Braver Newer World

Braver Newer World
Studio album by Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Released	1996
Label	Elektra [1]
Producer	T Bone Burnett
Jimmie Dale Gilmore chronology
Spinning Around the Sun (1993) Braver Newer World (1996) One Endless Night (2000)

Braver Newer World is an album by the American musician Jimmie Dale Gilmore, release in 1996. ^{[2] [3]} Gilmore deemed the album's sound "West Texas psychedelic blues-rockabilly". ^[4]

The album peaked at No. 19 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart. ^[5] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Folk Album". ^[6]

Production

Recorded in Los Angeles, the album was produced by T Bone Burnett; Gilmore had started the album with Bones Howe before scrapping the results. ^{[7] [4]} The title track was written specifically for the film Kicking and Screaming . ^[8] "Where Is Love Now" was written by Sam Phillips. ^[9] "Because of the Wind" was written by Joe Ely; "Black Snake Moan" is a cover of the Blind Lemon Jefferson song. ^{[10] [11]}

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution	[9]
Calgary Herald	[13]
Chicago Tribune	[14]
Robert Christgau	[15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[16]
The Indianapolis Star	[17]
MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide	[18]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide	[19]

The New York Times opined that "the album is slicker and more rock-oriented than Mr. Gilmore's previous albums... In this context, keeping Mr. Gilmore's cosmic sensitivity from becoming too sappy and rock's propulsive drive from becoming too overwhelming is a challenge that Mr. Burnett meets only some of the time." ^[20] Salon wrote that, "with a precise intelligence, he uses the perfect blend of Americana to bring his songs to life: melodies from country and western, rhythms from swing and rock 'n' roll, fills from folk and bluegrass." ^[21] The Chicago Tribune deemed the album "a radical departure that risks alienating longtime fans while reinventing and reinvigorating the artist." ^[14]

Trouser Press noted the "richly atmospheric mix, with a potpourri of percussion, pedal-steel drones, Vox organ, lowing horns and chunky baritone guitar." ^[22] The Calgary Herald determined that "Gilmore is rooted deep in Texas storytelling, the emptiness of the landscape or someone's heart tempered by a spiritual, personal optimism." ^[13] Texas Monthly stated that "there are moments when-for the first time ever-he rocks as effortlessly as he rolls." ^[23] The Indianapolis Star panned the production. ^[17]

AllMusic wrote that the album finds Gilmore "moving away from the staunch musical traditionalism that characterized his earlier releases, into a brilliant fusion of pure country, mystical explorations, and sonic experimentation that foreshadows the psychedelic tilt of nominally alt-country albums like Wilco's Summer Teeth or the Jayhawks' Smile." ^[12] MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide likened the album to Magical Mystery Tour , if the Beatles album had "been recorded in Austin, Texas." ^[18]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Braver Newer World"
2.	"Come Fly Away"
3.	"Borderland"
4.	"Headed for a Fall"
5.	"Long, Long Time"
6.	"Sally"
7.	"There She Goes"
8.	"Where Is Love Now"
9.	"Black Snake Moan"
10.	"Because of the Wind"
11.	"Outside the Lines"

References

1. Mirkin, Steven (September 1996). "Quick Fix". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 37. p. 6.
2. "Jimmie Dale Gilmore Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
3. McCall, Michael; Rumble, John; Kingsbury, Paul (February 1, 2012). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press.
4. Mirkin, Steven (May 25, 1996). "Jimmie Dale Gilmore maps a 'Newer World' on Elektra". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 21. p. 12.
5. "Jimmie Dale Gilmore". Billboard.
6. "Jimmie Dale Gilmore". Recording Academy. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
7. Wolff, Kurt (July 5, 2000). Country Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides.
8. Hornaday, Ann (November 17, 1995). "Jimmie Dale's no stranger to Hollywood soundtracks". Austin American-Statesman. p. E7.
9. Dollar, Steve (June 27, 1996). "Gilmore's poetic simplicity turns softer, richer". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. D4.
10. DeLuca, Dan (June 30, 1996). "2 Texans: Lovett Needs Fire, but Gilmore Glows". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. K1.
11. Fricke, David (July 11–25, 1996). "Braver Newer World". Rolling Stone. No. 738–739. pp. 87–88.
12. "Jimmie Dale Gilmore Braver Newer World". AllMusic.
13. Muretich, James (June 30, 1996). "Getting to the heart of country music". Calgary Herald. p. E5.
14. Kot, Greg (July 4, 1996). "Gilmore Reinvents Himself on 'Braver Newer World'". Chicago Tribune. p. 8B.
15. Christgau, Robert (October 15, 2000). Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan.
16. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 757.
17. Redmond, Mike (July 14, 1996). "Jimmie Dale Gilmore 'Braver Newer World'". The Indianapolis Star. p. I7.
18. MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 312.
19. (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. pp. 331–332.
20. Strauss, Neil (June 25, 1996). "To Get on the Road Again". The New York Times. p. C13.
21. Berger, Kevin (July 1, 1996). "Braver Newer World". Salon.
22. "Jimmie Dale Gilmore". Trouser Press. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
23. Morthland, John (July 1996). "Hot box". Texas Monthly. Vol. 24, no. 7. p. 18.