''The Hard Way'' is the second and final studio album released by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

musician

Owsley Owsley may refer to: * Owsley (surname), a surname * Owsley Stanley (1935–2011), also known as Owsley or Bear, "underground" LSD chemist and early Grateful Dead soundman, grandson of Augustus * Owsley (musician), the stage name of Will Owsley, ...

. It was released in 2004 on the independent Lakeview label, five years after his debut album. Some of the delay was attributed to legal difficulties with his former label,

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. Critics have described the album as having a "heavier" and "more mature" sound compared to his debut album, and note musical influences of Big Star, Todd Rundgren, Tom Petty and Paul McCartney and Wings. Critic Susanne Ault of ''

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 ...

'' wrote, "The music straddles indie and pop sensibilities without ever stepping one foot clearly onto one side or the other. While ''The Hard Way'' rolls along competently, the midtempo guitar hooks and straightahead vocals lack the necessary punch to reach mainstream consciousness." The album was recorded over the span of three years, at different studios in Tennessee, as well as at his home recording studio in Anniston, Alabama. As recording formats and equipment, Owsley used a Studer 16-track 2" at 15

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, an MCI 16-track 2" at 30 ips, the Otari Radar II multitrack hard disk recorder, and Pro Tools. The lead single is "Be with You".

Track listing

Personnel

Will Owsley William Reese "Will" Owsley III (March 6, 1966 – April 30, 2010), known professionally as Owsley, was an American singer and songwriter. His two solo albums won critical acclaim, and his debut album was nominated for a Grammy Award, as was the ...

– lead vocals, backing vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitar (3, 8), bass (5, 6, 8), acoustic piano (6, 7) * Jonathan Hamby –

Hammond B3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs ...

, acoustic piano (4), Chamberlin (5), synthesizers (9) * Keith Thomas – strings (1, 6) * John Mark Painter – Chamberlin (2) *

Tom Bukovac Tom Bukovac is an American session musician and producer. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in nearby Willowick, Ohio. He has been a Nashville-based musician since 1992. He previously owned 2nd Gear, a used music consignment shop in Sou ...

– electric guitar (1), acoustic guitar (1), bass (2) * Gordon Kennedy – electric guitar (7), backing vocals (7) * Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass (1, 7) * Michael Rhodes – bass (3, 9, 10) * Millard Powers – bass (4) * Chris McHugh – drums, percussion * Simon Petty –

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

(8) * Rebecca Walker – backing vocals (10)

Production

* Scot McCracken – executive producer, creative director * Will Owsley – producer, engineer * Keith Thomas – producer (1), photography *

James Michael James Andrew Michael is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, singer, sound engineer and mixer. He is currently the lead singer of the rock band Sixx:A.M. Early life He took piano lessons while growing up and sang in Holland High ...

– vocal producer (8) * Paul David Hager – engineer, mixing * Mark Ralston – mix assistant * Jeff Balding – engineer * J.R. McNeely – engineer * Dan Shike – engineer *

F. Reid Shippen F. Reid Shippen is a mixer, engineer and producer, currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. He has mixed a wide variety of records including "Cosmic Hallelujah" by Kenny Chesney, " Lights Out" by Ingrid Michaelson, "The Mountain" by Dierks Bent ...

– engineer * Billy Whittington – engineer * Shane D. Wilson – engineer * George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York) * Jill Simonsen – package design * Lisa Robinson – wardrobe stylist

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hard Way 2004 albums Owsley (musician) albums