Children of Paradise is the twelfth studio album by American singer and songwriter Willie Nile. It was released on 27 July 2018 by River House Records. Nile says of the album, "The music always lifts my spirits, and that's what these songs do for me and it's why I wrote them. Hopefully they can lift others’ spirits as well."[9] "I believe in the basic goodness of most people, and that's where these songs come from."[10]
| Children of Paradise | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 July 2018 | |||
| Recorded | February–April 2018 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 43:20 | |||
| Label | River House Records | |||
| Producer | Stewart Lerman Willie Nile | |||
| Willie Nile chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| American Songwriter |   [1] |
| AllMusic | [2] |
| All About Music |    [3] |
| Read Junk |  [4] |
| Glide Magazine | [5] |
| Elmore | [6] |
| Cashbox | [7] |
| The Daily Vault | A−[8] |
Background edit
On 24 February 2018, Nile posted a video on PledgeMusic announcing his upcoming album.[11] Nile said that he had been doing a lot of songwriting and that he was going to make a studio album of all original material. Nile dedicated the album to his longtime friend Andrew Dorff who co-wrote Lookin’ For Someone. Dorff died unexpectedly at age 40 shortly after the song was written.[9]
Critical reviews edit
Associated Press’ Kiley Armstrong says it is "his best album to date".[12] In a July 2018 review of the album Audiophile says "Willie Nile has a lot to say and clearly some great songs in his back pocket. You just need to listen. If you have even a bit of conscience remaining, you should listen to Willie's albums of the last 10 years or so. You might just get inspired by his 21st century renaissance."[10] Lee Zimmerman writes in Paste "A new waive of politically charged music from Nile. With its cascading choruses, rousing refrains and cover photos of some of the homeless people that inhabit his neighborhood, Children of Paradise serves as his own call to arms."[13] Rock nyc says "a brilliant collection of punk-folk attitude songs, politically astute and sweet and sour at the same time as he adds the subjective to the objective".[14]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Seeds of A Revolution" | Nile | 4:12 |
| 2. | "All Dressed Up And No Place to Go" | Nile | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Don't" | Nile | 3:17 |
| 4. | "Earth Blues" | Nile | 3:16 |
| 5. | "Children of Paradise" | Nile, Briley | 4:31 |
| 6. | "Getting’ Ugly Out There" | Nile | 3:54 |
| 7. | "I Defy" | Nile, Frankie Lee | 2:53 |
| 8. | "Have I Ever Told You" | Nile | 3:43 |
| 9. | "Secret Weapon" | Nile | 3:33 |
| 10. | "Lookin’ For Someone" | Nile, Andrew Dorff | 3:59 |
| 11. | "Rock N’ Roll Sister" | Nile | 2:33 |
| 12. | "All God's Children" | Nile | 4:05 |
| Total length: | 43:20 | ||
Personnel edit
Musicians
- Willie Nile – acoustic and electric guitars, piano, vocals
- Johnny Pisano – bass, backing vocals
- Matt Hogan – electric guitar
- Jon Weber – drum
- Steuart Smith – acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, harmonium, Hammond B3, Wurlitzer, glockenspiel
- Andy Burton – Hammond B3
- Frankie Lee – tambourine, backing vocals
- James Maddock – backing vocals
- Leslie Mendelson – backing vocals
Production and additional personnel
- Produced by Stewart Lerman and Willie Nile
- Executive Producer: Kevin Collins
- Associate Producer: Barry LaPorte
- Engineered by James Frazee and Stewart Lerman
- Mixed by Stewart Lerman
- Recorded at Hobo Sound, Weehawken, NJ
- Mastering by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, NYC
- Art direction – Deborah Maniaci
- Photography – Cristina Arrigoni at CristinaArrigoniphotography.com
- Legal – Terri Baker, Esq
- Media – Cary Baker – conqueroo.com
- Booking – Adam Bauer at Madison-House Agency
Charts edit
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[15] | 6 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[16] | 23 |
Release history edit
| Country | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 27 July 2018[17] | River House Records |
|
References edit
- ^ Horowitz, Hal. "Willie Nile: "Children of Paradise". American Songwriter. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "Children of Paradise – Willie Nile". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ Mrówczyńska, Dominika (25 August 2018). "Willie Nile – Children of Paradise (2018) review of Dominika Mrówczyńska". All About Music. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ Kremkau, Bryan. "Willie Nile 'Children of Paradise'". ReadJunk. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ Hynes, Jim. "Willie Nile Delivers Angst in Your Face/Rock n' Roll Gem with 'Children of Paradise' (ALBUM REVIEW)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ Montesano, Lou. "Album Reviews Willie Nile Children of Paradise". Elmore Magazine. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ^ Bowling, David. "Children of Paradise (cd) by Willie Nile". Cashbox. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
- ^ The Daily Vault review
- ^ a b Staff. "Willie Nile, Singer, songwriter, Releasing 12th Album". Best Classic Bands. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Review of Willie Nile's New Children of Paradise Album, Tidal". audiophilereview.com. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ^ "Willie Nile on Pledge Music". pledgemusic.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ Armstrong, Kiley (26 July 2018). "Review: Willie Nile delivers depth, danceable defiance". Associated Press. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ Zimmerman, Lee (25 July 2018). "Willie Nile: The Power of Protest". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ^ "Best of 2018 Albums Through August". ROCKNYCMUSICLLC. 30 August 2018. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
- ^ "Willie Nile Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- ^ "Willie Nile Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- ^ "Apple Music Preview Children of Paradise by Willie Nile". Apple Music.