''Silver Pony'' is a studio album by American jazz singer

Cassandra Wilson Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed wi ...

, released in November 2010 on

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

. A mixture of live and studio-recorded tracks, it was produced by Wilson and John Fischbach. The release includes jazz, blues and pop standards, as well as original music by Wilson and her band. Saxophonist

Ravi Coltrane Ravi Coltrane (born August 6, 1965) is an American jazz saxophonist. Co-owner of the record label RKM Music, he has produced pianist Luis Perdomo, guitarist David Gilmore, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. Biography Ravi Coltrane is the son of sa ...

and singer

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...

make guest appearances. The album received mixed, but generally positive, reviews from critics. Reviewers complimented Wilson's vocals and particularly enjoyed the focus on her band. More negative reviews came from critics who felt that ''Silver Pony'' was below Wilson's usual standard and contained little originality. The album reached No. 6 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Jazz Albums chart.

Composition and recording

''Silver Pony'' is a jazz and blues album, with some elements of pop music. The tracks include live improvisations created by Wilson and her band on tour in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, and

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

as well as jazz and blues standards. The album opens with a live version of "

Lover Come Back to Me "Lover, Come Back to Me" is a popular song composed by Sigmund Romberg with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for the Broadway show ''The New Moon'', where the song was introduced by Evelyn Herbert and Robert Halliday (as Robert Misson). The song wa ...

", a 1920s popular song from ''

The New Moon ''The New Moon'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third in a string of Broadway hits for Romberg (after ''The Student Prince'' (1924) and ...

'' by

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Ton ...

and

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his musicals and operettas, particularly '' The Student Prince'' (1924), '' The Desert Song'' (1926) and '' The New Moon'' (1928). E ...

. This is one of three live tracks that appeared as studio-recorded versions on Wilson's previous album, ''

Loverly ''Loverly'' is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, released in 2008 via Blue Note label. This is her second-ever album of jazz standards. ''Loverly'' won the Grammy Award as the Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2008. Reception Andy ...

'' (2008); the others are the traditional song " Went Down to St James Infirmary" and " A Day in the Life of a Fool" by

Luiz Bonfá Luiz Floriano Bonfá (17 October 1922 – 12 January 2001) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer. He was best known for the music he composed for the film ''Black Orpheus''. Biography Luiz Floriano Bonfá was born on October 17, 1922, in ...

. "Saddle Up My Pony" is a version of the 1929 Delta blues song "

Pony Blues "Pony Blues" is a Delta blues song recorded by blues musician Charley Patton. Patton recorded the song in June 1929 during his first session. The song was also the first song to be released by Patton on the Paramount Records, Paramount label. Re ...

" by

Charley Patton Charley Patton (April 1891 (probable) – April 28, 1934), also known as Charlie Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of American mus ...

. The album was produced by Wilson and John Fischbach. In addition to the recordings made on tour in Europe, the album was recorded and produced at Fischbach's Piety Street Recording studio in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Wilson's regular band consisted of

Marvin Sewell Marvin Sewell is a blues/jazz guitarist, who has been called maybe "the greatest guitarist you've never heard of". He was born and grew up in Chicago, where he attended the Chicago Musical College at Roosevelt University. Since 1990, he has been b ...

on guitar,

Jonathan Batiste Jonathan Michael Batiste (born November 11, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with artists in various genres of music ( Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, ...

on piano, Reginald Veal on bass,

Herlin Riley Herlin Riley (born February 15, 1957) is an American jazz drummer and a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis. A native of New Orleans, Riley started on the drums when he was three. He played trumpet through high ...

on drums and

Lekan Babalola Olalekan Babalola (born ) is a Nigerian List of jazz percussionists, jazz percussionist and musician. Born in Lagos, Nigeria where he began playing the conga at a young age, he has released seven albums and jointly won two Grammy Awards. Early ...

on percussion. The album features guest appearances by

on "Watch the Sunrise" and a saxophone solo by

on "Beneath a Silver Moon". The album title and cover art are inspired by an incident from Wilson's childhood in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

; "A man came around ... with a pony and camera, and you could pay to get your picture taken." Although Wilson's brothers were not interested, her mother allowed her to be photographed on the pony, and the image of Wilson is used on the album cover.

Reception

Writing for ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

'',

Carlo Wolff Carlo Wolff is a prolific freelance journalist and author who has written for publications including ''The Boston Globe'', ''Chicago Sun-Times'', ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', ''The Plain Dealer'' (Cleveland, Ohio), and ''The Christian Science Mo ...

gave the album a positive review. He praised "Beneath a Silver Moon" and "Saddle Up My Pony" in particular, and described Wilson's band as "exceptional". He questioned the inclusion of the two instrumental tracks because of the change in pace they brought but said that overall, the album "reaffirms Wilson's status as a premier jazz singer". Steve Leggett of

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 ...

gave the album a rating of four stars out of five. He described it as "a light, shimmering sound" and felt that despite the different styles and mix of live and studio material, the album remains cohesive. In a review for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', John Fordham gave the album four stars out of five. He noted a continuation of "confidence and focus" from her previous album, ''Loverly''. He described the track list as "powerfully compatible". Reviewing the album for

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...

, John Eyles was complimentary and said that it continues a "rich vein of form" begun with 1993's ''

Blue Light 'til Dawn ''Blue Light 'til Dawn'' is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. Her first album on the Blue Note label, it was released in 1993. It contains Wilson's interpretations of songs by various blues and rock artists, as well as three ...

''. He praised Wilson's voice and noted that with ''Silver Pony'', her band are no longer overshadowed. Jim Farber of New York's '' Daily News'' noted the equality between Wilson and her band and the balance between her vocals and their instrumentals. He enjoyed the contrast between Wilson's soft vocals and the fast tempo of the songs and noted the seamless transitions between live and studio-recorded tracks. He praised Wilson's growth as an artist in the time since her last live recordings, on 1991's ''

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

''. In a review for '' Paste'', Stephen Deusner gave ''Silver Pony'' a "commendable" rating of 7.6 out of 10. He described "Went Down to St James Infirmary" and "Saddle Up My Pony" as the best tracks on the album. He praised the band and called them the "true stars" of the album. Although he commented that Wilson voice has improved over the years, on this album he felt that she was just a "support player", and enjoyed least the songs that strongly featured her voice. Will Layman of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' gave ''Silver Pony'' a more negative review, awarding it six stars out of ten. Although he described Wilson's vocals as "deep and delicious", and the tracks as "fun and funky", his opinion was that the album "rehashed" her Wilson's previous work. He said that although new listeners might be impressed, fans would not find anything new. He praised the band, and enjoyed the renditions of "Forty Days and Forty Nights" and "If It's Magic". However, overall he found the album "inessential and merely fine". ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''s Phil Johnson gave the album a similarly mixed review, suggesting that it "might mark time more than break new ground". Writing for ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', Ivan Hewlett gave the album a three star rating. He noted that it was "firmly in the territory" of Wilson's usual eclectic style, that combines blues, funk and the

Great American Songbook The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant early-20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes. Definition According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" is ...

. He complimented Wilson's "astonishing" voice and "wonderful" band but felt that the album as a whole was "all too smooth to be really engaging". An unnamed reviewer from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

gave the album a rating of three and a half stars. They noted the album's mix of live and studio recordings and commented that this was Wilson "back to her trademark eclectic ways". The reviewer praised the band and particularly enjoyed their improvisation on "Lover Come Back to Me". Overall, they thought ''Silver Pony'' was "above-average", but inconsistent and below Wilson's usual standard. Writing for

Boston.com ''Boston.com'' is a regional website that offers news and information about the Boston, Massachusetts, region. It is owned and operated by Boston Globe Media Partners, the publisher of ''The Boston Globe''. History ''Boston.com'' was one of t ...

, Steve Greenlee commented that Wilson's mixed-genre style is no longer innovative, but feels natural. He particularly praised the contributions of Wilson's band members.

Chart performance

''Silver Pony'' peaked at No. 6 on the ''

'' Jazz Albums chart and reached No. 21 on the

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

Albums chart.

Track listing

" (

) – 6:51 #" Went Down to St James Infirmary" (Irving Mills) – 7:14 #"A Night in Seville" – 3:00 #"Beneath a Silver Moon" – 6:39 #" Saddle Up My Pony" (

) – 9:32 #"If It's Magic" (

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

) – 4:34 #"

Forty Days and Forty Nights 40 (forty) is the natural number following 39 and preceding 41. Though the word is related to "four" (4), the spelling "forty" replaced "fourty" in the course of the 17th century and is now the standard form. In mathematics *Forty is a compo ...

" (Bernard Roth) – 4:59 #"Silver Pony" – 0:36 #" A Day in the Life of a Fool" (

) – 7:35 #" Blackbird" ( Lennon/McCartney) – 6:45 #"Watch the Sunrise" (J. Stephens, Luke Laird, Steven Dale Jones) – 3:31 * Tracks 1 – 3, 5 and 9 were recorded live in Europe (Granada, Seville and Warsaw). * Tracks 4, 6 – 8, 10 and 11 were recorded at Piety Street Recording studio in New Orleans, LA. * Tracks 3, 4 and 8 written by, tracks 2 and 5 arranged by Wilson, Riley, Batiste, Babalola, Sewell, Veal.

Personnel

From ''Discogs''. Band *Cassandra Wilson – vocals, synthesizer (track 4), bass drum (11) *Marvin Sewell – electric guitar, acoustic guitar *

– piano,

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 ...

*Reginald Veal – acoustic bass, electric bass *

– drums *Lekan Babalola – percussion *

– tenor saxophone (4) *

– piano, vocals (11) *Helen Gillet – cello,

vielle The vielle is a European bowed stringed instrument used in the medieval period, similar to a modern violin but with a somewhat longer and deeper body, three to five gut strings, and a leaf-shaped pegbox with frontal tuning pegs, sometimes with a ...

(11) *Brandon Ross – acoustic guitar (11) *

Luke Laird Luke Robert Laird (born May 4, 1978 in Hartstown, Pennsylvania) is an American country music songwriter and producer. He has written over 20 number one ''Billboard'' singles, including Carrie Underwood's "So Small", "Temporary Home", and "Und ...

– acoustic rhythm guitar (11) Production *Producers – John Fischbach, Cassandra Wilson *Associate producers – Lekan Babalola, Jonathan Batiste, Herlin Riley, Marvin Sewell, Reginald Veal *Studio engineer and mixing – John Fischbach *Assistant studio engineer and Pro Tools wizard – Wes Fontenot *Live recording engineer – Don Juan Holder *Live recording assistant – Tobias Lange *Mastering –

Bob Katz Bob Katz is an American audio mastering engineer and author of a popular book on audio mastering. Katz has mastered three Grammy Award–winning albums and one nominated album. Projects he has worked on have received Grammys and acclaim from audi ...

* A&R – Antwon Jackson, Eli Wolf Design *Larry Blumenfeld – liner notes *Shanieka D. Brooks – product manager *Gordon H. Jee – creative director *Rachel Salomon – cover illustration *Will Sterling – photography *Burton Yount – art direction, design

References

{{Authority control 2010 albums Cassandra Wilson albums Blue Note Records albums