Just Across the River is the twelfth album by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb, released in June 2010 by Koch Records. The album features thirteen classic Jimmy Webb tunes performed by Webb with guest appearances by friends, collaborators, admirers, and fellow recording artists Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, Michael McDonald, Mark Knopfler, J.D. Souther, Vince Gill and Lucinda Williams.[1]

Just Across the River
Album cover image of Jimmy Webb smiling by a river with a bridge in the distance
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 29, 2010 (2010-06-29)
Recorded2010
Sound Emporium
Zoomer South Studios
Loud Recording Studios
Fireside Studios
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
GenrePop
Length52:58
LabelKoch Records
ProducerFred Mollin
Jimmy Webb chronology
Live and at Large
(2007)
Just Across the River
(2010)
Still Within the Sound of My Voice
(2013)

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Rolling Stone     [2]

In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek praised the efforts of producer Fred Mollin to assemble some of Nashville's finest musicians to produce a "gorgeous sound" that was mostly recorded live over two days in a Nashville studio. According to Jurek, some of the highlights include "Oklahoma Nights" with Vince Gill's "beautiful tenor balancing the harmonies"; "Highwayman" with Mark Knopfler's vocals underscoring Webb's vocals, "creating a dark, melancholy authenticity"; "Wichita Lineman" with Billy Joel's remarkable "empathic feel for the duet"; and "P.F. Sloan" with Jackson Browne's vocals making the song "a real tragedy for an era, as well as for a man."[1]

In his review in Rolling Stone magazine, James Hunter awarded the album three and a half out of five stars, noting that "few singers blend grit and grandeur like Jimmy Webb" and that his voice "is like an old Mustang heading through a treacherous yet often gorgeous landscape."[2]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Jimmy Webb

No.TitleLength
1."Oklahoma Nights" (featuring Vince Gill)3:24
2."Wichita Lineman" (featuring Billy Joel)4:15
3."If You See Me Getting Smaller" (featuring Willie Nelson)4:21
4."Galveston" (featuring Lucinda Williams)3:57
5."P.F. Sloan" (featuring Jackson Browne)4:29
6."By the Time I Get to Phoenix" (featuring Glen Campbell)4:05
7."Cowboy Hall of Fame"3:11
8."Where Words End" (featuring Michael McDonald)4:14
9."Highwayman" (featuring Mark Knopfler)4:17
10."I Was Too Busy Loving You" (featuring J. D. Souther)4:09
11."It Won't Bring Her Back"3:32
12."Do What You Gotta Do"4:23
13."All I Know" (featuring Linda Ronstadt)4:41
Total length:52:58

Personnel edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Eder, Bruce. "Just Across the River". AllMusic. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Hunter, James (October 26, 2010). "Just Across the River". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 28, 2012.