''Happier Blue'' is an album by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
singer/songwriter
Chris Smither
William Christopher Smither (born November 11, 1944) is an American folk/blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, and modern poets and philosophers.
Early life, influences and educat ...
, released in 1993. It won a National American Independent Record Distributors (
NAIRD
The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) is a trade association that represents independent record labels in the United States, founded in 2005. A2IM is headquartered in New York City, with chapters located in Nashville, Chicago, North ...
) award.
Reception
Writing for
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, critic Richard Meyer wrote of the album "All the elements of Chris Smither's distinctive style are here: passionate vocals, his cool songs, and some covers."
Music critic
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
gave the album a two-star honorable mention and briefly commented "expansive new songs, congenial new band, and the stompingest foot this side of John Lee Hooker"
Track listing
All songs by Chris Smither unless otherwise noted.
# "Happier Blue"
# "Memphis in the Meantime" (
John Hiatt)
# "The Devil's Real"
# "No More Cane on the Brazos/Mail Order Mystics" (Smither, Traditional)
# "No Reward"
# "Already Gone (Flatfoot Blues)"
# "Killing the Blues" (
Rowland Salley)
# "Rock and Roll Doctor" (
Lowell George
Lowell Thomas George (April 13, 1945 – June 29, 1979) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who was the primary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and founder/leader for the rock band Little Feat.
Earl ...
)
# "Magnolia" (
J. J. Cale
John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and sound engineer. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Mark Knop ...
)
# "Honeysuckle Dog"
# "Take it All"
# "Time to Spend"
Personnel
*Chris Smither – vocals, guitar, foot percussion
*Bill Urmson - bass
*Robin Batteau - violin
*Bill Brookheim - percussion
*
Brad Hatfield
Brad Hatfield (born May 15, 1956, in Columbus, Ohio) is a musician, arranger, and Emmy Award winning composer. He is a regular performer on piano and keyboards with the Boston Pops Orchestra. He has also performed with the Utah Symphony and the Bo ...
- keyboards
*Bob Gay - saxophone
*Mark Egan - bass
Production
*Produced and engineered by John Nagy
*Mastered by Toby Mountain
References
{{Authority control
1993 albums
Chris Smither albums