Track Listing
1. Rainy Days
2. Chinatown
3. My Whole World
4. Lose My Way
5. Rain or Shine
6. Downtime
7. Gyroscope
8. In July
9. Sunset Marquis, The
10. 7 Days
11. Promising Grey Day
| Details | | Contributing Artists: | Mitchell Froom, Tony Levin | | Producer: | Mitchell Froom, Vonda Shepard | | Distributor: | Navarre | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
Personnel: Vonda Shepard (vocals, piano); Val McCallum (acoustic & electric guitars, dobro, background vocals); Tony Levin (banjo, bass, Chapman stick); Charlie Bishart, Mario De Leon (violin); Matt Funes, Maria Newman (viola); Larry Corbett, Dan Smith (cello); Mitchell Froom (accordion, Wurlitzer piano, harmonium, Clavinet, Hammond B-3 organ; chamberlin, Mini-Moog synthesizer, glockenspiel); Davey Faragher (bass); Pete Thomas, Jerry Marotta (drums, percussion).
Personnel: Vonda Shepard (piano, background vocals); Val McCallum (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lap steel guitar, dobro, background vocals); Tony Levin (banjo); Charlie Bisharat, Mario Diaz de Leon (violin); Matt Funes, Maria Newman (viola); Larry Corbett, Dan Smith (cello); Mitchell Froom (accordion, clarinet, harmonium, organ, Wurlitzer organ, chamberlin, mini-Moog synthesizer, glockenspiel); Pete Thomas , Jerry Marotta (drums, percussion).
Audio Mixer: David McNair.
Recording information: Chrome Yellow.
Photographer: Pamela Springsteen.
Teamed professionally and personally with producer/keyboard whiz Mitchell Froom, Shepard makes a strong post-Ally McBeal statement on Chinatown. The arrangements vary, from one solo track through mixtures of strings and a rhythm section and on to a flirtation with electronic exotica on "Gyroscope," yet the feel doesn't change too much: Her relatively narrow vocal range and fondness for using cloudy weather as a lyrical device shroud the album in a fine mist. (Titles like "Rainy Days," "Rain or Shine," and "Promising Grey Day" make the point, which reflects further in the muted piano timbre, whale-noise effects, and wistful ocean images of "In July.") But if Chinatown is a monochrome, it's an appealing one, tailored to her honeyed, moody singing and knack for blending confessional candor with craftsmanship. One song, "The Sunset Marquis," offers a near-perfect example of contemporary narrative writing, with words that wind through lonely shadows toward a surprise redemption, and a construction whose brief lyrical hook -- "playing on the radio" -- sticks in your head without in the least impeding the flow of long, liquid melody. This is adult music at its finest: intelligent without the stain of showiness, intimate yet only the tiniest bit whiny, and ultimately, completely musical. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk
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