''Naked Movie Star'' is the second album by the American musician
Cindy Lee Berryhill, released in 1989.
Like her debut, it was released by
Rhino Records
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
. Berryhill supported the album with a North American tour that included shows with
Sarah McLachlan, and later,
and
Peter Buck.
Production
Recorded in New York City, the album was produced by
Lenny Kaye
Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group.
Early life
Kaye was born to Jewish parents in the Washington Heights area of upper Ma ...
, who also played guitar on the album, credited as "Jones Beach".
Kaye helped Berryhill move beyond the acoustic trio sound of her first album by using jazz musicians; Berryhill was interested in working with him more for his work with
Patti Smith rather than his subsequent production credits.
[ Berryhill played guitar and harmonica on ''Naked Movie Star''.
"Yipee" is a 13-minute beat poetry-inspired track.][ "Trump" is about ]Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's 1980s real estate tactics.[ The narrator of "Baby (Should I Have the Baby?)" contemplates an abortion.][ "Old Trombone Routine" is about a faded musical act.
]
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 that Berryhill is "the most audible alumna of New York's anti-folk movement, but there's also plenty of post-punk edge and neo-Beat humor on her new Rhino album." ''Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...
'' noted that "the first album's spirited quirkiness eventually re-emerges, complete with a new set of purposeful musical reference points."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 ...
'' determined that "the musical diversity adds another dimension to Berryhill's terrific stories, which she tells in an arrestingly matter-of-fact voice."[ '']The San Diego Union-Tribune
''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868.
Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
'' concluded that, compared to the debut, ''Naked Movie Star'' "had a colder, more formal tone, the sound of a California kid who had strayed a long way from home."LA Weekly
''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...
'' called it "an impressive album by a distinctive artist."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 ...
wrote: "Just barely flirting with self-pity but never quite stepping over that line, thanks largely to a deflatingly self-mocking bridge that smartly punctures the overriding sense of 'woe is me,' 'What's Wrong With Me' also features the loveliest melody of Berryhill's career and a simple piano-based arrangement that makes it sound not unlike a Beach Boys ballad from the early '70s."[
]
Track listing
References
{{authority control
1989 albums
Cindy Lee Berryhill albums
Albums produced by Lenny Kaye
Rhino Entertainment albums