''Expectations'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Katie Pruitt, released by

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

on February 21, 2020. The album has received positive reviews from critics. The album is made up of compositions about Pruitt's life. On November 24, 2020, ''Expectations'' was nominated for a Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Reception

Album of the Year characterized the critical consensus as a 75 out of 100. For '' Paste'', Eric R. Danton gave ''Expectations'' a seven out of 10, praising the emotional depth of the lyrics but criticizing formulaic songwriting and some lyrics that fall flat. Sam Sodomsky of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' gave it the same rating, writing that it has strong

arrangements In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

and stately

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s. In ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', Scott Roos gave it an eight out of 10 for truth-telling lyrics and a "first-rate" band. ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

''s Hal Horowitz scored ''Expectations'' at four out of five for wise production that accentuates her lyrics, along with a balance of musical genres. Introducing Pruitt for a feature, Kelly McCartney of '' No Depression'', called the release "stunning" and continued, "As an artist’s opening statement, the album is bold and beautiful, impactful and entertaining. It’s an exercise in courage so exquisitely raw that Brown would surely be proud of it." Joseph Hudak of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' praised Pruitt's "nimble guitar playing" and "elastic voice".

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's Jewly Hight characterized the album with, "Pruitt's done that with such clarity of expression and disarming intimacy—''Expectations'' is aesthetically warmhearted even in its tensest moments of confrontation—that she's given her own family a greater understanding of her experience".

Track listing

All songs written by Katie Pruitt, except where noted #"Wishful Thinking" – 5:10 #"My Mind's a Ship (That's Going Down)" (Jess Nolan and Pruitt) – 4:00 #"Expectations" (Ross McReynolds and Pruitt) – 3:55 #"Out of the Blue" – 5:13 #"Normal" – 5:12 #"Grace Has a Gun" – 4:21 #"Searching for the Truth" – 4:32 #"Georgia" – 4:11 #"Loving Her" – 5:04 #"It's Always Been You" – 5:13

Personnel

*Katie Pruitt – lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars,

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

*Hank Born – electric guitar *Maggie Chaffee – cello *David Crutcher –

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

, organ, piano *Eric Darken – bells,

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

*Alicia Enstrom – violin *Luke Enyeart – electric guitar *Laura Epling – violin *Alysse Gafkjen – photography *Austin Hoke – cello *Jedd Hughes – electric guitar *Calvin Knowles – bass guitar *Betsy Lamb –

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

*Ross McReynolds – drums, percussion *Ian Miller – African bells, Fender Rhodes, keyboards,

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

, organ, piano *Jess Nolan – backing vocals *Jake Ohlbaum – backing vocals *Gary Paczosa –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

*Michael Robinson – engineer, production *Carrie Smith – design *Jake Tudor – viola *Kristin Webber – violin *Sami Wideberg – artwork *Johnny Williamson – electric guitar

References

External links

* * *
Rounder Records press releaseA set by Pruitt
on

's '' World Cafe'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Expectations 2020 debut albums Katie Pruitt albums Rounder Records albums LGBT-related albums

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

See also

References

External links