Candyland (James McMurtry album)

Last updated
Candyland
James McMurtry - Candyland.png
Studio album by
James McMurtry
Released1992
Label Columbia
Producer Michael Wanchic
James McMurtry chronology
Too Long in the Wasteland
(1989)		Candyland
(1992)		Where'd You Hide the Body
(1995)

Candyland is the second album by the American musician James McMurtry, released in 1992. [1] [2] McMurtry supported the album by participating in the "In Their Own Words: A Bunch of Songwriters Sittin' Around Singing" tour, with Marshall Crenshaw, Don Dixon, Jules Shear, and David Halley. [3]

Contents

Production

Produced by Michael Wanchic, the album was recorded in 1990. [4] [5] John Mellencamp coproduced one song, and most of his band played on the album. [6] [7] David Grissom played lead guitar. [8] Candyland's release date was pushed back numerous times, due to Columbia Records' doubts about the songs, problems with McMurtry's management company, and Columbia's request that McMurtry record new material. [5] McMurtry wrote all of the songs, mostly in the studio. [9] [10] He did not like to write about his personal life and also found it more difficult to write about pleasant subjects. [11] The title track is about suburbia; McMurtry wrote it because his band thought he needed a song with a faster tempo. [12] "Where's Johnny" is about a faded high school big man on campus. [13] "Safe Side" describes segregated American neighborhoods. [14] In "Hands Like Rain", an old man remembers how a woman helped him get through a rough period in his life. [15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Calgary Herald B+ [9]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Indianapolis Star Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

Trouser Press opined that "the songs stand out more as hummable tunes," writing that "it's a compelling assortment of small-town tragedies of lost love, lost youth and lost ideals that exposes unpleasant aspects of an America most people would prefer to deny." [17] The New York Times determined that McMurtry's "characters are detached, stranded without frontiers to strive toward; their lives are cluttered with things they're not sure they need." [13] The Boston Globe stated: "His trump card is resignation, and the Americans he profiles can be characterized as closed-minded. Their world, spiritually and financially mediocre, is unchanging." [18]

The Indianapolis Star noted that "cynics might justly accuse McMurtry of merely painting by numbers in this 10-song follow-up." [14] The Kitchener-Waterloo Record panned "McMurtry's almost directionless voice and often somnolent writing." [19] Rolling Stone concluded that, "with his dusty voice and limited range, McMurtry needs to vary his laconic delivery to ensure that his singing doesn't fade to gray after a half-dozen songs." [20]

AllMusic wrote that "McMurtry offers a deep, personable (if plain) voice and delivery, equally suited to both country and rock." [16]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Where's Johnny" 
2."Vague Directions" 
3."Hands Like Rain" 
4."Safe Side" 
5."Candyland" 
6."Don't Waste Away" 
7."Good Life" 
8."Save Yourself" 
9."Storekeeper" 
10."Dusty Pages" 

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References

  1. ↑ Johnson, Michael L. (1996). New Westers: The West in Contemporary American Culture. University Press of Kansas. p. 344.
  2. ↑ Christensen, Thor (26 May 1992). "Surly songwriters offer few of their own words". The Milwaukee Journal. p. B6.
  3. ↑ Okamoto, David (22 May 1992). "Songwriters swap music and stories". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. F7.
  4. 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 450.
  5. 1 2 McLeese (15 Aug 1991). "Make-or-break time for Austin acts". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 7.
  6. ↑ "Candyland by James McMurtry". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 28. Jul 11, 1992. p. 46.
  7. 1 2 Kening, Dan (16 July 1992). "Rave Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  8. ↑ Mackie, John (13 Aug 1992). "Late starter's raring to go now". Vancouver Sun. p. C6.
  9. 1 2 Dunlop, Neil (5 July 1992). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
  10. ↑ Harris, Paul A. (23 Aug 1992). "Stories from Another McMurtry". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3C.
  11. ↑ Stoute, Lenny (8 Oct 1992). "Singer likes things 'messy and choppy'". Toronto Star. p. D9.
  12. ↑ Hochman, Steve (2 June 1992). "James McMurtry Keeps His Distance from His Songs". Los Angeles Times. p. F6.
  13. 1 2 Schoemer, Karen (21 June 1992). "Two Roads Taken, Each Leading to the Heartland". The New York Times. p. A23.
  14. 1 2 3 Hawn, John (3 July 1992). "McMurtry recreates hellish images on his second album". The Indianapolis Star. p. B5.
  15. ↑ "James McMurtry's Unsettling American Stories". Stereo Review. Vol. 57, no. 10. Oct 1992. p. 81.
  16. 1 2 "Candyland Review by Roch Parisien". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  17. ↑ "James McMurtry". Trouser Press. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  18. ↑ Gilbert, Matthew (12 June 1992). "New generation of FM poets strike the bittersweet chord". Arts & Film. The Boston Globe. p. 37.
  19. ↑ Maize, Andy (23 July 1992). "Candyland James McMurtry". The Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. C17.
  20. ↑ Drozdowski, Ted (Sep 17, 1992). "Candyland by James McMurtry". Rolling Stone. No. 639. p. 94.
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