Read My Lips is an album by the American singer Lou Ann Barton, released in 1989.[2][3] The Plain Dealer called the album a throwback to a time when "regional styles flourished, were celebrated and enriched popular music."[4]
| Read My Lips | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 LP cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Blues, rock and roll | |||
| Label | Antone's Records and Tapes[1] | |||
| Producer | Paul Ray | |||
| Lou Ann Barton chronology | ||||
| ||||
Barton's two earlier 1980s albums were already out of print by the time of Read My Lips' release.[5] The album's title is a reference to George H. W. Bush's 1988 campaign promise.[6]
Production edit
A covers album, Read My Lips was recorded with several guest musicians, including saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman and members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds.[7][8] The main players included guitarist Derek O' Brien, bassist Jon Blondell, and drummer George Rains.[9] The album was produced by Paul Ray.[10]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [12] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [13] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
Spin thought that the album "captures the sound and spirit of a 50s Excello or Duke recording without sacrificing 80s technology."[14] The Austin American-Statesman wrote that "'Shake Your Hips', in particular, is a masterful use of rock 'n' roll, gutter guitar licks bolstering a mean, low-down and dirty blues song about a dance undoubtably outlawed except in the darkest of clubs."[9] The Daily Breeze opined that Read My Lips "sounds like just the kind of thing you'd want to hear blasting away in a Texas roadhouse—lowdown, sweat-drenched rhythm-and-blues."[15]
The Toronto Star wrote: "The good thing about Barton, unlike so many blues-by-number advocates, is that it is hard to know which way she'll turn next. She takes a playful novelty piece like Slim Harpo's 'Te Ni Nee Ni Nu' and invests it with almost inappropriate urgency, while her cover of 'You'll Lose A Good Thing' is casually ironic instead of emotionally heated."[16] The Chicago Tribune deemed the album "down and dirty Texas blues and boogie."[17] The Tulsa World determined that Barton's "version of Wanda Jackson's 'Mean, Mean Man' is hard-driving, pouty rock 'n' roll, sounding like what might have happened if Betty Boop had sung lead with the Flamin' Groovies."[18]
AllMusic wrote: "Wisely free of attempts to update or modernize her timeless Texas-style blues-rock, Read My Lips is a rockin' good time."[11] The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the album "a set of scorching performances that remind us not of what she might have been, but what she is—a natural-born singer who's learned hard lessons by living them."[5] The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings argued that Barton's "métier is rock rather than blues."[13]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sugar Coated Love" | |
| 2. | "You'll Lose a Good Thing" | |
| 3. | "Sexy Ways" | |
| 4. | "Shake a Hand" | |
| 5. | "Good Lover" | |
| 6. | "Mean Mean Man" | |
| 7. | "Shake Your Hips" | |
| 8. | "Te Ni Nee Ni Nu" | |
| 9. | "Can't Believe You Want to Leave" | |
| 10. | "You Can Have My Husband" | |
| 11. | "It's Raining" | |
| 12. | "Rocket in My Pocket" | |
| 13. | "I Wonder Why" | |
| 14. | "Let's Have a Party" | |
| 15. | "High Time We Went" |
References edit
- ^ Hadley, Frank-John (October 8, 1993). The Grove Press Guide to the Blues on CD. Grove Press. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ "Lou Ann Barton Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- ^ Dicaire, David (November 5, 2015). More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century. McFarland. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ^ Derwae, Robert (June 23, 1989). "Read My Lips Lou Ann Barton". News. The Plain Dealer.
- ^ a b c The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 37–38.
- ^ Harrington, Richard (12 Apr 1989). "Odds and Ends". The Washington Post. p. B7.
- ^ "Lou Ann Barton". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ^ Oermann, Robert K. (July 28, 1989). "So far, 1989 has been a somewhat so-so music year, but there are still glimmers of excitement coming out of the stereo speakers". USA Today.
- ^ a b Monahan, Casey (6 July 1989). "Lou Ann documents ultimate barroom set". Austin American-Statesman. p. F5.
- ^ "Obit: Paul Ray". Austin American-Statesman. 24 Jan 2016. p. B5.
- ^ a b "Read My Lips". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-08. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 452.
- ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 26.
- ^ Gordon, Robert (Oct 1989). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 5, no. 7. p. 106.
- ^ Gnerre, Sam (July 28, 1989). "Read My Lips Lou Ann Barton". Daily Breeze. p. E12.
- ^ MacInnis, Craig (12 Jan 1990). "Lou Ann Barton Read My Lips". Toronto Star. p. D16.
- ^ Heim, Chris (28 Apr 1989). "Old-timers league". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 88.
- ^ Wooley, John (July 30, 1989). "Record Reviews". Tulsa World. p. H2.