Changing Horses (Ben Kweller album)

Changing Horses
Studio album by Ben Kweller
Released	February 2, 2009 (2009-02-02)
Recorded	2007–2008
Studio	Public Hi-Fi & Cedar Creek (Austin, Texas); Smith Street Studios (New York City)
Genre	Country rock alt-country folk rock
Length	35:45
Label	ATO Records Noise Co.
Producer	Ben Kweller
Ben Kweller chronology
Ben Kweller (2006) Changing Horses (2009) Go Fly a Kite (2012)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	69/100 [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Alternative Press (magazine)	[3]
Austin Chronicle	[4]
No Ripcord	[5]
Paste	50% [6]
Pitchfork	5.3/10 [7]
PopMatters	[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Spin	[10]
SSW	[11]

Changing Horses is the fourth studio album by American singer Ben Kweller which was released on February 2, 2009 in Europe and February 3, 2009, in the United States. It was expected for release in September 2008 but was delayed to 2009. Kweller has described the album as being more country in style than his previous releases. The album features his rhythm section Chris Morrissey (bass) and Mark Stepro (drums). It also debuts the talents of Kitt Kitterman, Kweller's manager, who plays pedal steel guitar and Dobro. On November 23, 2008, the full album leaked onto the Internet. In a statement, ATO Records said the leak was not the final version of the album. The song "Hurtin' You" was debuted on Stereogum. The whole album was made available to stream exclusively on Last.fm.

Track listing

1. "Gypsy Rose" – 4:56
2. "Old Hat" – 4:12
3. "Fight" – 2:54
4. "Hurtin' You" (featuring The Pierces) – 2:47
5. "Ballad of Wendy Baker" – 3:58
6. "Sawdust Man" – 4:12
7. "Wantin' Her Again" – 2:42
8. "Things I Like to Do" – 2:09
9. "On Her Own" – 4:01
10. "Homeward Bound" – 3:50

Personnel

Musicians

• Ben Kweller – lead vocals, guitar, and piano
• Kitt Kitterman – pedal steel and dobro
• Mark Stepro – drums and backing vocals
• Chris Morrissey – bass and backing vocals
• "Fight" piano by Riley Osbourn
• "On Her Own" electric guitar by Greg Combs
• "Hurtin' You" bass/backing vocals by Josh Lattanzi, drums by Ben Kweller, and backing vocals by The Pierces
• "Ballad of Wendy Baker" strings by The Tosca String Quartet, arr. by Ben Kweller
• "Sawdust Man" claps by Steve Mazur, Rob Niederpruem, and Ben Kweller; percussion by Ben Kweller and Fred Remmert

Production

• Produced by Ben Kweller
• Recorded by Steve Mazur
• Mixed by Ben Kweller and Steve Mazur
• Mastered by Fred Kavorkian

Charts

Chart performance for Changing Horses

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [12]	68
US Billboard 200 [13]	92

References

1. "Changing Horses by Ben Kweller". Metacritic . Retrieved 3 October 2016.
2. Changing Horses at AllMusic
3. "Ben Kweller". Alternative Press . 2 July 2009.
4. Austin Chronicle review
5. "Changing Horses".
6. "Ben Kweller: Changing Horses". 3 February 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
7. Pitchfork Media review Archived February 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
8. "Ben Kweller: Changing Horses, PopMatters". 2 February 2009.
9. Rolling Stone review
10. "Ben Kweller, 'Changing Horses' (ATO) - SPIN". 20 January 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
11. "SSW review". Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
12. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 159.
13. "Ben Kweller Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2022.