One Heart is the nineteenth studio album, and the eighth English-language album, by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was released by Columbia Records and Epic Records on 24 March 2003, and promoted with the lead single "I Drove All Night". The album was produced mainly by Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, Peer àström, Anders Bagge, and Kristian Lundin. One Heart topped charts in several countries and received multi-platinum, platinum, and gold certifications worldwide. It has sold over five million copies globally.
The release of the album marked the beginning of A New Day..., Dion's five-year concert engagement at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
One Heart includes songs produced by Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, Peer àström, Anders Bagge, Ric Wake, Kristian Lundin, Kara DioGuardi, John Shanks, Guy Roche, and others. It features a cover of Roy Orbison's "I Drove All Night", later popularised by Cyndi Lauper. Another track, "Reveal", was written by Cathy Dennis, who also wrote "Toxic" for Britney Spears, and "Can't Get You Out of My Head" for Kylie Minogue, among others. "Sorry for Love (2003 version)" is the original version of the song; the dance version appeared a year earlier on A New Day Has Come. "Coulda Woulda Shoulda", previously available on the 2002 special limited edition of A New Day Has Come, was also included. The album contains "Have You Ever Been in Love", taken from A New Day Has Come. The final track, "Je t'aime encore", was also recorded in French and included on Dion's next album, 1 fille & 4 types.
In June 2004, a bonus DVD titled One Year... One Heart was included with some editions of A New Day... Live in Las Vegas. It contains the recording of "I Drove All Night" and "Have You Ever Been in Love", the making of the "One Heart" music video, and other content.
"I Drove All Night" was chosen as the lead single and became a hit, reaching number one in Canada, Belgium, and Sweden. Although "Have You Ever Been in Love" had already appeared on Dion's previous album, A New Day Has Come, it was released as the second single from One Heart in the United States, and as the third single in selected international markets. It performed well on the Adult Contemporary charts in the US and Canada, peaking at number two and number three, respectively. The title track was issued as the second single outside the United States and reached the top 40 in several countries, including number 27 in the United Kingdom. Two additional radio singles were released at the end of 2003: "Stand by Your Side" in the US, and "Faith" in Canada.
In the United States, "I Drove All Night", "Have You Ever Been in Love", "One Heart", and "Love Is All We Need" were used between 2003 and 2004 in an advertising campaign for DaimlerChrysler. The CD's inlay cover also included the Chrysler logo and slogan.
The album received mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic's senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated it two-and-a-half stars out of five, writing that the collaboration with Britney Spears's producer Max Martin on three tracks suggested "desperation that underscores every minute of One Heart, where it seems like Dion will do anything to stay on the charts". He also noted that "One Heart favors a smooth Vegas-showstopper gloss to radio-ready sheen, which only accentuates the lack of cohesiveness here" and argued that the album "reveals all her weaknesses". Chuck Arnold of People delivered a mixed review, describing the album as "a bit jarring at times" and remarking that "Dion sounds so strangely subdued on some tracks, you keep waiting for her to really let rip". However, he added positively that "There is a lightness to One Heart that has been missing from much of Dion's previous work, as she leans more toward upbeat dance numbers, easy-listening rock, and even borderline country-pop".
Andrew Lynch of Entertainment.ie was more negative, writing that "Dion's songwriters seem to have been under strict instructions to keep the material as bland as possible" and that although her voice remained powerful, "she still doesn't sound as if she believes a word of what she's singing". He concluded that "One Heart is certainly one of her better collections â but frankly, that isn't saying very much". The Guardians Betty Clarke wrote that "Dion proves she can be more than a series of hollow â if album-shifting â sentiments". Darryl Sterdan of Jam! gave a negative review, criticising the album as "full of unoriginal, instantly forgettable fluff â leftover Britney bubble-pop from Max Martin, cliché chestâÂÂpounding power ballads, a title cut that's a blatant Shania soundalike, and a CherâÂÂstyle Eurodisco revamp of the Roy Orbison hit 'I Drove All Night', which she's already turned into a Chrysler jingle".
In contrast, a positive review came from Amazon's Rebecca Wallwork, who praised the album for "an unrelenting theme of joy and believing in one's self" and described it as "well timed and well executed". She added that "it contains no surprises, but then, besides her voice, that's one of Dion's biggest assets". In a more favourable review, Entertainment Weeklys Elisabeth Vincentelli questioned "why Celine gets so little respect?" and praised Dion's "uncanny ability to infuse sincerity into aural Hallmark cards and sound like the only person on earth who believes in true love". She concluded: "And in our age of postmodern ironists, isn't it refreshing to encounter someone who so genuinely loves her job?" Slant Magazines Sal Cinquemani praised "the album as a whole", noting that "she continues the restrained approach of her last record, both in production and performance". He concluded that "One Heart may be the smartest album Dion could make at this stage in her career". Billboard also praised the album, stating: "One Heart may not crackle with the noise of an 'event' record, but it succeeds at something far more important: It is a fine piece of music".
In Canada, One Heart debuted at number one, selling 97,000 copies in its first week, making it the biggest debut of the year. It spent eight weeks inside the top 10 of the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified triple platinum by the CRIA for shipments of 300,000 units. In France, One Heart also debuted at number one and remained there for two weeks. It was certified platinum in July 2003 for sales of 300,000 copies. The album also entered at number one in Denmark and Belgium's Flanders, remaining at the top for a second week in both countries. It was certified platinum in Denmark and gold in Belgium. One Heart topped the chart in Switzerland as well, where it was certified platinum, and reached number one in Greece, earning a gold certification. It became a top 10 album in many other European countries, including the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number four, was certified gold, and has sold over 204,000 copies. On the European Top 100 Albums, One Heart reached number two and was certified platinum by the IFPI for sales exceeding one million copies in Europe.
In the United States, One Heart entered the Billboard 200 at number two with firstâÂÂweek sales of 432,000 copies. It fell to number four the following week, selling 166,000 units, and dropped to number eight in its third week with sales of 117,000 copies. It later reached number 11, selling an additional 116,000 units. In April 2003, the album was certified double platinum by the RIAA for shipments of two million copies. The album also reached the top 10 in Australia and New Zealand, earning platinum certifications in both countries. According to Billboard, One Heart was the 10th bestâÂÂselling album in the first half of 2003, with sales of 1.3 million. The IFPI also reported that One Heart was the 10th bestâÂÂselling album worldwide in 2003. It has sold over five million copies globally.
In 2003, Dion won the American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist and was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. In 2004, she also received the Dragon Award for International Female Artist of the Year, and "Have You Ever Been in Love" earned both an ASCAP London Award and a BMI London Award as one of the most performed songs in the United States. Dion was also nominated for four Juno Awards of 2004, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (One Heart), and the Fan Choice Award. Additional nominations included a Billboard Music Award for Hot Adult Contemporary Artist, a MuchMoreMusic Award for "I Drove All Night", and a Félix Award for Artist of the Year Achieving the Most Success in a Language Other Than French.