Every Kingdom is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Ben Howard. It was released in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2011 as a digital download, CD, LP, and 200-copy limited edition cassette. It reached a peak chart position of number four in the UK Albums Chart on 24 February 2013 following his success at the Brit Awards that week.[1] The songs on the album were written by Ben Howard and produced by Chris Bond.[2] The cover art was designed by Owen Tozer, based on photography by Mickey Smith and Roddy Bow.[3]

Every Kingdom
Every Kingdom cover art
Studio album by
Released30 September 2011
Recorded2011 in Devon
Genre
Length50:05
Label
ProducerChris Bond
Ben Howard chronology
Every Kingdom
(2011)
The Burgh Island E.P.
(2012)
Singles from Every Kingdom
  1. "The Wolves"
    Released: 3 June 2011
  2. "Keep Your Head Up"
    Released: 26 August 2011
  3. "The Fear"
    Released: 12 October 2011
  4. "Only Love"
    Released: 4 May 2012
  5. "Old Pine"
    Released: 20 July 2012
Alternative cover
Every Kingdom physical deluxe edition cover art
Physical deluxe edition cover

The song "Old Pine" is the music video version of the original found on the Old Pine EP. A remix of the song by Everything Everything was released by Howard as a single on 20 July 2012.[4] The songs "The Wolves" and "These Waters" are re-recordings of the original versions found on the These Waters EP. The song "Keep Your Head Up" is a re-recording of the original version found on the Games in the Dark EP. The song "Black Flies" was released on 21 April 2012 as a 100-copy limited edition LP as part of the 2012 edition of Secret 7", each copy with different cover art.

The song "Black Flies" was featured in the 2017 Square Enix/Deck Nine game Life Is Strange: Before the Storm's fourth, Bonus episode as the ending song of the episode.

The album was nominated for the 2012 Mercury Prize.[5]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Consequence of SoundC+[8]
The Guardian[9]
PopMatters8/10[10]
DIY8/10[11]

Singles edit

  • "The Wolves" is the first single from the album. It was released in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2011 and re-released on 23 February 2012. It reached a peak chart position of 70 on the UK Singles Chart.
  • "Keep Your Head Up" is the second single from the album. It was released in the United Kingdom on 26 August 2011. It reached a peak chart position of 46 on the UK Singles Chart.
  • "The Fear" is the third single from the album. It was released in the United Kingdom on 12 October 2011. It reached a peak chart position of 58 on the UK Singles Chart.
  • "Only Love" is the fourth single from the album. It was released in the United Kingdom on 4 May 2012. It reached a peak chart position of 9 on the UK Singles Chart.
  • "Old Pine" is the fifth single from the album. It was released in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2012.

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Ben Howard.

No.TitleLength
1."Old Pine"5:27
2."Diamonds"4:07
3."The Wolves"5:09
4."Everything"4:46
5."Only Love"4:09
6."The Fear"4:20
7."Keep Your Head Up"4:22
8."Black Flies"6:22
9."Gracious"4:57
10."Promise"6:24
Total length:50:05
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."7 Bottles"4:39
Total length:54:44
Deluxe edition bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."These Waters"4:08
2."Empty Corridors" (Live)5:26
3."Under the Same Sun"4:46
4."Bones"5:46
5."I Will Be Blessed"5:31
6."Move like You Want" (Live)8:21
Total length:33:58
Deluxe edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Old Pine" (Music Video)5:27
2."The Wolves" (Music Video)3:20
3."Keep Your Head Up" (Music Video)3:58
4."The Wolves" (Woodland Sessions)4:29
5."Old Pine" (Woodland Sessions)4:18
6."Everything" (Woodland Sessions)5:23
7."Highland Drifting" (Behind the Scenes)6:48
8."Making of a Record Cover" (Behind the Scenes)4:13
9."The Barn" (Behind the Scenes)5:55
Total length:43:52

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] Gold 35,000
Canada (Music Canada)[32] Gold 40,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[33] Gold 10,000
Germany (BVMI)[34] Gold 100,000
Netherlands (NVPI)[35] Platinum 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[36] Gold 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] 3× Platinum 900,000
United States (RIAA)[38] Gold 500,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history edit

Country Release date Format Label
United Kingdom 30 September 2011[39] Digital download, CD, LP, cassette Island
United States 6 November 2012 Digital download, CD Communion

References edit

  1. ^ "Ben Howard wins best British breakthrough act and best male solo artist at Brit Awards 2013". The Independent. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  2. ^ Clare Robinson (7 October 2011), "Howard's wave", Plymouth Evening Herald, p. 1, archived from the original on 20 May 2014, retrieved 8 November 2013
  3. ^ Roddy Bow - Every Kingdom Archived 20 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Old Pine (Everything Everything Remix)" at iTunes Store
  5. ^ Mercury Prize - 2012 Albums of the Year Archived 15 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Every Kingdom - Ben Howard". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  7. ^ "Ben Howard – Every Kingdom". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  8. ^ Hardy, Tony (9 April 2012). "Ben Howard – Every Kingdom". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  9. ^ Carnwath, Ally (October 2011). "Ben Howard: Every Kingdom – review". The Observer. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  10. ^ Ezell, Brice (2 April 2012). "Ben Howard: Every Kingdom". PopMatters. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  11. ^ "BEN HOWARD - EVERY KINGDOM". 3 October 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  12. ^ "Australian iTunes Chart". iTunesCharts.net. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Lescharts.com – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  18. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  21. ^ "End Of Year Chart 2011" (PDF). OfficialChartsCompany. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2012". Ultratop. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2012". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  24. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  25. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2013". Ultratop. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2013". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  27. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  28. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  29. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2022" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  30. ^ Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  31. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  32. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom". Music Canada. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  33. ^ "Danish album certifications – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  34. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Ben Howard; 'Every Kingdom')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  35. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 9 July 2019. Enter Every Kingdom in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2013 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  36. ^ "Ben Howard – Every Kingdom" (in Swedish). Grammofonleverantörernas förening. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  37. ^ "British album certifications – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  38. ^ "American album certifications – Ben Howard – Every Kingdom". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  39. ^ Every Kingdom at iTunes Store