Midnight Rose's is an album by the American band Royal Crescent Mob, released in 1991.[3][4] The first single was "Konk".[1] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[5] Royal Crescent Mob was dropped from Sire Records after the release of Midnight Rose's.[6]

Midnight Rose's
Studio album by
Released1991
GenreFunk, punk funk,[1] funk rock[2]
LabelSire
ProducerEric Calvi
Royal Crescent Mob chronology
Spin the World
(1989)
Midnight Rose's
(1991)
13 Destruction
(1992)

Production

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The album was produced by Eric Calvi.[7] As on previous albums, the band was influenced by fellow Ohioans the Ohio Players.[8] "Pretty Good Life" is an examination of the yuppie lifestyle.[9] "I'm Sayin'" is about a marriage proposal.[1] "Mt. Everest" is about a romantic relationship with an extremely tall woman.[10] "Timebomb" contains a rap verse.[11] Singer David Ellison played harmonica on the album.[12]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [13]
The Buffalo News     [14]
Robert Christgau [15]
The Cincinnati Post     [12]
Dayton Daily News    [11]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide     [7]
Orlando Sentinel     [16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [17]

Newsday stated: "In the tradition of the Ohio Players and the other '70s funkateers they grew up listening to, Royal Crescent Mob takes a conscious stand against the notion of significance... As long as Royal Crescent Mob persists with this bizarre modesty, they'll be one of rock's best kept secrets."[18] The Orlando Sentinel wrote that on the album's best track "the group ... abandons its funkateering and comes up with some delightfully loopy rock. 'Drunkard's Nose' combines a New Orleans rhythmic feel and swampy horns with country-flavored licks and one of the most original subjects ever for a rock song—the nose of the title and alcoholic's deteriorating looks."[16] Trouser Press determined that guitarist Mr. B "colors the songs in with cogent flashes of aptly aimed guitar as the rhythm section sets the rhythmic clock in motion."[9]

The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that "the only chink in the Mob's armor is that some of its songs exist only as one-dimensional grooves, with Ellison wisecracking over them."[19] The Houston Chronicle opined that, "where the [Red Hot Chili] Peppers thrash and bash and peel their clothes off in concert, the Mob layers melody, lyrical wit and subtle grooves to the attack, never more evident on Midnight Rose's."[20] The Austin American-Statesman concluded that, "where so many bands with similar influences ... seem to think that establishing a style is mainly a matter of extending cliches toward the point of parody, the Mob has real songs to go with its real grooves."[21]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Ramblin'" 
2."Big Mistake" 
3."Apples" 
4."Konk" 
5."Mt. Everest" 
6."I'm Sayin'" 
7."Pretty Good Life" 
8."Woodsnake" 
9."Timebomb" 
10."Drunkard's Nose" 

References

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  1. ^ a b c Browne, David (March 22, 1991). "Midnight Rose's". Entertainment Weekly.
  2. ^ Heim, Chris (27 Dec 1991). "Royal Crescent Mob and Urge". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. Q.
  3. ^ "Funky rockers have a winner in 'Midnight Rose's'". The Grand Rapids Press. 13 Mar 1991. p. E7.
  4. ^ Wright, Rickey (29 Apr 1991). "Mob Turns Up the Heat with Funky Review". Art & Travel. Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 20.
  5. ^ Kim, Jae-Ha (27 Dec 1991). "Royal flush: Label gives Crescent Mob the heave-ho". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Royal Crescent Mob Biography by Uncle Dave Lewis". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 579.
  8. ^ Jenkins, Mark (30 Aug 1991). "Groovy Rut for Royal Crescent Mob". The Washington Post. p. N17.
  9. ^ a b "Royal Crescent Mob". Trouser Press. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  10. ^ Terrell, Steve (8 Mar 1991). "The Mob turning into contenders". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 13.
  11. ^ a b Larsen, Dave (8 Mar 1991). "Recordings on Review". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 17.
  12. ^ a b Nager, Larry (16 Feb 1991). "RC Mob returns to its roots". The Cincinnati Post. p. 5C.
  13. ^ "Midnight Rose's Review by Steven McDonald". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  14. ^ Anderson, Dale (8 Mar 1991). "Pop". Gusto. The Buffalo News. p. 32.
  15. ^ "Royal Crescent Mob". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  16. ^ a b Gettelman, Parry (12 Apr 1991). "Royal Crescent Mob, Midnight Rose's". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 18.
  17. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 608.
  18. ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (17 Mar 1991). "Disinheriting the Meek". Part II. Newsday. p. 15.
  19. ^ DeLuca, Dan (3 May 1991). "Royal Crescent Mob". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D3.
  20. ^ Racine, Marty (12 May 1991). "Ohio funk group plays with style". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 11.
  21. ^ McLeese, Don (25 June 1991). "In terms of musical style, there's an extensive gulf separating...". Austin American-Statesman. p. C5.