The Moment (Lisa Stansfield album)

Background

After releasing Face Up in June 2001 and Biography: The Greatest Hits in February 2003, Stansfield fulfilled her deal with Arista Records and signed with ZTT Records. The Grammy Award-winning Trevor Horn, who also founded ZTT Records, produced the entire album which was recorded in 2004. "The whole thing was just really refreshing. We would write really quickly and just go in and see what worked. Initially we played with a full band and then Trevor would add and take things away. But there is a live, relaxed feel to some of the vocals, which came from those early sessions. I am a real perfectionist and it was just really exciting to let go," Stansfield said and added on working with Horn: "He is very clever, he finds out the way you work and what you can do and then makes a space for you to work in. But then is also full of crazy ideas which are just fantastic." Between Biography: The Greatest Hits and The Moment Stansfield also recorded "I've Got the World on a String" for the Mona Lisa Smile soundtrack (2003) and "Too Hot" for Kool & the Gang's The Hits: Reloaded (2004).

Content

The Moment was the first album not produced by Ian Devaney, Stansfield's husband and long-time collaborator. The production was handled by Trevor Horn, who produced successful songs and albums for numerous artists. Unlike Stansfield's previous albums, The Moment wasn't completely written by her and Devaney. Together with Richard Darbyshire, they wrote four songs only: "He Touches Me", "The Moment", "Take My Heart" and "Love Without a Name". The album also contains four cover versions: "When Love Breaks Down" (from Prefab Sprout's 1985 album, Steve McQueen; especially for Stansfield, Paddy McAloon wrote an extra verse for her version), "Say It to Me Now" (from The Frames' 1995 album, Fitzcarraldo), "If I Hadn't Got You" (from Chris Braide's 1997 album, Life in a Minor Key) and "Takes a Woman to Know" (from No Angels 2003 album, Pure). One of the new songs, "Treat Me Like a Woman" was co-written by American singer-songwriter, Kara DioGuardi.

In September 2004, The Moment with eleven tracks was released on ZTT Records in the United Kingdom and Japan. In Europe, it was distributed in February 2005 by Edel Records as an enhanced CD with two music videos for "Treat Me Like a Woman" and "If I Hadn't Got You". In Germany, two additional versions of this album were also released: Basic Edition with nine tracks (June 2005) and Gold Edition with fifteen tracks, including two remixes of "If I Hadn't Got You" (March 2006). The Gold Edition also included desktop material, photo gallery, lyric booklet and a fold-out poster.

On 6 April 2015, The Moment was reissued with five bonus tracks, three previously unreleased, twenty-four-page booklet with lyrics and new liner notes. This expanded edition adds unreleased, alternate takes of the title track and the Prefab Sprout cover "When Love Breaks Down", alongside instrumental and live tracks.

Singles

ZTT Records decided to release a double A-side single in the United Kingdom, "Easier" / "Treat Me Like a Woman". They set the release date for 4 October 2004, but the single was withdrawn at the last minute. The next single, "If I Hadn't Got You" was sent to radio stations in the United Kingdom on 22 November 2004 but wasn't released commercially. In Europe, Edel Records selected "Treat Me Like a Woman" as the lead single and released it on 14 February 2005. The song reached number thirty-six in Austria and forty-three in Germany. The next single, "If I Hadn't Got You" was issued on 20 June 2005 and peaked at number fifty-four in Austria and sixty-six in Germany. The last single from the album, "He Touches Me" was released in Germany on 2 December 2005. With "Treat Me Like a Woman" and "If I Hadn't Got You", Stansfield made the list of the most played British songs on German radio in 2005, reaching numbers nine and twelve respectively.

Critical reception

The Moment received positive reviews from music critics. According to Antony Hatfield from BBC Music, the album has "got class". He praised the "sophisticated adult-oriented pop" of "Easier", "Treat Me Like a Woman" as a "more feisty affair, full of texture and whit [sic]", the "pleasant groove" of "If I Hadn't Got You" and the "outstanding production" of "Takes a Woman to Know". He also called the album "a kind of 80s pop". According to Female First, the songs on The Moment reveal that Stansfield is "still evolving as an artist. To label this album as 'sophisticated adult-orientated pop' does it no justice." Female First called "When Love Breaks Down" a stand out track and also praised "The Moment" as "a sublime song featuring a 40-piece orchestra", "If I Hadn't Got You", "a soulful, honest, stylish and sensitive track", and "Treat Me Like a Woman", "which finds Stansfield at her best. Her voice is distinctive and powerful. What is enduring throughout the album is the variety of the material and the incredible range of Stansfield's voice." AllMusic gave it 3.5 stars out of 5.

Commercial performance

The album was the most successful in Germany (number sixteen, Gold certification for selling over 100,000 copies), Austria (number fifteen) and Switzerland (number twenty-two). In the United Kingdom, The Moment failed commercially and peaked at number fifty-seven. It also reached number thirty-nine in Hungary, number forty-eight on the European Top 100 Albums, and number fifty-seven in Italy. The Moment also charted in Spain, Belgium and France.

Personnel

Credits taken from AllMusic.