Beautifully Ordinary

Beautifully Ordinary
Studio album by
Tones and I
Released2 August 2024
Length63:33
Label
Producer
Tones and I chronology
Welcome to the Madhouse
(2021) 		Beautifully Ordinary
(2024)
Singles from Beautifully Ordinary
  1. "Dreaming"
    Released: 2 February 2024[1]
  2. "I Get High"
    Released: 12 March 2024[2]
  3. "Wonderful"
    Released: 17 May 2024[3]
  4. "Dance with Me"
    Released: 17 June 2024[4]
  5. "To Be Loved"
    Released: 2 August 2024[5]

Beautifully Ordinary is the second studio album by Australian singer and songwriter Tones and I. The album was released on 2 August 2024 through Bad Batch Records.[4] It is a follow-up to her debut project, Welcome to the Madhouse.

At the 2024 ARIA Music Awards, the album was nominated for Best Cover Art, while Tones and I was nominated for Best Solo Artist.[6]

Promotion

The album was announced on 17 June 2024, and will be supported by an Australian and New Zealand tour, commencing in August 2024.[4]

Singles

Beautifully Ordinary was preceded by four singles. "Dreaming" was released on 2 February 2024. Upon release, Tones and I said "'Dreaming is the first song from my upcoming album. I maintain my integrity in my stories, which always come from a genuine place of love, loss, and hope. I have found myself subconsciously writing about things I've never written about before."[1] "I Get High" was released on 12 March 2024. Upon release, Tones and I said "'I Get High' is about the nostalgia of growing up with friends. Sneaking out and enjoying our youth, looking back and reminiscing about the people that were and are in your life, that make you feel alive. There is magic in this song."[2] "Wonderful" was released on 17 May 2024. Tones and I said the song is "About a very close person in my life. I wanted to let them know just how incredible they were, at times where they may have felt like they weren't good enough."[3] The album's fourth single, "Dance With Me" was released on 17 June 2024, the same day as the album was announced.[4] "To Be Loved" was added to radio on 2 August 2024 as the album's fifth single.[5]

Reception

Josh Sharpe from Broadway World said "Co-produced by Tones and I and featuring her as the sole writer on nearly every song, this album captures her artistic evolution and personal growth, blending her distinctive vocal style with vulnerable storytelling."[7]

Zoë Radas from JB Hi-Fi's Stack Magazine said "There are fewer of the caricatures she previously used as veils on debut LP Welcome to the Madhouse (2021), and far more from-the-heart ripsnorters which reveal her to be a deft hand at communicating heartbreak, loneliness and real inner growth."[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Toni Watson, except where noted.

Beautifully Ordinary track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."To Be Loved"
  • Watson
  • Randy Belculfine
5:05
2."Lose Someone Like Me"
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
  • Xander
4:06
3."I Get High"
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
4:20
4."We'll See Stars"
3:50
5."Dance with Me"
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
3:45
6."Figure It Out"
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
4:25
7."Wonderful" (Watson, Rick Nowels)
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
  • Nowels
3:47
8."Raise Me Up"
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
  • Xander
4:34
9."Dreaming" (Watson, Sam Nelson Harris)
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
  • Harris
3:28
10."You Don't Know Me Like That"
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
  • Ja. Farah
  • Je. Farah
3:53
11."John Doe" (Watson, Nowels)
  • Watson
  • Nowels
3:35
12."Sorrento"
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
4:44
13."Need You to Love Me"
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
  • Ja. Farah
  • Je. Farah
3:58
14."Only One"
  • Watson
  • Belculfine
3:48
15."Live Without Your Love" (Watson, Joshua Karp)
3:34
16."Call My Name" (Watson, Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk)
  • Watson
  • Andrews
  • Belculfine
  • Kirk
2:41
Total length:63:33

Note

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Personnel

Musicians

  • Tones and I – lead vocals
  • Randy Belculfine – synthesizer (tracks 1, 2, 4–8, 10, 13–16); keyboards, piano (1, 2, 4–8, 10, 13–15), guitar (1, 4–8, 10, 12–15), percussion (1, 4–8, 10, 13–15), additional strings (1, 2, 7, 8), Mellotron (1, 4, 6, 8, 14), bass (1, 5, 6, 13, 15), organ (6, 7, 13–15), clavinet (10), strings (14, 15)
  • Choir Collective – choir (tracks 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 15)
  • Liz Webber – choir direction (tracks 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 15)
  • Tonion – strings (tracks 1, 2, 8)
  • Xander – strings (tracks 1, 2, 8)
  • Kara-Lee James – background vocals (tracks 2, 5, 7, 10, 16)
  • Sam Plummer – guitar (track 5)
  • Belle Bangard – background vocals (track 7), vocal direction (11, 16)
  • Austin Corona – effects keyboards (track 7); bass, drums (11)
  • Rick Nowels – piano (tracks 7, 11)
  • Angelia Panteli – background vocals (track 7)
  • Jayden Miranda – background vocals (track 7)
  • Randy Lilomaiava – background vocals (track 7)
  • Soli Tesema – background vocals (track 7)
  • Tino Tusitala – background vocals (track 7)
  • Patrick Warren – strings (track 7)
  • David Francisco – bass (track 8)
  • Dave Levita – guitar (track 11)

Technical

  • Chris Gehringer – mastering
  • Richard Stolz – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 10–12), engineering (1, 2, 4–8, 10–16)
  • Andrew Maury – mixing (tracks 1, 3, 4, 9, 14)
  • Alex Ghenea – mixing (tracks 5, 16)
  • Steve Dresser – mixing (track 6)
  • Dean Reid – mixing (track 7)
  • Miles Walker – mixing (tracks 8, 13)
  • Mark Mongilio – mixing (track 15)
  • Randy Belculfine – engineering
  • Eric J Dubowsky – engineering (track 2)
  • John Christopher Fee – engineering (tracks 7, 11)
  • Sam Nelson Harris – engineering (track 9)
  • Rick Nowels – engineering (track 11)
  • Joshua "Budo" Karp – engineering (track 15)
  • Stephen Kirk – engineering (track 16)
  • Belle Bangard – arrangement (track 7), vocal arrangement (16)

Charts

Chart performance for Beautifully Ordinary
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 1

References

  1. ^ a b "We've Been 'Dreaming' Of New Tones And I Music, And Here It Is!". The Honey Pop. 4 February 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Tones and I Shares New Single 'I Get High'". Broadway World. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Tones and I – shares latest single "Wonderful"". MC Gigs Music. May 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Tione Zylstra (18 June 2024). "Tones And I Announces New Album 'Beautifully Ordinary'". The Music. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Singles Added to Radio This Week". The Australian Music Report. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  6. ^ "ARIA Awards 2024 nominations — everything you need to know". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Tones And I Releases Highly Anticipated New Album 'Beautifully Ordinary'". Broadway World. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Album review: Tones and I's latest is Beautifully Ordinary". JB Hi-Fi. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  9. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.