Life Goes On (Kiera Thompson album)

Life Goes On is the debut studio album by Kuboian singer-songwriter Kiera Thompson. The album was released through Oyea Records on 10th September, 2006, and was supported by four singles; "Out of the Blue", "Not Too Late", "Within Fahrbahnin Streets" and "Step Round Here". It received generally favourable reviews and peaked at number one on the Karuboia Albums Chart. The album has since been certified Platinum by the KSR.

Thompson's stepsister, Selina Cadwell, contributed to the lyrics of several of the tracks and also provides guest vocals on "Within Fahrbahnin Streets" and "We'll Be Alright".

Background
A majority of the songs were written by Thompson and her stepsister in 2004 and 2005 - the two had written a total of eleven songs, seven of which were included on Life Goes On. Tim Bucher and Blade Holter helped rearrange the songs so they sounded more professional, with the latter producing a majority of the album's tracks.

The fifth track on the album, "Dark Tunnels at Midnight", does not include any vocals and is a pure instrumental piece. Thompson, who provided the piano on the track, said it was included as she wanted to include something onto the album that would make it stand out without looking too silly or gimmicky.

The ability to pre-order the album was introduced in August 2006, roughly a month before its release. Those who pre-ordered the CD version of the album were given an additional disc which featured the instrumental version of all ten vocal tracks.

According to Thompson, the album explores a variety of different themes including heartbreak, loneliness, social anxiety and rebellion.

Singles
The album's lead single, "Out of the Blue", was released on 5th March, 2006.

The album's second single, "Not Too Late", was released on 24th September, 2006.

The album's third single, "Within Fahrbahnin Streets", was released on 7th January, 2007.

The album's fourth and final single, "Step Round Here", was released on 29th April, 2007. The single version is actually a remixed version with additional vocals by Kool Teazer which were not present on the original album track.

Promotional singles
In September 2006, "Out of Here" was released as a promotional single, which was accompanied by a music video.

Critical reception
Life Goes On received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. A review from BBC Music stated it "is pretty much everything you expect from a Karoulish teenage girl", but praised the closing song, "Within Fahrbahnin Streets", as "easily the best track on the album by a landslide. If only the rest of the lineup sounded like it."

A review on Yahoo! Music gave Life Goes On an 8 out of 10, writing that Thompson "does not fail to deliver at any point", citing every track as a potential hit.

Track listing

 * 1) "Life Goes On"
 * 2) "Out of the Blue"
 * 3) "Rising High"
 * 4) "Not Too Late"
 * 5) "Dark Tunnels at Midnight" (instrumental track)
 * 6) "We'll Be Alright" (feat. Selina Cadwell)
 * 7) "Run Away"
 * 8) "Step Round Here"
 * 9) "Out of Here"
 * 10) "Where I Belong"
 * 11) "Within Fahrbahnin Streets" (feat. Selina Cadwell)

CD edition bonus tracks

 * 12. "No Different"
 * 13. "Truth Be Told"
 * 14. "Don't Go Away"
 * 15. "Out of the Blue" (instrumental)
 * 16. "Not Too Late" (instrumental)
 * 17. "Within Fahrbahnin Streets" (instrumental)