Through The Shadows

Through The Shadows is the debut studio album by pop singer Anna Jones. It was released through Strawberry Records on April 11, 2011 and hit Number 3 in the UK Official Charts. The album was written and recorded throughout 2010 and early 2011 and included a handful of producers including Dr Luke, Stargate and Red One produced three tracks on the album. The album's lead single Wait A Minute was released in February 2011 and hit the top 10, also did DJ, the album's second single which was released alongside the album in April 2011.

In August 2011, the album was re-released and repackaged with eight new tracks. It was released alongside the third and final single from the album, Turn Your Head. The album achieved fifteen weeks in the top 40 and sold over 300,000 units. It was a complete success for Anna and quickly announced a tour to support the album. It was rumored that 'Heart Heart Kiss Kiss' was intended for release in October 2011 but after the The Out Tonight Tour in August, Anna took an extended break to work on her next album.

The total sales of album and singles for this album exceed over 900,000 units making this era a huge success for Anna.

Background
Following a change in plan to her career, Anna got the opportunity to record a few tracks she had previously written in her teenage years. In the recording studio, her tracks ended up in the hands of music producer, Red One, who then make Anna his 'project' and ended up producing three of the tracks on the album. Other producers then got on board including Dr. Luke, Wayne Wilkins, Stargate, and Fredo. For two tracks on the album, Anna produced them. In November 2010, Anna used up a lot of her inheritance money and some from her label, Strawberry Records to master and set up an ultimate album campaign to get her face everywhere. In January 2011, the lead single, Wait A Minute was launched the the album campaign officially started.

Release
Through The Shadows was released on 11 April, 2011, the same date as the album's second single, DJ. The album was officially launched at the nightclub G.A.Y. in London where a cut down version of the album was performed the Saturday night before release. On the 10 April, 2011 90 second clips of each of the tracks from the album were uploaded onto the official website where many fans listened the night before release.

Upon initial release in the UK, the album was released as a standard & deluxe edition. The standard edition was ten tracks long and was available to buy from iTunes and HMV exclusively. The deluxe edition included seven extra tracks which included remixes, new tracks and live performances. The deluxe edition was repackaged with a brand new cover and a signed version was available to buy from HMV Online. The deluxe edition of the album has now been deleted as it is no longer printed and therefore it is very rare among fans.

Reception
Through The Shadows received generally mixed to positive reviews from contemporary pop music critics, earning a rating of 62 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 6 reviews. The Guardian gave the album three stars out of five but felt it was "a good effort but lacks any real structure". Tom Ewing argues, "Parts of this album never pass beyond conservative pleasantries. But the shift in sound was still necessary." The review further described Through The Shadows as "a low-key, shadowy kind of pop record, whose best songs rarely take immediate hold."

Commercial Performance
Through The Shadows exceeded all expectations and stormed in the chart at Number 3 selling over 60,000 copies in it's first week of sales. The album was certified Silver in May 2011 and spent a whopping 16 weeks in the top 40 with help from the re-release and the release of her third single, Turn Your Head. To date, the album has sold more than 310,000 copies and has been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Singles
"Wait A Minute" is the European lead single of the album, written by Anna herself and produced by Red One. The song was released and distributed by Strawberry Records in the United Kingdom on 21st February 2011 and on the 25th February in Ireland. It officially reached a peak of #8 in its first week of sales with 57,300 copies sold. As of 17th April 2011, the single had sold over 220,000 copies.

"DJ" is album's second single in the UK and Ireland which peaked at Number 6 in the chart. Despite being her highest charting single, it is her lowest selling one to date with selling only 186,001 copies and achieving a Silver certification.

"Turn Your Head", the third and final single to be released from the album. Released along side the repackaged edition of the album with similar covers, the single hit Number 10 in the charts. The single was heavily promoted and achieved sales of 195,681 with 8 weeks in the top 40.