Safe Trip Home by Dido

Safe Trip Home is the third studio album by Dido. It was released in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2008. The album features collaborations and production with Jon Brion, her brother Rollo Armstrong, Brian Eno, Mick Fleetwood, Citizen Cope and Questlove.The album was the 44th best-selling album worldwide of 2008, according to IFPI. Background and production On the day the album title was announced, 22 August 2008, the album track, "Look No Further", was released as a free digital download through her official website. The lead single from Safe Trip Home, "Don't Believe in Love", was scheduled to be released as a download on 26 October and on CD format on 27 October in the UK, but it was made available on iTunes stores internationally from September 29.The album's cover artwork and track listing was revealed by Dido's official website on September 5, 2008.The album was originally due to be released on November 3 but was delayed for two weeks due to manufacturing delays. As compensation, Dido's official website uploaded the album track "Grafton Street" (co-produced with Brian Eno) for online streaming on October 3. Releases and promotion A deluxe 2-disc edition of the album is available, with 3 bonus tracks not included on the standard version of the album. The second disc also includes an enhanced version of the 11 minute electronic press kit that was uploaded to Dido's official site, and sent out to the media, to promote the launch of the record. The set also includes four Dido postcards, and is packaged in a deluxe digipak. In the UK, the album launch is being heralded with a special listening party, which fans can win an invitation to through the Nectar loyalty card points scheme when they download the track "Look No Further" through the Nectar music download site. The album cover features a photograph of astronaut Bruce McCandless II during a spacewalk, as part of space shuttle mission STS-41-B. On 27 October, it was announced that 11 short films were being produced to accompany the 11 tracks on the album, based around the theme of home; of these, 8 have been produced so far and are available to watch on the album's website here. Critical reception This article contains too many quotations for an encyclopedic entry. Please help improve the article by removing excessive quotations or transferring them to Wikiquote. Help is available. (December 2008) Observer Music Monthly:"This album is a mature and thoughtful collection of songs and a fine memorial to her father, who would have been right to be proud." Boston Globe:"It's taken nine years and two tries, but Dido has finally given her debut the follow-up it deserves." Q Magazine:"Lucky, then she's so musically warm and, like its predecessors, Safe Trip Home takes comfort in a sound that almost masks her unrest. Almost." Billboard:"There isn't a standout single, but this is Dido's most fully realized and elegantly rendered collection." Entertainment Weekly:"The emotion in these sad, subtle songs seems inherent enough, though you may still find yourself wishing she'd allowed the slightest hint of it to creep into her voice." Sputnikmusic:"It is an album that builds on everything she had done previously, but with a much more personal and mature touch than I ever expected from her." Rolling Stone:"Dido's voice is so comforting, you almost miss the blues it conceals." The Onion (A.V. Club):"The album reveals nuances and feels richer with repeated plays, even though there's no single track that demands repeat listens. For songs that are just fine, they're great." Slant Magazine:"The album might be Dido's least adventurous to date, her brand of vanilla soul going down like a warm cup of milk." Track listing "Don't Believe in Love" (Dido Armstrong, Rollo Armstrong, Jon Brion) – 3:53 "Quiet Times" (D. Armstrong) – 3:17 "Never Want to Say It's Love" (D. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Brion) – 3:35 "Grafton Street" (D. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Brian Eno) – 5:57 "It Comes and It Goes" (D. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Brion) – 3:28 "Look No Further" (D. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Brion) – 3:14 "Us 2 Little Gods" (D. Armstrong, R. Armstrong, Rick Nowels, Daisy Gough) – 4:49 "The Day Before the Day" (D. Armstrong, R. Armstrong) – 4:13 "Let's Do the Things We Normally Do" (D. Armstrong, Brion) – 4:10 "Burnin' Love" featuring Citizen Cope (D. Armstrong, Citizen Cope) – 4:12 "Northern Skies" (D. Armstrong, R. Armstrong) – 8:57 Bonus tracks The following tracks were included on the iTunes and deluxe CD version of Safe Trip Home, except where noted. "For One Day" (D. Armstrong) – 5:43 "Summer" (D. Armstrong) – 3:55 "Northern Skies" (Rollo version) (D. Armstrong, R. Armstrong) – 5:53 "The Day Before the Day (5/4)" (Early mix) (D. Armstrong, R. Armstrong) – 4:14 (iTunes bonus version) Charts Chart (2008) Peak position Australian Albums Chart 6 Austrian Album Chart 11 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) 9 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) 7 Canadian Albums Chart 9 Danish Albums Chart 20 European Top 100 Albums Chart 1 Finnish Albums Chart 24 French Albums Chart 3 German Albums Chart 3 Hungarian Albums Chart 15 Irish Albums Chart11 Italian Albums Chart11 Dutch Albums Chart 8 New Zealand Albums Chart 6 Norwegian Albums Chart18 Spanish Albums Chart 27 Swedish Albums Chart 20 Swiss Albums Chart 1 UK Albums Chart 2 US Billboard 200 13 Sales and Certifications Country Certification Australia Gold Belgium Gold France Gold Germany Gold Hungary Gold Ireland Gold Italy Gold New Zealand Gold Switzerland Platinum The album was widely perceived as a critical success, receiving numerous positive reviews. Regardless of the album's late release in the year, it was made #50 in Q's 50 Best Albums of the Year 2008. The album has so far sold an estimate of 875,000 copies worldwide. ℗ 2008 Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK) Limited