''High Wire'' is the debut album by the American guitarist and singer

Ernie Isley Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician, best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley. Biography Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers for ...

, released in 1990. The album peaked at No. 174 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The title track was the album's first single.

Production

The album was produced by

Davitt Sigerson Davitt Sigerson (born 1957) is an American novelist whose first career was in the music business. Sigerson was a record producer, singer, songwriter, record company executive, and journalist. Early life, education, and career Davitt Sigerson was ...

, with Isley playing most of the instruments himself. It was recorded in Los Angeles and New York.

Critical reception

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote: "Not surprisingly, Isley's guitar playing is def and deft; surprisingly, it's Isley's songwriting and emotionally direct singing that makes the album more than a showcase of knife-sharp riffs and roiling grooves." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' thought that Isley's "keening intro on 'Rising From the Ashes', the snakelike soloing on 'Song for the Muses', the brief glimpse of country blues on 'In Deep' all demonstrate he belongs with the guitar giants." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called ''High Wire'' "the surprise pop album of the year," writing that "if it doesn't make it on radio ... it is because its synthesis of black pop styles and rock-and-roll defies the rigidity of labels." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' considered it the ninth best album of 1990, praising its "six-string pyrotechnics and solid songs that both Luther Vandross and Living Colour would kill 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 ...

called the album "an astonishingly diverse solo debut." ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' cautioned that "when the opportunity to play a solo presents itself, Ernie Isley usually winds up playing two or three."

Track listing

References

{{reflist 1990 albums Elektra Records albums