Life Is Fine
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Life Is Fine
| type = studio
| artist = Paul Kelly
| cover = LifeIsFine.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2017|08|11|df=y}}
| recorded = 2017
| studio =
| genre = Folk rock
| length =
| label = EMI Music Australia, Cooking Vinyl
| producer =
| prev_title = Death's Dateless Night
| prev_year = 2016
| next_title = Nature
| next_year = 2018
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Life Is Fine
| type = Studio
| single1 = Firewood and Candles
| single1date = 23 June 2017
}}
}}
Life Is Fine is the 23rd studio album by Australian musician Paul Kelly, released on 11 August 2017. The album debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart with sales of 6,198 units. It is Kelly's first number-one album in Australia.{{cite web|url=http://www.noise11.com/news/paul-kelly-had-a-convincing-sales-win-over-ed-sheeran-last-week-20170821|title= Paul Kelly Had A Convincing Sales Win Over Ed Sheeran Last Week|publisher=noise11|date=21 August 2017|accessdate=22 August 2017}}
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2017, the album was nominated for seven awards, winning 4; Best Male Artist, Best Adult Contemporary Album, Engineer of the Year and Best Cover Art.
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = Allmusic
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0003072726}}
}}
Background and recording
Life Is Fine is Kelly's first solo album of original material since 2012's Spring and Fall, and follows on from two releases in 2016: Seven Sonnets and a Song, which saw Kelly putting the words of William Shakespeare to music; and Death's Dateless Night, a collaborative album with Charlie Owen primarily consisting of covers and funeral songs. The album was recorded in the first half of 2017 with Kelly's classic backing band, who return to playing with Kelly in 2014 following the Spring and Fall tour. The album takes its title from a poem by American poet Langston Hughes, and its words are put to music on the closing title track.{{cite web|last1=Kelly|first1=Paul|title=Paul Kelly - Life Is Fine EPK|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gP8gTy8PJY|website=YouTube|publisher=YouTube.com|accessdate=7 August 2017}}
The album's first single, "Firewood and Candles," was released on 23 June 2017. An accompanying music video was released on 3 August 2017.{{cite web|last1=Sen|first1=Prad|title=Paul Kelly - Firewood and Candles - official video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjkM3uDK6Fs|website=YouTube.com|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=7 August 2017}}
Track listing
All songs written by Paul Kelly, except "Life is Fine;" written by Langston Hughes.{{cite web|title=Life Is Fine PAUL KELLY|url=https://www.jbhifi.com.au/music/browse/singer-songwriter/life-is-fine/459128/|website=JBHiFi.com|publisher=JB Hi-Fi|accessdate=7 August 2017}}
All music written by Paul Kelly and Bill McDonald.
- "Rising Moon"
- "Finally Something Good"
- "Firewood and Candles"
- "My Man's Got a Cold"
- "Rock Out on the Sea"
- "Leah: The Sequel"
- "Letter in the Rain"
- "Josephina"
- "Don't Explain"
- "I Smell Trouble"
- "Petrichor"
- "Life Is Fine"
Personnel
Adapted from the Life Is Fine electronic press kit.
- Paul Kelly – lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
- Bill McDonald – bass guitar, arrangement
- Cameron Bruce – piano, keyboards, backing vocals
- Ashley Naylor – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Peter Luscombe – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Vika Bull – vocals
- Linda Bull – vocals
Charts
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2017)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|Australia|1|artist=Paul Kelly|album=Life Is Fine|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 August 2017}} |
| scope="row"| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ){{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/albums/2017-09-15|title=NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|date=21 August 2017|access-date=18 August 2017}}
| 1 |
| scope="row"|UK Independent Album Breakers (OCC){{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-albums-breakers-chart/20170818/255/|title=Official Independent Album Breakers Chart|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=18 August 2017|access-date=23 March 2025}}
| 20 |
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2017)
! scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://www.ariacharts.com.au/annual-charts/2017/albums-chart|title=ARIA End of Year Albums 2017|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|accessdate=5 January 2018}}
| 14 |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=album|award=Gold|relyear=2017|certyear=2017|access-date=November 12, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}