Living with the Law is the debut album by singer-songwriter and guitarist, Chris Whitley. It was released on July 2, 1991.
| Living with the Law | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 2, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 47:02 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Malcolm Burn | |||
| Chris Whitley chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[2] |
| Robert Christgau |  [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [4] |
Malcolm Burn produced, mixed and played on the album. It was co-recorded by Burn and Mark Howard at Kingsway Studio (Daniel Lanois' home) in New Orleans.
Track listing edit
All tracks written by Chris Whitley.
- "Excerpt" – 0:17
- "Living with the Law" – 3:42
- "Big Sky Country" – 4:45
- "Kick the Stones" – 4:12
- "Make the Dirt Stick" – 3:33
- "Poison Girl" – 3:27
- "Dust Radio" – 5:08
- "Phone Call from Leavenworth" – 4:47
- "I Forget You Every Day" – 4:33
- "Long Way Around" – 4:27
- "Look What Love Has Done" – 3:23
- "Bordertown" – 4:30
- [unnamed] – 0:18
"Living with the Law", "Big Sky Country", and "Poison Girl" were released as singles.
Critical reception edit
Living with the Law was named ninth best album of 1991 in the Pazz & Jop critics poll. It is also listed in Tom Moon's 2008 book 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.
Personnel edit
- Chris Whitley – vocals, National guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar
- Ronald Jones – drums
- Daryl Johnson – bass guitar
- Bill Dillon – guitar, pedal steel
- Malcolm Burn – keyboards, tambourine
Additional personnel
- Peter Conway – harmonica (4)
- Alan Gevaert – bass (5)
- Daniel Lanois – guitar (6)
- Deni Bonet – viola on (6)
- Dan Whitley – guitar on (10)
Charts edit
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] | 109 |
References edit
- ^ Griffith, JT. "Living with the Law". AllMusic. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ DiMartino, Dave (September 2, 1991). "Living With the Law". EW.com. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Chris Whitley". Robert Christgau.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely New Reviews: Every Essential Album, Every Essential Artist. Random House. p. 762. ISBN 9780679737292.
- ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing April 6, 1992". Bubbling Down Under. Retrieved May 4, 2023.