to No. 12.[14] "The Special Two" was released as an EP on 4 April 2005. It entered the ARIA Singles Chart at No. 2 and stayed on the chart for 19 weeks.[15] "The Sound of White" was released 15 August. It entered the chart at No. 22 and left it after five weeks.[16] The album was released in the United Kingdom on 6 June[17] and the US on 7 June on Reprise (a label owned by Warner Bros.)[18]

Higgins promoted the album in Australia in October 2004 with her first national tour as a headline act.[19]

The album was released in the USA on 7 June 2005.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[20]
Rolling Stone[21]

In his 2009 book Playlisted: Everything You Need to Know About Australian Music Right Now, Craig Mathieson said that The Sound of White was lyrically "descriptively giving, often heartbroken and occasionally delusional".[22]

Christian Hoard and Jonathan Ringen of Rolling Stone were unimpressed by the album. Although they praised the production, they called it "utterly conventional" and said that Higgins was "too bland" to succeed in the US.[21] Allmusic's Jonathan Widran was more impressed, also praising the album's production as well as more lightly produced tracks "Don't Ever", "Night Minds" and "The Sound of White".[20] He said "there's no doubt she'll be the one up-and-coming singers want to compare themselves to".[20] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Holly George-Warren said that the album was "reminiscent of early Suzanne Vega and Sarah McLachlan" and that it sounded "just right".[23] Billboard gave the album a positive review, praising Higgins' use of different genres and noting her "refreshing Melbourne accent" and concluding that it was "tailor-made for lazy summer days".[18]

Accolades

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In October 2010, The Sound of White was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums.[24]

Awards and nominations

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Higgins received six ARIA Awards for The Sound of White. In 2004, at the 18th Annual ARIA Music Awards, Higgins was nominated for 'Single of the Year', 'Best Female Artist', 'Breakthrough Artist — Single' and 'Best Pop Release', all for "Scar". She won the award for 'Best Pop Release'.[25] Squareyed Films received a nomination for 'Best Video' for "Scar". The following year, at the 19th Annual ARIA Music Awards, Higgins received five more awards; 'Best Female Artist' (for "Scar"), 'Breakthrough Artist — Album', 'Highest Selling Album', 'Best Pop Release' (for "The Sound of White") and 'Album of the Year'.[26] She was also nominated for 'Single of the Year' and 'Highest Selling Single', both for "The Special Two".[26] Cathie Glassby received a nomination for 'Best Cover Art' for The Sound of White.

In 2005 at the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Awards, which recognise song writing, sales and airplay performance, Higgins was nominated for two awards; 'Song of the Year' (for "Scar" and "Ten Days") and 'Breakthrough Award' (for an emerging songwriter). She won the 'Song of the Year' award (with "Scar"'s co-writer Kevin Griffin) and the 'Breakthrough Award'. Aged 21 at the time, she was the youngest recipient of the 'Song of the Year' APRA award to date.[27][28]

Legacy and cultural influence

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"One of the most popular releases in Australian history",[29] The Sound of White is credited as a turning point for women in Australian music;[29][30] with various female Australian musicians, including Alice Skye,[30] Amy Shark,[30] Gordi,[31] Gretta Ray,[30] Odette,[32] and Sammi Constantine[33] all citing the album as a musical influence.

Folktronica musician Gordi discussed the album's influence on her in a Love Letter to a Record piece for Australian music website Music Feeds, stating "[it's] the reason I write songs the way I do, so personally and so honestly, with nothing to hide and everything to give."[31] Pop musician Odette "resonated" with the album,[34] saying: "that album messed me up. If I ever meet Missy, I'll tell her that it's her fault I'm so emotional. Those songs were so relatable and really dark but emotionally bold."[32]

Track listing

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The album was slightly varied for its international release, replacing the track "Casualty" with "Unbroken" and including the song "They Weren't There" as a secret track and a remixed version of "Scar", known as the Jay Newland Mix.

Australian release

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."All for Believing"Missy Higgins3:27
2."Don't Ever"Higgins, Kevin Griffin2:52
3."Scar"Higgins, Griffin3:36
4."Ten Days"Higgins, James Major Clifford3:45
5."Nightminds"Higgins3:19
6."Casualty"Higgins, Griffin4:14
7."Any Day Now"Higgins3:51
8."Katie"Higgins, Clif Magness3:38
9."The River"Higgins4:28
10."The Special Two"Higgins4:27
11."This Is How It Goes"Higgins3:32
12."The Sound of White"Higgins4:49
13."They Weren't There"Higgins4:07
Total length:50:05

International release

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  1. "All for Believing" – 3:27
  2. "Ten Days" – 3:45
  3. "Scar" (Jay Newland Mix) – 3:32
  4. "Don't Ever" – 2:52
  5. "Nightminds" – 3:13
  6. "Unbroken" (Higgins, Griffin) – 3:41
  7. "Any Day Now" – 3:51
  8. "Katie" – 3:35
  9. "The River" – 4:23
  10. "The Special Two" – 4:27
  11. "This Is How It Goes" – 3:28
  12. "The Sound of White" – 9:06 (includes time for following track)
  13. "They Weren't There" (hidden track)

Personnel

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Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2004–2007) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[35] 1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[36] 19

Year-end charts

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Chart (2004) Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[37] 15
Chart (2005) Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[38] 1

Decade-end charts

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Chart (2000–2009) Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[39] 5
Australian Albums (ARIA)[39] 2

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[40] 12× Platinum 840,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label Edition Catalogue
Australia 6 September 2004 CD, download Eleven original ELEVENCD27
2×CD, download original + Live at the Horden EP ELEVENCD27SP
2005 re-issue ELEVENCD27B
Various (international) 2005 CD+DVD, download Reprise Records international version —
Australia 2018 Vinyl Eleven original ELEVENV27
5 April 2024 2×CD, 2×LP deluxe edition ELEVENV27

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "All for Believing", APRA search engine, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), retrieved 4 March 2010 Note: For other songs, user needs to click on 'Search again' tab and enter song's title e.g. Dont Ever
  2. ^ Lee, Ben (August 2005), "Missy Higgins: A Pure New Voice Rises Out of the Outback", Interview, Brant Publications, Inc
  3. ^ Zuel, Bernard (11 September 2004), "School of Rock", The Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, archived from the original on 5 June 2011, retrieved 22 March 2010
  4. ^ a b Reid, Graham (5 November 2004), "Missy Higgins Living Her Dream", The New Zealand Herald, APN News & Media, retrieved 10 April 2010
  5. ^ Lanham, Tom (1 February 2005), "4 To Watch For: Missy Higgins", Paste, Paste Media Group, retrieved 22 March 2010
  6. ^ "Tuned In — Missy Higgins", 6ABC, American Broadcasting Company, 25 April 2009, retrieved 10 April 2010
  7. ^ Boyton, Cristina (4 June 2005), "Meet Missy Higgins: Australia's Newest Pop Star", Newsround, BBC, retrieved 17 January 2010
  8. ^ Yusof, Zack (11 March 2005), "Missy Higgins Talks About Her Debut Album", The Star, Star Publications (Malaysia) Berhad, archived from the original on 9 March 2012, retrieved 22 March 2010
  9. ^ a b c d Widran, Jonathan, "The Sound of White > Credits", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved 22 March 2010
  10. ^ "Discography Missy Higgins", Australian charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 4 March 2010
  11. ^ "Missy Higgins — The Sound of White (Album)", Australian charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 30 April 2010
  12. ^ "ARIA Charts — Accreditations – 2006 Albums", Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), retrieved 16 May 2010
  13. ^ "Missy Higgins — The Sound of White (Album)", New Zealand charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 5 June 2010
  14. ^ "Missy Higgins — Ten Days (Song)", Australian charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 30 April 2010
  15. ^ "Missy Higgins — The Special Two EP (Song)", Australian charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 30 April 2010
  16. ^ "Missy Higgins — The Sound of White (Song)", Australian charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 30 April 2010
  17. ^ "Australian Star Missy Higgins Announces UK Tour", TourDates.co.uk, 7 April 2005, archived from the original on 28 September 2012, retrieved 4 May 2010
  18. ^ a b SH (25 June 2005), "Reviews — Missy Higgins — The Sound of White", Billboard, Nielsen Business Media, p. 49, retrieved 12 May 2010
  19. ^ Munro, Kelsey (18 October 2004), "Missy Higgins, Metro", The Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, retrieved 20 May 2010
  20. ^ a b c Widran, Jonathan, "The Sound of White > Review", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved 22 March 2010
  21. ^ a b Hoard, Christian; Ringen, Jonathan (30 June 2005), "Missy Higgins: The Sound of White — U.S. Version", Rolling Stone, RealNetworks, Inc, archived from the original on 1 December 2007, retrieved 22 March 2010
  22. ^ Mathieson, Craig (2009). Playlisted: Everything You Need to Know About Australian Music Right Now. UNSW Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-74223-017-7.
  23. ^ George-Warren, Holly (13 June 2005), "The Sound of White (2005)", Entertainment Weekly, Time Inc., archived from the original on 21 April 2009, retrieved 12 May 2010
  24. ^ O'Donnell, John; Creswell, Toby; Mathieson, Craig (October 2010). 100 Best Australian Albums. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 978-1-74066-955-9.
  25. ^ "ARIA Awards 2009 : History: Winners by Year: 2004: 18th Annual ARIA Awards", ARIA Awards, Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), archived from the original on 4 March 2008, retrieved 20 May 2010
  26. ^ a b "ARIA Awards 2009 : History: Winners by Year: 2005: 19th Annual ARIA Awards", ARIA Awards, Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), archived from the original on 19 May 2011, retrieved 20 May 2010
  27. ^ "2005 APRA Awards Winners Announced" (Portable Document Format (PDF)), 2005 APRA Awards, Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)|AMCOS, 30 July 2008, retrieved 20 May 2010
  28. ^ "Nominations 2005". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)|AMCOS. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  29. ^ a b English, Laura (6 September 2019). "Missy Higgins' debut album 'The Sound of White' turns 15 today so clear your arvo for a nostalgic listening sesh". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  30. ^ a b c d Byrne, Declan (6 November 2018). "The generation of artists inspired by Missy Higgins". Triple J. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  31. ^ a b Gordi (23 August 2017). "Love Letter to a Record: Gordi on Missy Higgins' 'The Sound of White'". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  32. ^ a b Divola, Barry (9 July 2018). "Rising star Odette shines after dark times on debut". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  33. ^ Constantine, Sammi (30 July 2018). "Love Letter to a Record: Sammi Constantine on Missy Higgins' 'The Sound of White'". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  34. ^ Wehner, Cyclone (15 February 2021). "Odette: "I'm just a bundle of nerves experiencing things, trying not to be a bad person"". NME Australia. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  35. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Missy Higgins – The Sound of White". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  36. ^ "Charts.nz – Missy Higgins – The Sound of White". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  37. ^ "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Albums 2004". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
  38. ^ "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Albums 2005". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
  39. ^ a b "2009 ARIA End of Decade Albums Chart". ARIA. January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  40. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
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