Colorblind (Counting Crows song)

Leona Lewis version

In December 2011, British recording artist Leona Lewis released a three track extended play entitled Hurt: The EP, which included a cover version of "Colorblind" as well as two other covers. Lewis re-recorded an acoustic version of the song for inclusion on the deluxe edition of her third studio album Glassheart (2012). It was originally written by Adam Duritz and Charlie Gillingham of Counting Crows, and Fraser T Smith served as the song's producer. "Colorblind" received positive reviews from music critics upon the release of Hurt: The EP, who praised Lewis's rock interpretation. The EP charted on national single charts, therefore "Colorblind" charted as part of a three track collective, and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. On September 28, 2012, the acoustic version of the song was released as a free digital download on Amazon.co.uk.

Background and development

Shortly after her The Labyrinth arena tour ended in July 2010, Lewis began to work on her third studio album. It was reported that Simon Cowell had set a deadline for Lewis to complete the album for a Summer 2011 release. After originally having been given a release date of 28 November 2011, Glassheart was pushed back to March 2012. Lewis' reason for delaying the release of the album was that after she met producer Fraser T Smith, she wanted to collaborate with him on new material for possible inclusion on Glassheart. Lewis delayed the release of the album a third time, with Glassheart set for release on 26 November 2012. As a result of her fans having to wait until November 2012, a year after the album was originally set to be released, Lewis decided to release an extended play entitled Hurt: The EP, as something to "bridge the gap" while she recorded new material. Hurt: The EP consists of three covers: "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails, "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls and "Colorblind" by Counting Crows. The EP was produced by Smith. In an interview for In:Demand, Lewis explained why she chose to record the songs, saying that she thought female interpretations of them would provide a "powerful perspective", because of the how the originals were sung by male vocalists. Lewis stated that she chose to record "Iris" and "Colorblind" due to how she "loved" the songs after listening to them for the first time, and added that the latter has a "beautiful lyric".

Release

Hurt: The EP was only made available to purchase digitally, and it was released in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom on 9 December 2011 to download via iTunes Store. It was also made available to purchase on Amazon.co.uk on 11 December 2011. Hurt: The EP was released in the United States on 17 January 2012. The deluxe edition features six additional tracks which on CD versions of the album, feature on a second disc. The first three songs are acoustic performances of "Trouble", "Come Alive" and "Glassheart". Tracks four and five are two new songs not featured on the standard edition. "Colorblind" is song number four, while number five is a song called "Sugar" that Sylvia Patterson for The Guardian described as "an orchestral landscape." On September 28, 2012, the acoustic version of "Colorblind" was released as a free digital download on Amazon.co.uk. "Sugar" was written by Sandé and Al Shux. The second disc closes with the Afrojack remix of album's first single "Collide".

Composition and critical reception

Hurt: The EP garnered a mixed response from music critics, but "Colorblind" received positive reviews. Lewis Corner for Digital Spy was complimentary of Lewis' rock song interpretations. He described "Colorblind"'s composition as a "symphony of strings." Rhetta Akamatsu for The Times of India wrote that Lewis' renditions were "powerful" and "spectacular". Akamatsu concluded her review of the songs with "All three performances feature intense, literate lyrics and are well-suited to Lewis's style."

Credits

Track listings

1. "Colorblind" – 3:20

1. "Colorblind" (Acoustic version) – 3:26

Charts

Although a three track EP, Hurt: The EP charted on national singles charts. It debuted at number 15 in Ireland on 15 December 2011. The following week, it dropped to number 45. Hurt: The EP debuted and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart on 24 December 2011. The EP attained at number seven position on the UK Digital Chart. In Scotland, the EP debuted and peaked at number seven on 24 December 2011.