Wikipedia

Bitter Sweet (Kim Richey album)

Bitter Sweet is the second album by the American musician Kim Richey, released in 1997.[2][3]

Bitter Sweet
Studio album by
Kim Richey
Released1997
GenreCountry
LabelMercury[1]
ProducerAngelo; John Leventhal on "I Know"
Kim Richey chronology
Kim Richey
(1995) 		Bitter Sweet
(1997) 		Glimmer
(1999)

The album peaked at No. 53 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.[4] Richey supported Bitter Sweet by playing shows with Junior Brown, Robert Earl Keen, and Wilco, among others.[5][6]

Production

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The album was produced by Angelo and John Leventhal, who also cowrote some of the songs.[7][8][9] Richey either wrote or cowrote all of its songs.[10]

Bitter Sweet was recorded with Richey's touring band as the backing musicians.[11] Kenny Vaughan played guitar on the album; Sam Bush played mandolin.[12][13] "I'm Alright" employs accordion, mandolin, and banjo.[14] John Crooke duetted with Richey on "Fallin'".[15]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [16]
Chicago Tribune    [17]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [18]
Lincoln Journal Star     [19]
Los Angeles Daily News    [20]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide     [8]
The Republican     [15]
Spin8/10[21]

The Chicago Reader wrote that "a few tunes suggest the mid-70s turquoise and denim of Linda Ronstadt, but there are also a number of gritty, loose songs."[22] Spin determined that the "best tracks tastefully tangle alternative country's string band purity and mainstream country's gloss."[21] The Chicago Tribune thought that Richey's band "plays with the rapport of the Jayhawks and the Band before them, laying barbed-wire guitar leads and earthy harmonies over acoustic strumming and rough-and-tumble rhythms."[17]

Stereo Review stated that Richey "cuts through country's plastic heart to usher in the genre's new realism."[23] The Los Angeles Daily News called the album "excellent," and praised the "terrific vocals and top-notch country-rock musicianship."[20] The Lincoln Journal Star concluded that Richey "cements her growing reputation as the rare artist who manages to appeal to both Nashville's most hidebound factions and its alternative-minded strains."[19]

The Dayton Daily News deemed Bitter Sweet the best album of 1997; the Nashville Banner and The Province listed it among the year's best country albums.[24][25][26]

AllMusic wrote that "Richey is a fine lyricist, capable of taking a cliché and twisting it or reinvesting everyday language with meaning."[16]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Every River"Angelo Petraglia, Tom Littlefield, Kim Richey4:00
2."I'm Alright"Petraglia, Larry Gottlieb, Richey4:01
3."Wildest Dreams"Petraglia, Richey4:33
4."Straight as the Crow Flies"Petraglia, Richey4:20
5."I Know"John Leventhal, Richey3:13
6."Fallin'"John Crooke, Richey4:33
7."To Tell the Truth"Petraglia, Gottlieb, Richey3:28
8."My Whole World"Tia Sillers, Richey4:25
9."The Lonesome Side of Town"Petraglia, Gottlieb, Richey3:58
10."Don't Let Me Down Easy"Petraglia, Littlefield, Richey4:21
11."Let It Roll"Petraglia, Richey4:35
12."Why Can't I Say Goodnight"Petraglia, Richey3:11

References

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  1. ^ McCall, Michael; Rumble, John; Kingsbury, Paul (February 1, 2012). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-992083-9.
  2. ^ "Kim Richey Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Kim Richey: Sweetly Alluring, Folk-Friendly Country". NPR.
  4. ^ "Kim Richey". Billboard.
  5. ^ Tayler, Letta (1 Apr 1997). "Baring Her Country Soul". Newsday. p. B2.
  6. ^ Logan, Neill (23 May 1997). "Kim Richey has talent—and good luck, too". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 17.
  7. ^ Verna, Paul (Mar 29, 1997). "Bitter Sweet". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 13. p. 74.
  8. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 941.
  9. ^ Orr, Jay (28 Feb 1997). "With new album, faithful followers, songstress far from 'bitter sweet'". Nashville Banner. p. C3.
  10. ^ Ridley, Jim (February 20, 1997). "Music Notes — Welcome to the Club". Nashville Cream. Nashville Scene.
  11. ^ Campbell, Susan (6 Mar 1997). "Bitter Sweet Kim Richey". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 5.
  12. ^ Russell, Rusty (Apr 1997). "Bitter Sweet". Guitar Player. Vol. 31, no. 4. p. 118.
  13. ^ Jinkins, Shirley (March 7, 1997). "Country". Star Time. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 12.
  14. ^ Tarradell, Mario (March 4, 1997). "Richey digs deep on 'Bitter Sweet'". The Dallas Morning News. p. 23A.
  15. ^ a b O'Hare, Kevin (March 9, 1997). "Kim Richey, 'Bitter Sweet'". The Republican. p. E6.
  16. ^ a b "Bitter Sweet". AllMusic.
  17. ^ a b McKeough, Kevin (21 Mar 1997). "Kim Richey Bitter Sweet". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  18. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. pp. 13–14.
  19. ^ a b "Richey finds her own sound". Lincoln Journal Star. 16 Mar 1997. p. H4.
  20. ^ a b Shuster, Fred (7 Mar 1997). "Sound Check". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L23.
  21. ^ a b Sutton, Terri (May 1997). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 13, no. 2. pp. 115–116.
  22. ^ Margasak, Peter (March 20, 1997). "Kim Richey". Chicago Reader.
  23. ^ Nash, Alanna (Jun 1997). "Bitter Sweet". Stereo Review. Vol. 62, no. 6. p. 84.
  24. ^ Rollins, Ron (28 Dec 1997). "Best, Worst of '97 Music". Dayton Daily News. p. 3C.
  25. ^ Orr, Jay (26 Dec 1997). "Playback 1997 the Year's Best Recordings". Nashville Banner. p. D3.
  26. ^ McLaughlin, John P. (31 Dec 1997). "Ten years from now, you'll still want to listen". The Province. p. B4.
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