''Little'' is the debut album by

Vic Chesnutt James Victor Chesnutt (November 12, 1964 – December 25, 2009) was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, ''Little'', was released in 1990. His commercial breakthrough came in 1996 with the release of '' Sweet ...

, released in 1990. Produced by

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

frontman

Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Pos ...

, it was Chesnutt's first solo release. The album was re-released on July 5, 2004, on the New West Records label and included five bonus tracks.

Overview

Deciding to pursue a solo career after the band, La-Di-Das, broke up, Chesnutt would play solo at the

40 Watt Club The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and new wave music. The 40 Watt Club was the primary performance space for numero ...

. It was there that R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe first spotted Chesnutt and helped him to produce his first album. ''Little'' was recorded in one day: October 6, 1988, and the session was produced by Michael Stipe at John Keane's studio in Athens, Georgia. It was released on Texas Hotel Records in 1990.

Reception

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

'' gave ''Little'' an 8.6, stating:

The most elemental of any of Chesnutt's albums, it features just his warbly voice and precarious acoustic guitar, occasionally accompanied by Stipe's keyboard flourishes. As its title suggests, ''Little'' is about Chesnutt's Pike County childhood, a theme he would return to repeatedly as if thumbing worn and creased snapshots found at the bottom of a drawer. "Rabbit Box" begins, "While I was still in elementary school I discovered Daddy's tools," following the songwriter as he builds a rabbit box out of scrap lumber, but only catches a cat and a possum.

Track listing

All songs written by

#"Isadora Duncan" – 4:37 #"Danny Carlisle" – 2:59 #"Gepetto" – 2:29 #"Bakersfield" – 2:39 #"Mr. Reilly" – 3:23 #"Rabbit Box" – 2:17 #"Speed Racer" – 4:44 #"Soft Picasso" – 3:30 #"Independence Day" – 3:53 #"Stevie Smith" – 2:03 Bonus Tracks on the 2004 CD release on New West Records #"Bernadette" – 1:29 #"Vernon" – 2:59 #"Acting So Bad" – 2:41 #"Miss Mary" – 1:53 #"Elberton Fair" – 2:35

Track notes

"Stevie Smith" is named after the English poet and novelist

Stevie Smith Florence Margaret Smith, known as Stevie Smith (20 September 1902 – 7 March 1971), was an English poet and novelist. She won the Cholmondeley Award and was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. A play, '' Stevie'' by Hugh Whitemore, ba ...

. It is a musical adaptation of her poem

Not Waving But Drowning "Not Waving but Drowning" is a poem by the British poet Stevie Smith. It was published in 1957, as part of a collection of the same title.Sternlicht, Sanford V.''Stevie Smith''. Twayne Publishers (1990) p. 63. The most famous of Smith's poems,Ho ...

.Little - CD insert (New West Records, 2004).

Personnel

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

–

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

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 ...

*Moira Nelligan – vocals and fiddle on "Stevie Smith" *Heli Willey – vocals on "Stevie Smith" *Joe Willey – banjo on "Stevie Smith"

References

{{Authority control 1990 debut albums Vic Chesnutt albums New West Records albums Albums produced by Michael Stipe