Gentleman's Blues

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Gentleman's Blues
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 25, 1998
GenreAlternative rock
Length73:02
LabelVirgin
ProducerDon Smith[1]
Cracker chronology
The Golden Age
(1996)
Gentleman's Blues
(1998)
Garage d'Or
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

Gentleman's Blues is Cracker's fourth studio album.[4][5] It was released in 1998 by Virgin Records.[6][7]

Cracker frontman David Lowery said that the album's name arose when guitarist Johnny Hickman heard him playing a tune on the piano and observed that it sounded like an old Southern gentleman trying to play the blues.[8]

Critical reception[edit]

The Chicago Tribune wrote: "The gospel-tinged rocker 'Seven Days' showcases Lowery's way with a punchy chorus; 'James River' and the spooky title track find him delving deeper into dirgy, swampy blues; and Johnny Hickman continues to provide muscle and sinew with his crackling guitar leads and rootsier song contributions."[9] The Rough Guide to Rock called the album a return "to American rock fundamentals with something approaching resignation, perhaps even nostalgia."[10] The Los Angeles Times thought that "Hickman’s stellar, nuanced guitar work fluidly adapts to twangy rockers and dreamlike ballads, while Lowery’s nasal rasp gives voice to characters with good lives and bad, who invariably carry one of his most consistent messages: You control your destiny, so quit whining and face it."[11]

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Good Life" (Lowery, Hickman) - 3:50
  2. "Seven Days" (Lowery, Hickman) - 4:24
  3. "Star" (Lowery, Hickman) - 3:21
  4. "James River" (Lowery) - 5:03
  5. "My Life Is Totally Boring Without You" (Lowery, Hickman, Rupe) - 3:17
  6. "Been Around the World" (Lowery) - 5:02
  7. "The World Is Mine" (Lowery, Hickman) (from Gillette Fusion 2009 Commercial) - 3:45
  8. "Lullabye" (Lowery) - 4:59
  9. "Waiting for You Girl" (Lowery, Hickman) - 4:01
  10. "Trials & Tribulations" (Hickman) - 3:01
  11. "Wild One" (Lowery, Hickman, Rupe) - 4:25
  12. "Hold of Myself" (Hickman) - 3:57
  13. "Gentleman's Blues" (Lowery, Hickman) - 4:58
  14. "I Want Out of the Circus" (Lowery) - 4:53
  15. "Wedding Day" (Hickman) - 3:47
  16. "Hallelujah" (Lowery) - 4:10
  17. [Silence]
  18. "1-202-456-1414" (the touch-tone phone number for the White House)[12] - :08
  19. [Silence]
  20. "1-202-514-8688" (a U.S. Department of Justice phone number, formerly held by Ken Starr)[13] - :08
  21. [Silence]
  22. "1-310-289-4459" (presently, the phone number for Beverly Hills psychotherapist Julia Kantor)[14] - :12
  23. [Silence]
  24. "Cinderella" (Lowery) - 5:03

Tracks after 16 "Hallelujah" are all hidden tracks. Track 24 has vocals by LP,[15] who also sings backup on "Star" and "Hallelujah."[16]

Personnel[edit]

Additional musicians

  • LP – lead vocals (24)

Chart performance[edit]

Chart (1998) Peak
position
The Billboard 200 182[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Features, ALAN SCULLEY Last Word. "HAVE ANOTHER BITE OF CRACKER BLUES". dailypress.com.
  2. ^ Thomas, Stephen (1998-08-25). "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  3. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (June 21, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743201698 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Daly, Sean (August 27, 1998). "Live Report: Cracker".
  5. ^ "Cracker: Gentleman's Blues". Music.
  6. ^ "Cracker".
  7. ^ Thompson, Dave (June 21, 2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9780879306076 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Interview with David Lowery of Cracker". NY Rock. Archived from the original on 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  9. ^ Caro, Mark. "CRACKER". chicagotribune.com.
  10. ^ Buckley, Peter (June 21, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531050 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "Still Crisp". Los Angeles Times. August 23, 1998.
  12. ^ "Contact the White House | The White House". Whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  13. ^ [1][dead link]
  14. ^ "De beste bron van informatie over meaningfulengagement". meaningfulengagement.com. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  15. ^ "News". lprock.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  16. ^ Gentleman's Blues (Media notes). Cracker. 1998.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ "Cracker". Billboard.