Cheers to the Fall is the debut studio album by American singer Andra Day. It was released on August 28, 2015, by Warner Bros. Records and Buskin Records. She worked with Jenn Decilveo, Adrian Gurvitz, Rob Kleiner, Raphael Saadiq, and Chris Seefried in the production of this album.

The album was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, while the second single "Rise Up" was nominated for Best R&B Performance; the song won The Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award at the Soul Train Music Awards, while her live performance on The View received a nomination at the 45th Daytime Emmy Awards.

Conception The album's tracks were entirely co-written by Day with Adrian Gurvitz, Rob Kleiner, Raphael Saadiq, Jennifer Decilveo, Pixie Lott and Chris Seefried, which expresses ""a biography in the form of soul music, [about] truth, fearlessness, vulnerability, forgiveness and love."

Critical reception

At Album of the Year, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 63 based on 4 reviews. Awarding the album four stars at AllMusic, Andy Kellman states, "almost every selection has a distinguishing detail or two, whether it's a sly nod to a classic hip-hop artist, an unexpected place Day takes her dynamic voice, or some clever expression of heartache." Steven J. Horowitz, giving the album three and a half stars for Billboard, writes, "she shouldn't be dismissed as a carbon copy [of Amy Winehouse] – the LP, inspired by an eight-year relationship's end, is too genuinely intentioned and rife with regret. It's hard not to sympathize when she bemoans". Reviewing the album from The Boston Globe, Ken Capobianco describes, "This confident, stylish pop R&B record ushers in a sophisticated vocalist who faithfully reflects past influences while remaining contemporary and relevant." Camille Augustin, who pens a review of the album for Vibe, says, "The beauty in Andra's art is that the message applies to all. All we need to do is listen."

Track listing

Personnel Credits adapted from AllMusic.

Musicians

Billy Adamson – guitar Victor Axelrod – piano Kala Balch – background vocals Nick Barr – cello, viola Lemar Carter – drums Matt Chamberlain – drums Errol Cooney – guitar Rosie Danvers – cello, string arrangements Andra Day – lead vocals, background vocals Joe Crispiano – guitar Chris "Daddy" Dave – drums Kylie Davies – double bass Jenn Decilveo – bass DJ Jazzy Jeff – scratching Alison Dods – violin Lisa Dondlinger – violin Sean Erick – horn Jonathan Flaugher – bass Elizabeth Frascoia – trombone Cochemea Gastelum – baritone saxophone Adrian Gurvitz – drums, harmonica, piano, strings, vocals David Guy – trumpet Missi Hale – background vocals Sally Jackson – violin Bryony James – cello Chris Johnson – drums Charles Jones – organ, piano Patrick Kiernan – violin Rob Kleiner – bass, guitar, percussion, piano Keri Larson – background vocals Mika Lett – background vocals Timothy Loo – cello Jordan McLean – trumpet Leon Michels – saxophone Miles Mosley – bass David Paich – piano Pino Palladino – bass Dean Parks – guitar Jimmy Paxson – drums Kerenza Peacock – violin Hayley Pomfrett – violin Questlove – drums Zac Rae – piano Peter Randall – bass Raphael Saadiq – bass, drums, guitar, percussion Jenny Sacha – violin Bridget Sarai – background vocals Chris Seefried – guitar, Moog synthesizer, piano Sarah Sexton – violin Gus Seyffert – bass Onitsha Shaw – background vocals Leon Silva – horn Josh Smith – guitar Homer Steinweiss – drums Neal Sugarman – saxophone Calvin Turner – bass Fernando Velez – percussion Carl Wheeler – organ Bruce White – cello, viola Deborah Widdup – violin Kevin Williams – horn The Wired Strings – strings Dave Wood – guitar

Technical personnel

Keith Armstrong – assistant Ryan Benton – A&R Tom Bilier – engineering Gerry "The Gov" Brown – mixing Bobby Campbell – mixing Adam Chagnon – mixing engineer Jon Chen – A&R Steve Churchyard – engineering Irie Cooper – mixing assistant Andra Day – executive production Jenn Decilveo – production, additional production Jeffrey Evans – executive production Jeff Fenster – A&R Michael Frondelli – engineering Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering Adrian Gurvitz – executive production, production, additional production, engineering, programming Seth Atkins Horan – engineering Hotae Alexander Jang – mixing assistant Ben Kane – engineering Nik Karpen – assistant Rob Kleiner – production, vocal production, engineering, programming Chris Lord-Alge – mixing Tony Maserati – mixing Dan McCarroll – A&R James Poyser – additional production Alex Reid – programming Gabriel Roth – engineering Steve Rusch – mixing, engineering Raphael Saadiq – production Myriam Santos – creative direction, photography Andrew Schubert – mixing engineer Tyler Scott – mixing engineer Chris Seefried – production, vocal production, programming Ken Sluiter – engineering, second engineer Nick Taylor – engineering, string engineering Jonna Terrasi – A&R Stephen Walker – art direction Matt "Wiggy" Wiggers – mixing engineer

In other media

Day's song "Rise Up" has been used in numerous media: Serena Williams Beats ad campaign. (2015) The tenth and final episode in the Netflix series The Five (2016) The twenty-second episode "Mama Tried" in season 12 of the medical drama, Grey's Anatomy (2016) A trailer for the 2016 film The Birth of a Nation Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016 as a theme song at campaigns and rallies. A trailer for the 2017 film Stronger. The ABC docudrama miniseries When We Rise, which chronicled the LGBT rights movement in America. During NBA player Paul Pierce's jersey number retirement ceremony with the Boston Celtics (2018) The episode "Rosa", in the science fiction television series Doctor Who (2018) The series finale of Big Brother (UK) (2018) The episode "Athena Begins" of 9-1-1 (2019) The end credits of "Me as Well" of Orange Is the New Black (2019) Sung at the end of the Disney+ movie Godmothered (2020) In Vodafone's Christmas advert campaign (2020) Performed by Alex Newell (as Mo) in the first episode "Zoey's Extraordinary Return" in season 2 of the musical comedy-drama Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2021)

"Rise Up" has frequently been covered on television talent shows around the world including: America's Got Talent: Angelica Hale American Idol: Just Sam (Season 18) Britain's Got Talent: Sarah Ikumu (Season 11) and The B-Positive Choir (Season 12) The X Factor UK: Caitlyn Vanbeck & group performance. Kelsea Johnson (Season 14) The Voice: Esera Tuaolo (Season 13), Aaliyah Rose (Season 12), Lauren Diaz (Season 11) and Tamar Davis (Season 10) Queen of the Universe: Grag Queen (Season 1) Shulem Lemmer, the Hasidic Jewish icon, and the first Haredi Jew to sign with a major record label, released his own cover version as a single in 2020.

Live performances In 2016 Day performed "Rearview" at the 2016 ESPY Awards during the In Memoriam tribute. In 2021, Day performed "Rise Up (Andra Day)" during the virtual inaugural parade, commemorating the Inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States and again performed the song at the opening ceremony of Expo 2020 in Dubai, UAE on September 30, 2021.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (2015–2016) Peak position

Year-end charts Chart (2016) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 37

Certifications

References