The Orchestra's Call

The Orchestra's Call is a compilation album by Jack Stevens.

Background
‘The Orchestra’s Call’ was the brainchild of Jack and his husband Andre Cassenove and was inspired by a ‘romantic gesture’ that Andre had done for Jack ahead of their wedding in which he hired an orchestra to perform one of their favourite songs.

The album was recorded in the Spring of 2002 in collaboration with the Metropole Orkest in The Netherlands, with Andre credited as Executive Producer. A number of Jack's friends including Shell Ruin, Emily Henning and Yannik Cassenove recorded new vocals of familiar hits for the project.

Release & Reception
The album was announced to a mixed reception in July 2022 with many surprised at the sudden change in direction for Jack who's previous albums had all been pop focussed. In a number of interviews to promote the record, Jack joked he was "embracing his status as the Granddad of pop" in reference to his son Tiger who had just welcomed a son with his girlfriend Emily Henning.

Jack released two 'promotional singles' as instant-grat tracks for fans who had pre-ordered the album. 'Electropop Discosound (Orchestral)' was released on August 5, 2022 and received a premiere on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 where it was A-Listed. A second release 'How London Used To Be (Orchestral)' followed on week later. The album was originally announced for release on August 12, 2022 but was postponed by one week due to 'production delays'.

Critical response
The album received positive reviews from critics who praised the album's impressive mix of classical instrumentation with Jack's traditional pop soundscape. DIY described the album as a "surprisingly divine walk down memory lane" and described the sound of the album as "Hans Zimmer lost and drunk at G-A-Y". BBC rated the album five stars and BBC Radio 2 named the record it's album of the week showcasing many of the tracks.

Chart Performance
'The Orchestra's Call' debuted at number one with sales of 125,027 copies.