On a Clear Night

On a Clear Night is the second studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins, released by Eleven on 28 April 2007. Higgins started work on the album straight after finishing her 2004 debut, The Sound of White. She spent six months of 2006 in Broome, Western Australia, writing new material. She composed songs inspired by the landscape, and by past relationships. She wrote more material while touring the US and at the end of the year travelled to Los Angeles to record with Mitchell Froom.

On a Clear Night
Studio album by
Missy Higgins
Released28 April 2007
RecordedLos Angeles, 2006
Genre
Length37:52
LabelEleven (Australia)
Warner Bros./Reprise (US)
ProducerMitchell Froom
Missy Higgins chronology
Live & Acoustic
(2005)		 On a Clear Night
(2007)		 The EP Collectibles
(2010)
Singles from On a Clear Night
  1. "Steer"
    Released: 14 April 2007
  2. "Where I Stood"
    Released: 4 August 2007
  3. "Peachy"
    Released: 10 November 2007

The album was released on 28 April 2007 in Australia, with three singles; "Steer", "Where I Stood" and "Peachy". The album went to No. 1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) albums chart and was certified triple platinum. "Steer" topped the ARIA singles chart and "Where I Stood" went to No. 10. To help her break into the US market, Higgins' manager and Eleven's president John Watson endeavored to get her songs featured in US television shows. "Where I Stood" was used in shows including Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill and So You Think You Can Dance.

On a Clear Night drew mixed reviews from critics both in Australia and abroad. More positive reviews compared Higgins to Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette, and praised the album's maturity and assertiveness compared to The Sound of White. Less complimentary reviews said that On a Clear Night fails to lift Higgins above the level of her peers. Higgins was nominated for four awards at the 2007 ARIA Music Awards and won 'Best Female Artist'.

Background and recording

Higgins started writing tracks for her second album as soon as she had finished recording The Sound of White, which was released in 2004. She said, "I started quite early because I knew there would a lot of pressure for the second album and I didn't want to write songs under anyone's stopwatch."[1] "100 Round the Bends" was written while she was still recording the first album.[1] During 2006, Higgins spent six months living in Broome, Western Australia, away from the distractions of the entertainment industry.[2] Here she was able to relax and focus on creating new material for her next album. The landscape around Broome inspired the lyrics for "Going North".[3][4] She said, "It was the first place I'd ever felt honestly connected with my country, with the physical land of my country".[4] The lyrics for "Steer" were inspired when Higgins looked up at the night sky on a Broome beach: "It dawned on me how small we are, how short life is ... I felt so liberated to have finally figured that out."[5]

Several of the songs on the album drew their lyrics from real life relationships. "Peachy" documents the permanent breakup of a relationship that had inspired her 2004 single "Ten Days".[3] "Where I Stood", which Higgins calls "a pretty sad love song", describes the end of another relationship.[3] She said it portrays "one of those situations where you just feel that leaving this person is something you have to do to get to know yourself again."[3] "Secret" was about an ex-girlfriend who was uncomfortable about going public with their relationship; "I was so head over heels in love with her I kind of wanted to shout it out to the world, so it was just a song about keeping something under the covers ... keeping it away locked in a little room."[6]

She left Broome to tour the United States, and continued to write material on the road.[7] While much of her first album revolved around the piano, most of the songs from On a Clear Night were guitar-based. This was because Higgins had easier access to a guitar than keyboards while touring. She said, "I hadn't been playing guitar very long for the first album so I think I'm definitely a better guitar player, and probably a worse piano player because I haven't been able to play it much over the last few years".[1]

In the second half of 2006, Higgins moved to Los Angeles to record On a Clear Night with American musician and producer Mitchell Froom, an experience Higgins described as "really easy and really fun."[8] They spent three months recording in Froom's home studio with session musicians including Matt Chamberlain (drums), Davey Faragher (bass) and Greg Leisz (mandolin).[9][10] Neil Finn of Crowded House played guitar on "Peachy" and sang backing vocals on "Going North".[8]

Release and promotion

On a Clear Night was released 28 April 2007 on Eleven.[11] It debuted at No. 1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) albums chart and stayed on the chart for 39 weeks.[12] By 12 June it had sold 35,627 units and was eventually certified triple platinum.[13][14] It peaked at No. 14 on the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) albums chart.[12] The first single from the album was "Steer", released as an extended play (EP) on 14 April 2007.[11] It debuted on the ARIA singles chart at No. 1 and stayed on the chart for 11 weeks.[15] "Where I Stood" was released 4 August and entered the chart (and peaked) at No. 10.[16][17] "Peachy" was released for digital download only on 10 November 2007.[18][19] Higgins spent November and December promoting the album in Australia on her For One Night Only Tour, taking in Cairns, Sydney and Perth. She was joined on some dates by You Am I lead singer, Tim Rogers.[20]

Eleven's president and Higgins' manager John Watson noted that her first album, The Sound of White had achieved limited success in North America. He said, "There's high name recognition there ... but not a high song recognition."[21] To promote On a Clear Night, he sought placement of its songs in US films and television shows. "Where I Stood" featured in Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Brothers & Sisters, Lipstick Jungle, Smallville, The Hills, Men in Trees and So You Think You Can Dance.[22] Higgins toured the US from July–October 2007 with her new material.[21] The album was released in the US on 26 February 2008 on the Warner Bros. label.[23] It reached No. 193 on the Billboard 200.[24] Higgins then spent 10 months of 2008 in the US promoting the album and toured as a support act with the Indigo Girls and then Ben Folds.[25][26]

Reception

Critical
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[27]

The album received mixed reviews in Australia. Writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, Bernard Zuel said that Higgins' second album was the chance to prove herself as a "special one", but that she had failed to do so.[28] He called the album "attractive, in a comfortable way" and said that it would appeal to her fans, but said that Higgins is "no better or worse" than many other similar artists.[28] Andrew Murfett for The Age was more positive and called the album "a convincing return".[29] He cited "Secret" as a highlight and called the song "remarkably forthright".[29] He also praised Froom's production.

In the US, reviews were also mixed but generally positive. Andrew Leahey of Allmusic said that On a Clear Night marks a development from The Sound of White and that the second album combines "sass with sweet sentiment" although at times is "a bit too calculated".[27] He compared Higgins to Sarah McLachlan and Amy Winehouse, calling her "family friendly" but said that her popularity in Australia has not successfully spread to the US.[27] A reviewer for Billboard noted that with this album, Higgins was trying to broaden her market and said that On a Clear Night would appeal to fans of KT Tunstall and the "Grey's Anatomy-soundtrack crowd".[23] They said that "Steer" was a highlight and that Higgins sounded assured.[23] Writing for Mix, Sarah Benzuly commented on Higgins' increased assertiveness with her second album and compared her to Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette. She called the album lyrically rich and "beautifully stirring".[10]

Awards

At the 2007 ARIA Music Awards Higgins was nominated for 'Best Pop Release', 'Highest Selling Album' and 'Best Female Artist' for On a Clear Night and 'Highest Selling Single' for "Steer". She won the award for 'Best Female Artist'.[30] It was her seventh ARIA.

Track listing

All songs were written by Missy Higgins.

  1. "Where I Stood" – 4:17
  2. "100 Round the Bends" – 2:58
  3. "Steer" – 3:50
  4. "Sugarcane" – 3:17
  5. "Secret" – 4:07
  6. "Warm Whispers" – 3:12
  7. "The Wrong Girl" – 3:31
  8. "Angela" – 3:03
  9. "Peachy" – 2:39
  10. "Going North" – 2:48
  11. "Forgive Me" – 4:05

Limited Edition Tour DVD Edition

  1. The Making Of "On A Clear Night" Documentary
  2. "Steer" (Video)
  3. "Where I Stood" (Video)
  4. "Peachy" (Video)
  5. "Steer" [Director's Cut] (Video)

Personnel

Charts

Weekly chart
Chart (2007–08) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[32] 1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[33] 14

Year-end charts
Chart (2007) Position
Australian Charts[34] 4

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[35] 3× Platinum 210,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Alessio, Dom (14 May 2007), "Missy Higgins — The Sound of Maturity", Same Same, SameSame Pty Ltd, archived from the original on 15 June 2010, retrieved 25 April 2010
  2. Mathieson, Craig (27 April 2007), "More than a little Missy", The Age, Fairfax Media, retrieved 25 April 2010
  3. Adams, Cameron (26 April 2007), "Night rider", Herald Sun, The Herald and Weekly Times (News Corporation), retrieved 27 April 2010
  4. Hack, Tobin (24 June 2009), "Missy Higgins: All Eco, No Ego", Mother Nature Network, MNN Holdings, LLC, archived from the original on 15 June 2010, retrieved 15 June 2010
  5. Te Koha, Nui (28 April 2007), "The Quiet Observer", The Sunday Times, News Corporation, retrieved 30 April 2010
  6. Bendix, Trish (31 March 2008), "Interview With Missy Higgins", AfterEllen.com, AfterEllen.com, archived from the original on 1 January 2013, retrieved 30 April 2010
  7. Sams, Christine (24 July 2006), "Missy woos South Africa", The Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, retrieved 25 April 2010
  8. Mengel, Noel (27 April 2007), "Hits and Missy", The Courier-Mail, News Corporation, retrieved 27 April 2010
  9. "Missy Higgins' New Album "On A Clear Night" Out in the U.S. February 12, 2008", Marketwire, SYS-CON Publications, Inc, 28 November 2007, retrieved 27 April 2010
  10. Benzuly, Sarah (13 May 2008), "Missy Higgins' On a Clear Night Album", Mix, Penton Media, Inc, archived from the original on 17 May 2008, retrieved 27 April 2010
  11. Te Koha, Nui (31 March 2007), "Missy ready for return", Sunday Mail, News Limited, retrieved 28 April 2010
  12. "Missy Higgins — On a Clear Night", Australian charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 28 April 2010
  13. "ARIA Charts — Accreditations - 2007 Albums", Australian Recording Industry Association, retrieved 28 April 2010
  14. Cashmere, Paul (12 June 2007), "40,000 Powderfinger Fans Can't Be Wrong", Undercover, Cashmere Media Pty Ltd, archived from the original on 26 September 2007, retrieved 25 April 2010
  15. "Missy Higgins — Steer EP", Australian charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 28 April 2010
  16. Bakker, Tiffany (6 August 2007), "Missy Higgins steering clear", Herald Sun, The Herald and Weekly Times (News Corporation), retrieved 28 April 2010
  17. "Missy Higgins — Where I Stood (Song)", Australian charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 28 April 2010
  18. "Discography", Official Missy Higgins website, retrieved 28 April 2010
  19. Cashmere, Paul (17 October 2007), "Missy Higgins Sings For Superman", Undercover, Cashmere Media Pty Ltd, archived from the original on 15 June 2010, retrieved 30 April 2010
  20. "Missy Higgins announces national tour", Sydney Entertainment Centre, archived from the original on 13 October 2009, retrieved 7 May 2010
  21. Ferguson, Tom (9 June 2007), "'Clear' Vision", Billboard, e5 Global Media, p. 62, retrieved 28 April 2010
  22. Moran, Jonathon (22 June 2008), "Jade's a gem with flaws — Hits and Missy", The Daily Telegraph, News Corporation, retrieved 28 April 2010
  23. JM (1 March 2008), "The Billboard Review — Albums", Billboard, e5 Global Media, p. 33, retrieved 28 April 2010
  24. "Missy Higgins > Chart & Awards > Billboard Albums", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved 28 April 2010
  25. Murfett, Andrew (9 April 2009), "Missy proves you can go home again", Brisbane Times, Fairfax Media, retrieved 28 April 2010
  26. Reitz, Allison (26 August 2008), "Missy Higgins tour supports Indigo Girls, Ben Folds", TicketNews, TicketNews.com, archived from the original on 23 March 2010, retrieved 28 April 2010
  27. Leahey, Andrew, "On a Clear Night > Review", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved 28 April 2010
  28. Zuel, Bernard (28 April 2007), "On a Clear Night", The Sydney Morning Herald, Farifax Media, retrieved 28 April 2010
  29. Murfett, Andrew (10 May 2007), "On a Clear Night", The Age, Fairfax Media, retrieved 28 April 2010
  30. "ARIA Awards 2009 : History: Winners by Year: 2007: 21st Annual ARIA Awards". ARIA. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  31. "On a Clear Night > Credits", Allmusic, Rovi Corporation, retrieved 7 May 2010
  32. "Australiancharts.com – Missy Higgins – On a Clear Night". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  33. "Charts.nz – Missy Higgins – On a Clear Night". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  34. "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Albums 2007". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
  35. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.

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