Bigger Than God

Bigger Than God is the sixth studio album by British recording artist Alesha. It was released on April 20, 2009, by Ensemble Entertainment. Just months after the release of her fifth studio album The Second Coming (2008), Alesha started working on the album with co-writer Shell Ruin, completing four tracks together in early writing sessions. The rest of the album was written and produced single-handedly by Alesha. Recording took place over five months, incorporating guest vocals from China, Emily Henning, Latavia, and Romo. The album contains indie and electronica music, as well as influences of acoustic and minimal music on several tracks.

The album is a loose concept album, with recurring themes of the apocalypse and a dystopian vision of society. Additionally, Alesha explores themes of agnosticism, existentialism, greed, and the pitfalls of fame. Alesha drew inspiration from dystopic literature, such as George Orwell's landmark novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), as well as David Bowie's own glam rock vision of a post-apocalyptic world Diamond Dogs (1974). Bigger Than God was dubbed "a post-recession pop album" in light of the global financial crisis of 2008–09.

Bigger Than God received universal acclaim with reviews commending Alesha's lyrical prowess and musical direction. Critics agreed that it was Alesha's "most adventurous" record yet, as well as noting its mature, restrained nature. Bigger Than God was honored with the Best Album award at the 17th Urapopstar Awards, Alesha's second win in the category. Commercially, the album charted at number one upon its release; it was eventually certified diamond.

Four singles were released from the standard edition of the album, including two number one hits: Best Single winner "Apocalypse City" and "Bear Dance". In November 2009, Bigger Than God was re-released with three new tracks, including the best selling Shell Ruin duet "Delusions of Grandeur". The album was supported by the Apocalypse City Live tour, which was Alesha's first concert tour to include stadium shows. Academics noted the album's influence on popular music, which helped her remain contemporary among the new artists of the period. Bigger Than God has been ranked among lists of greatest albums of all time.

Development
Alesha had already garnered commercial success with her fourth and fifth studio albums, Alesha Is the Queen (2007) and The Second Coming (2008), which were primarily pop records that also drew from genres as varied as dance, electronica, hip hop, and indie rock. By September 2008, just three months after the release of The Second Coming, Alesha had started writing songs for her sixth studio album. Rough demos of "Apocalypse City" and "Bear Dance" were the first songs written for the then-untitled album. Alesha revised the songs with close friend and frequent collaborator Shell Ruin, who had written or co-written six tracks for The Second Coming. Ruin penned an early version of "Brooklyn to Brixton" that was overhauled by Alesha, while the pair wrote “Give Up the Ghost” together.

Science fiction proved to be a major influence on Alesha in the production of the album, particularly post-apocalyptic and dystopian works. Alesha was influenced by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, the landmark novel that introduced the public to terms and concepts such as Big Brother and thoughtcrime. Orwell’s novel in particular had great influence on "Apocalypse City" and album closer "Beat Heart Beat". Alesha also found herself inspired by the work of British music legend David Bowie, specifically his 1974 album Diamond Dogs. That album was also inspired by Orwell's magnum opus, together with Bowie's own glam rock vision of a post-apocalyptic world. Elsewhere, Alesha found herself influenced by ideas of agnosticism, existentialism, and nihilism. Contrary to popular belief, Alesha was not positioning herself as 'God' with the album title, but instead questioning religion. The title comes from a lyric in "Bear Dance".

In early 2009, Alesha approached singer-songwriter Romo about working together on her new album. Alesha had written a song entitled "The Pretty Ones", which was a veiled critique of her former "Power Power" collaborators Buffi, Ruin and Taylor Brookes. Alesha selected China, Emily Henning and Romo to perform their own verses that cemented themselves as a new generation of superstars. Alesha asked Romo to contribute her own verse to the track without playing her the rest of the song, wanting the track to sound like two separate compositions stitched together. Alesha modeled China's and Henning's verses after Romo's verse. Ruin threatened to halt production of the album when she filed a lawsuit against Alesha and Ensemble Entertainment, which was quickly settled outside of courts. Alesha and Ruin continued to be close friends and collaborators.

Composition
Although Alesha had explored alternative music styles, Bigger Than God was a notable departure from Alesha's previous work. The record contains elements of several different types of music, including art rock, dub, electronica, folk, glam rock, New Wave and power pop. Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune called the record an "electro-folk album".

The album's opening track and lead single, "Apocalypse City", depicts a dystopian future with a Big Brother figure in the same vein as George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. The song's introduction and conclusion sample David Bowie's "We Are the Dead", which itself lifts from Orwell's work. Musically, the song is "pounding electro-punk" whch is "fashioned from the same template as 'Tsunami of the Soul'." The second track and single "Brooklyn to Brixton" is a propulsive, electronic track with tribal drums, inspired by Indian composer A. R. Rahman's score for the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Lyrically, it focuses on popular culture and its need to defame public figures. Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the track "sharply skewers our love of celebrities and how eager we are to seem them fall." The original album version features a guest verse from rapper Latavia; this was replaced for the song's radio edit, which appears on the album's re-issue. The third track, "Minutes to Midnight", samples Thom Yorke's "And It Rained All Night" and echoes the album opener's depiction of a future dystopia. It alludes to the Book of Revelation from the New Testament. "Downtown Nowhere" is a piano ballad with a subtle orchestra section and "yearning nostalgia".

"Bear Dance" is a self-described “spooky” electronic song. Alesha was inspired by Kate Bush in her vocal delivery. The song references the controversial 2007 single “Power Power” in its opening lyric, "I have toyed with the power and the power cut". The album’s title comes from a lyric in the song's chorus ("There is something bigger than God and I believe it"). Track six, "Sly of the Fox", is a dub-inspired power pop song reminiscent of Alesha's previous studio album The Second Coming (2008). "Witching Hour" draws influences from New Wave music, sampling post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshee's 1980 album track "Lunar Camel". The lyrics, again, deal with ideas of the end of the world, incorporating themes of escapism and space discovery. "Submission", meanwhile, is a glossy synth-driven song with repetitive lyrics about complacency.

Alesha wrote "Give Up the Ghost" when she was pondering the existence of God. With themes of agnosticism evident in the lyrics, the song is a folk-inspired indie rock song clocking in at just over five minutes. The outro, which was contributed by Ruin, was dubbed "a real highlight of the album" by Alesha. "Superhuman" was referred to as "a timely, appropriate and grievous reminder of Wall Street greed and our hunger for more" by BBC Music reviewer Jamie Gill. The piano-led track features sparse instrumentation with heavy reverb applied to Alesha's vocals. "The Pretty Ones" is a piano-led ballad about three aging pop singers who desperately cling to their fame; following an instrumental section, the song turns into a fast-paced electropop song with guest verses from Romo, China and Emily Henning, before winding back down to a minimalist, indie moment. "The Velveteen Rabbit", named after the children's book, is a somber, electronica track about the impermanence of fame and life in general. The final song on the album, "Beat Heart Beat", is a downtempo "indietronica" song inspired by the relationship between Julia and Winston in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Reception
Bigger Than God received widespread acclaim from music critics. It holds an average score of 85 (out of 100) on Metacritic, based on 26 professional reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic praised the album's layered music, giving it four out of five stars, and described Alesha’s collaboration with Shell Ruin as the reason why the album "comes alive with spark and style." Dimitri Ehrlich from Vibe described the album as "a masterpiece of brilliantly arranged piano, haunting strings, and electronica dressings." Paul Verna of Billboard called the album "a deliciously adventurous, ultimately victorious effort from one of pop music's most compelling performers." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine described the album as "one of the great pop masterpieces of the 2000s."

Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone wrote that "Alesha has returned after last year's defiant 'The Second Coming' with an even artsier, dreamier album." Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Melissa Maerz gave the album an A- and wrote, "the hooks [...] don't compromise Alesha's pop ability at all, and on tracks like 'The Velveteen Rabbit,' the lyrics are so raw, you can feel Alesha's pain." Jamie Gill of BBC Music wrote that Alesha "is releasing her most creative, consistent and enjoyable album yet." He added, "Alesha didn't need this album to cement her status as one of the finest pop acts of the generation, but 'Bigger Than God' is a remarkable combination of thrilling pop hooks and searing intelligence."

Ten days after the album's release, CNN reported that it had sold over two million copies worldwide. Bigger Than God debuted at number-one in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom. It spent two weeks at the top of the chart. The album was certified diamond (for sales over a million), becoming Alesha’s third album to reach that threshold. Bigger Than God ultimately sold a total of 1,454,201 copies in its 44 weeks in the top 40 albums chart. It was awarded Best Album at the 17th Urapopstar Awards, while “Apocalypse City” was named Best Single. Alesha also won Best Alternative/Rock and Best Songwriter. In addition, Alesha was nominated for: Best Female, Best Live, Best Miscellaneous Art ("Brooklyn to Brixton" promo tour), Best Promotion, Best Single/Album Art ("Apocalypse City"), and Best Video ("Apocalypse City").

Release and promotion
Alesha embarked on the Apocalypse City Live tour to promote Bigger Than God. The concert tour included Alesha's first stadium shows, kicking off at Dublin, Ireland's Croke Park on June 10, and concluding in Calgary, Canada, on October 20. The concert tour was described as a "supermassive and cinematic" rock opera set in a futurustic dystopian city. Costumes were designed by British fashion designer Gareth Pugh. After the first leg, it became the highest grossing tour by a solo artist, earning US $282 million, breaking the previous record Alesha herself held with her Jesus Christ Supertour. Overall, Alesha performed to over 3.5 million fans, grossing a total of US $408 million, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time. The show was filmed in Moscow, Russia, for its television broadcasts and home video release.

Singles
Alesha started teasing the album's lead single immediatley following the release of her collaboration with Indigo Peak in March 2009. "Apocalypse City" was officially released on April 20, 2009. In the accompanying music video, Alesha portrayed a fugitive from a totalitarian state. The song and its video were praised by many contemporary critics. Some compared "Apocalypse City" to other Alesha songs, such as "Tsunami of the Soul" (2008). "Apocalypse City" achieved international success by topping the charts in 25 countries worldwide. It became Alesha’s seventh number one single in the United Kingdom. "Apocalypse City" later won Best Single at the 17th Urapopstar Awards. "Brooklyn to Brixton" was released as the second single from Bigger Than God in June 2009. The original album version of the song featured rapper Latavia, but the radio edit was a revised solo version as Alesha felt she had released too many collaborations. The car chase music video was a continuation of the “Apocalypse City” video and guest starred Shell Ruin. To promote the single, Alesha performed a pair of concerts at Brooklyn’s Studio B and Brixton’s O2 Academy. The song reached number two on the charts, but it was Alesha’s lowest-selling single since 2007’s "Power Power", barely receiving a platinum certification. Around the time of the single's release, Alesha engaged in a highly publicized custody dispute with ex-husband Ben Parker.

In August 2009, "Bear Dance" was released as the third single from Bigger Than God. It was backed by a cover of the late Michael Jackson's "Earth Song", recorded for a Jackson tribute album and featured on Alesha's covers album Wanderlust. The single controversially debuted on the singles chart at number six, leading Alesha to exhibit bizarre behavior in an infamous live television interview; however, "Bear Dance" miraculously rose to number one the following week. Alesha followed with "The Pretty Ones", featuring China, Emily Henning, and Romo. Despite the song's music video being shelved, "The Pretty Ones" continued a two-year streak of platinum top-two hits. "Delusions of Grandeur", a duet with Shell Ruin, accompanied the album’s re-issue in November 2009. Self-hyped as one of the best singles yet for both artists, "Delusions of Grandeur" received universal acclaim from music critics. The song's video was filmed at Chile's Cape Horn and portrays Alesha and Ruin as immortal warriors. The baroque pop duet topped the singles chart upon its release, following performances on The X Factor and the 17th Urapopstar Awards. Alesha and Ruin also hosted the awards ceremony. "Delusions of Grandeur" was voted Best Collaboration at the subsequent awards.

Legacy
Entertainment Weekly's Nicholas Fonseca felt that Bigger Than God marked "an official turning point" of Alesha's career, which earned her "a long-awaited, substantive dose of critical acclaim". Mark Savage from BBC noted that the album's release "marks the moment when critics first begin to describe Alesha as an artist, rather than a mere pop singer". Author J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote that Bigger Than God was a turning point in Alesha's career; "Every important artist has at least one album in his or her career whose critical and commercial success becomes the artist's magic moment; for Alesha [...] Bigger Than God was. [Alesha] pushed onwards as an artist, using her creative wit to communicate on another level, musically." In 2012, Slant Magazine listed the album at number 5 on its list of "Best Albums of the 2000s", saying: "By the late '00s, Alesha was one of the biggest pop stars of the time, but with Bigger Than God, she became one of the most important".

According to Douglas Kellner, the album and its singles were particularly influential on the music video field. The video for lead single "Apocalypse City" depicted Alesha as an enemy of the state in a dystopian setting ruled by a totalitarian government. Total production costs for the video were estimated around $5.9 million, making it one of the most expensive music videos ever made. Drawing influence from James Bond films and V for Vendetta (2005), Alesha portrayed a role traditionally filled by men. Jon Pareles from The New York Times described Alesha as an "action heroine". Similarly, Daniel Welsh from The Huffington Post, wrote that the video "catapulted Alesha to the ranks of music video heavyweight, and proved to the world she really meant business". The subsequent music video for "Brooklyn to Brixton" depicted a high-speed car chase led by Alesha and Shell Ruin, which was highlighted for its depiction of female camraderie. The video was criticized for its depiction of violence, which caused MTV to ban it before 9pm. Alesha explained that her character was "doing things that girls are not allowed to do."

Alesha performed a number of songs from Bigger Than God at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in 2015 as part of the Black Leather Festival Tour. Later that year, British music and film magazine Sound & Vision ranked Alesha's studio albums ahead of the release of the box set The Albums: 2003-2014. Based on overall scores from review aggregate site Metacritic, Bigger Than God was listed at number one. In the wake of American businessman Donald Trump's presidency, Bigger Than God received renewed attention (as did George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four) due to its thematic elements. By January 26, 2017, combined physical and digital sales of Bigger Than God had increased by 9,500%. Amazon, Apple Music, and Spotify all reported streaming gains for the album. Alesha's manager noted that Bigger Than God had always been one of Alesha's most popular albums, but added that "we’ve definitely seen an uplift" in interest.

Track listing
All songs written and produced by Alesha unless noted otherwise.


 * 1) ”Apocalypse City” (Alesha, Shell Ruin)
 * 2) ”Brooklyn to Brixton” (featuring Latavia) (Alesha, Ruin)
 * 3) ”Minutes to Midnight”
 * 4) ”Downtown Nowhere”
 * 5) ”Bear Dance” (Alesha, Ruin)
 * 6) ”Sly of the Fox”
 * 7) ”Witching Hour”
 * 8) ”Submission”
 * 9) ”Give Up the Ghost” (Alesha, Ruin)
 * 10) "Superhuman"
 * 11) ”The Pretty Ones” (featuring China, Emily Henning & Romo) (Alesha, Jenna Romo)
 * 12) ”The Velveteen Rabbit”
 * 13) ”Beat Heart Beat”

Deluxe edition
Alesha released a deluxe edition of Bigger Than God in November 2009, accompanying the release of Shell Ruin duet "Delusions of Grandeur". The song marks a stylistic transition for Alesha and Ruin, exploring a baroque pop sound with lyrics that draw influence from mythology and portray the duet partners as mystical gods. In addition to the single, the repackaged version of the album featured two other new tracks. "Nature's Child" is an acoustic, indie-folk song. "Whore of Babylon" samples Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's "Some Velvet Morning" and features guest vocals from Putanovska for the song's chorus.


 * 1) ”Apocalypse City”
 * 2) ”Delusions of Grandeur” (with Shell Ruin) (Alesha, Ruin)
 * 3) ”Brooklyn to Brixton” (radio edit)
 * 4) ”Bear Dance”
 * 5) ”The Pretty Ones” (featuring China, Emily Henning & Romo)
 * 6) ”Downtown Nowhere”
 * 7) ”Minutes to Midnight”
 * 8) ”Sly of the Fox”
 * 9) ”Witching Hour”
 * 10) ”Whore of Babylon” (featuring Putanovska)
 * 11) ”Submission”
 * 12) ”Give Up the Ghost”
 * 13) "Superhuman"
 * 14) ”Nature's Child”
 * 15) ”The Velveteen Rabbit”
 * 16) ”Beat Heart Beat”