Upland Stories is an album by American country musician Robbie Fulks, released on April 1, 2016 on Bloodshot Records. It was produced by Steve Albini. Upland Stories was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album and the song "Alabama at Night" was nominated for a Grammy for Best American Roots Song.[1]

Upland Stories
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 1, 2016 (2016-04-01)
GenreAlternative country
Length45:56
LabelBloodshot
ProducerSteve Albini
Robbie Fulks chronology
Jura
(2015)
Upland Stories
(2016)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
American Songwriter     [4]
Exclaim!9/10[5]
Mojo     [6]
Nash Country WeeklyA[7]
Paste9.1/10[8]
PopMatters8/10[9]
Spin8/10[10]
Uncut8/10[11]
ViceA[12]

Upland Stories received generally favorable reviews from critics; on Metacritic, it has a score of 87 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".[2] One such review was written by Bob Paxman for Nash Country Weekly. In his review, Paxman wrote that Fulks had "reached his highest plateau" with Upland Stories, and concluded by calling it "a masterful album, replete with wonderful stories and fully drawn characters."[7]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Robbie Fulks, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Alabama at Night"  
2."Baby Rocked Her Dolly"Merle Kilgore 
3."Never Come Home"  
4."Sarah Jane"  
5."Aunt Peg's New Old Man"  
6."Needed"  
7."South Bend Soldiers On"  
8."America Is a Hard Religion"  
9."A Miracle"  
10."Sweet as Sweet Comes"  
11."Katy Kay"  
12."Fare Thee Well, Carolina Gals"  

Personnel

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  • Steve Albini – engineering, mixing
  • Shad Cobb – banjo, fiddle, vocals
  • Jim DeMain – mastering
  • Robbie Fulks – banjo, guitar, production, vocals
  • Robbie Gjersoe – baritone guitar, electric guitar, resonator guitar, ukulele, viola
  • Andy Goodwin – cover photograph, photography
  • Markus Greiner – layout
  • Alex Hall – drums
  • Jim Herrington – photography
  • Wayne Horvitz – organ, Wurlitzer
  • Fats Kaplin – mandolin, pedal steel
  • Todd Phillips – bass
  • Jenny Scheinman – fiddle, vocals
  • Grégoire Yeche – assistant

References

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  1. ^ "Grammys 2017: Complete list of winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. February 12, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Reviews for Upland Stories by Robbie Fulks". Metacritic. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  3. ^ Deming, Mark. "Upland Stories – Robbie Fulks". AllMusic. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  4. ^ Horowitz, Hal (April 4, 2016). "Robbie Fulks: Upland Stories". American Songwriter. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  5. ^ Greene, Sarah (April 5, 2016). "Robbie Fulks: Upland Stories". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  6. ^ Simmons, Sylvie (June 2016). "Robbie Fulks: Upland Stories". Mojo (271): 91.
  7. ^ a b Paxman, Bob (March 2, 2016). "Upland Stories by Robbie Fulks". Nash Country Weekly. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  8. ^ Gleason, Holly (May 19, 2016). "Robbie Fulks: Upland Stories Review". Paste. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  9. ^ Horowitz, Steve (March 31, 2016). "Robbie Fulks: Upland Stories". PopMatters. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  10. ^ McKenna, Brittney (June 10, 2016). "SPIN Country Report: Robert Ellis Is Trying to Break Your Heart, Margo Price Fills Your Old Jukebox". Spin. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  11. ^ Torn, Luke (May 2016). "Robbie Fulks: Upland Stories". Uncut (228): 73.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (April 1, 2016). "Roots Rock Rebels: Expert Witness With Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved June 28, 2016.