''Believer'' is a 2001 album by

Laura Dawn Laura Dawn is an American political activist and singer-songwriter. She has been the cultural director for MoveOn.org from 2003 to 2011 and was named the organization's national creative director in 2007. In 2019 she helped to found progressive ...

. It was released by the now-defunct Extasy International Records, an offshoot of the

Extasy Records Extasy Records is a Japanese record label founded in April 1986 by Yoshiki Hayashi, co-founder of the heavy metal band X Japan. The label's first release was X's 1986 single "Orgasm". Over the next few years, the label signed several then-lit ...

label created by

X Japan was a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive soun ...

drummer

Yoshiki Yoshiki is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yoshiki can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *義樹, "justice, tree" *義基, "justice, foundation" *義機, "justice, opportu ...

, and distributed by Warner Bros. It features a

hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...

, "Jump Into the Fire", originally by

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...

. Dawn described the album as the soundtrack to her rollercoaster life of the preceding few years.She's a Believer
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', November 3, 2001, p. 20. Retrieved August 12, 2015 via

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...

She toured the US in support of the album. The album was produced by

Ted Niceley Ted Niceley is an American record producer. He is most known for his production work with Fugazi, Girls Against Boys, Jawbox, Tripping Daisy, and others.Tommy Stinson Thomas Eugene Stinson (born October 6, 1966) is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stins ...

of The Replacements and

Robt Ptak Robt Ptak (born October 13, 1970) is an American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, and record producer who is the co-founding member and bassist/backing vocalist for 1990s pop punk band Size 14. Career Size 14 The band Size 14 was ...

Size 14 Size 14 was an American rock band in the late 1990s based out of Hollywood that gained some notoriety with the novelty song "Claire Danes Poster". This song appeared on the '' Dude, Where's My Car? soundtrack''; other Size 14 songs appeared on mo ...

on bass/guitar, drummers

Josh Freese Joshua Ryan Freese (born December 25, 1972) is an American session drummer. He is the son of tuba soloist Stan Freese and the older brother of musician Jason Freese. He is a member of the Vandals (since 1989) and Devo (since 1996), having forme ...

from

A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle has released four studio albums, the first three during the early 2000s: ' ...

and Kevin March of

Shudder to Think Shudder to Think was an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on the Washington, D.C.-based label Dischord Records, and two on Epic Records. Their early work was largely influenced by post-hardcore although ...

, and guitarist

Richard Fortus Richard Fortus (born November 17, 1966) is an American guitarist. He has been a member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has recorded one studio album, since 2001. Fortus has also collaborated extensively with The Psychedelic Fur ...

of the

Psychedelic Furs Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science ...

.Bowman, Tony
"Laura Dawn - Believer - Ecstasy/Warner"
''Ink 19''. May 1, 2002. Accessed July 28, 2016. "I Would", taken from the album, reached number 37 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Pop Songs chart.

Reception

Stephanie Dickison, reviewing the album for

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

, viewed it positively, calling Dawn "a woman that dares to contradict, a woman who uses words wisely and humorously".Dickison, Stephanie (2001)
Laura Dawn ''Believer''
,

, October 8, 2001. Retrieved August 12, 2015. ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' called it a "sweetly vicious debut, which is equal parts power pop and sugary punk, like

Siouxsie Sioux Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She was the lead singer of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976–1996). They released 11 ...

meets Jewel".Wawerna, Beth (2002)
The Hit List
, ''

'', February 2002, p. 36. Retrieved August 12, 2015 via

. Tony Bowman, writing for ''Ink 19'', said the following: "In keeping with Dawn’s country upbringing, the songs contained here tell individual stories that give you an idea of what her life has been like. Unlike her country upbringing, these songs rock....The album also has a softer side that is showcased brilliantly with “Useless In LA,” the album’s finest moment. After a couple of listens, you’ll walk away feeling that you’ve known Laura most of your life. That is what separates this disc from a lot of the music out today — it’s honest, sincere, and a lot of fun to listen to." ''Allmusic'' writer Hal Horowitz gave the album a two star rating, calling it "a sturdy debut from a remarkably assured singer/songwriter with a knack for writing songs and hooks that sound familiar on first listen".

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2001 albums Extasy Records albums