If Songs Could Be Held

If Songs Could Be Held is the third album by American singer/songwriter Rosie Thomas, released in 2005.

If Songs Could Be Held
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2005
GenreAlternative, indie folk
Length39:35
LabelSub Pop
ProducerBusbee
Rosie Thomas chronology
Only with Laughter Can You Win
(2003)
If Songs Could Be Held
(2005)
These Friends of Mine
(2006)

Produced by Busbee, the album features a duet with Ed Harcourt on "Let It Be Me".[1] The album also features Liz Phair, Dino Meneghin, and Josh Myers.[2]

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic62/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
Glidefavorable[5]
Pastefavorable[6]
Pitchfork Media5.9/10[7]
Punknews.org     [8]
PopMatters          [1]
Prefix          [9]
The Strangerfavorable[2]
Tiny Mix Tapes     [10]

AllMusic gave the album three and a half stars out of five, with James Christopher Monger calling it "a lovely collection of Sunday morning melancholy that's as gentle as it is weary" and "the most accessible record ever to bear the SubPop insignia".[4] Paste, tinymixtapes, and Punknews.org gave it similar ratings.[6][10][8] Pitchfork Media gave it a 5.9 out of 10 rating.[7] PopMatters gave it 6/10, with David Bernard saying it "sounds amazing".[1]

Prefix writer John Zeiss was less complementary, giving the album 3/10 and calling "a letdown".[9]

Track listing edit

All songs written by Rosie Thomas unless otherwise stated. All songs arranged by Rosie Thomas and busbee.

  1. "Since You've Been Around" – 3:18
  2. "Pretty Dress" (Thomas/busbee) – 3:56
  3. "Loose Ends" – 3:41
  4. "It Don't Matter to the Sun" (Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Tommy Sims) – 3:40
  5. "Guess It May" (Thomas/busbee) – 4:11
  6. "Let It Be Me" (Gilbert Bécaud, Pierre Leroyer) – 3:40
  7. "Clear as a Bell" – 3:27
  8. "Say What You Want" (Thomas/busbee) – 3:44
  9. "Time Goes Away" (Thomas/busbee) – 3:44
  10. "Death Came and Got Me" – 2:50
  11. "Tomorrow" (Thomas/busbee) – 3:19

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Bernard, David (2005) "Rosie Thomas: If Songs Could Be Held", PopMatters, December 14, 2005. Retrieved January 23, 2014
  2. ^ a b "ROSIE THOMAS; If Songs Could Be Held", The Stranger, October 13, 2005.
  3. ^ "If Songs Could Be Held by Rosie Thomas". Metacritic. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Monger, James Christopher. If Songs Could Be Held at AllMusic
  5. ^ Atkinson, Brian T. (2005) "Rosie Thomas: If Songs Could Be Held", Glide, September 22, 2005. Retrieved January 23, 2014
  6. ^ a b Goldberg, Michael Alan (2005) "Rosie Thomas - If Songs Could Be Held", Paste, October 12, 2005. Retrieved January 23, 2014
  7. ^ a b Khong, Rachel (2005) "Rosie Thomas If Songs Could Be Held", Pitchfork Media, December 1, 2005. Retrieved January 23, 2014
  8. ^ a b "Rosie Thomas: If Songs Could Be Held", Punknews.org, September 20, 2005. Retrieved January 23, 2014
  9. ^ a b Zeiss, John (2006) "Rosie Thomas - If Songs Could Be Held", Prefix, March 6, 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2014
  10. ^ a b "Rosie Thomas - If Songs Could Be Held", tinymixtapes. Retrieved January 23, 2014