The Velvet Trail
| The Velvet Trail | ||||
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| Studio album by Marc Almond | ||||
| Released | 9 March 2015 | |||
| Recorded | Magical Thinking Studio (Los Angeles), Dean Street Studios | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 54:31 | |||
| Label | Strike Force Entertainment / Cherry Red Records | |||
| Producer | Christopher Braide | |||
| Marc Almond chronology | ||||
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| Special UK CD Edition cover | ||||
Artwork for the limited edition CD
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Record Collector |  |
| The Guardian |  |
| The Observer | |
| PopMatters |   |
| MusicOMH |  |
The Velvet Trail is the twentieth solo studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released by Strike Force Entertainment / Cherry Red Records on 9 March 2015.
The Velvet Trail is Almond's first album of original material since Varieté in 2010. It was produced by Christopher Braide and features a duet with Beth Ditto of indie rock band Gossip on the track "When the Comet Comes".
Almond had previously stated that he would no longer record albums of original material following Varieté, calling that album "a kind of swansong". He subsequently recorded a number of albums outside of the pop genre which mostly featured songs written by others. During this time he was approached by Braide, known for his work with pop artists such as Lana Del Rey, David Guetta and Britney Spears, who urged Almond to make “the ultimate Marc Almond album” Braide was a longtime fan of Almond and had in fact worked with Almond before, unbeknownst at that point to the singer. Almond explained the situation to Simon Price of The Quietus, stating "it was only afterwards that I realised where I knew Chris Braide from: he'd sung backing vocals on the Soft Cell reunion album Cruelty Without Beauty, and I'd passed him in the corridor". Braide lured Almond back into songwriting by sending him three instrumental tracks, "hoping to change his mind about retirement", a plan that worked when "all three were met with resounding enthusiasm". They continued to work in this manner until the album was completed.
The 'Velvet Trail' of the album title refers to a beach walk in Southport, Almond's home town. The walk is a local tourist spot and is part of the Wetlands Regional Park maintained by Lancashire County Council.
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Wikipedia