| Eleven Eleven | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 20, 2011 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, country rock | |||
| Length | 49:35 | |||
| Label | Yep Roc | |||
| Producer | Dave Alvin | |||
| Dave Alvin chronology | ||||
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Eleven Eleven is the eleventh studio album by folk rock musician Dave Alvin. It was released on June 20, 2011 on Yep Roc Records, and an expanded reissue was released on April 17, 2012. [1]
The recording of Eleven Eleven was influenced by the then-recent deaths of Alvin's friends Chris Gaffney and Amy Farris. [2] The eleven songs on Eleven Eleven were written over the course of seven months, with three exceptions: the three duets on the album, which were "What's Up With Your Brother", "Manzanita", and "Two Lucky Bums". [3] "What's Up With Your Brother" is a duet between Alvin and his brother, Phil Alvin, in which both brothers sing together for the first time on record. "Manzanita" is a duet between Alvin and Christy McWilson, a member of his band, the Guilty Women. "Two Lucky Bums" is a duet between Alvin and Chris Gaffney, and represents Gaffney's last recording before he died in 2008. [3] The song "Harlan County Line" was written for the TV show Justified. [4]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (84%) [5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| American Songwriter | [7] |
| Rolling Stone |  [8] |
| Robert Christgau | (A-) [9] |
| PopMatters | (8/10) [10] |
| Los Angeles Times | [2] |
Eleven Eleven received mostly favorable reviews from critics. [5] Wayne Robins wrote in American Songwriter that the album's best songs were "character studies or snapshots of history". [7] Many critics described "Johnny Ace is Dead" as one of the best songs on the album, [7] [8] with Steve Horowitz of PopMatters calling it "the best damn Johnny Ace song one could ever imagine." [10]
All tracks composed by Dave Alvin; except where indicated
David Albert Alvin is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s and has been involved in various side projects and collaborations. He has had brief stints as a member of the bands X and the Knitters.
The Blasters are an American rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Their self-described "American Music" is a blend of rockabilly, early rock and roll, punk rock, mountain music, and rhythm and blues and country.
Down with Wilco is the fifth album by American rock band The Minus 5. Produced by Scott McCaughey and Jeff Tweedy, it is a collaboration between McCaughey and Wilco, recorded at SOMA Studios Chicago in September and December 2001. Released on Yep Roc in 2003, it also features contributions from Peter Buck of R.E.M., Ken Stringfellow of The Posies, Sean O'Hagan of The High Llamas, with Jessy Greene providing strings. The double-vinyl version adds five songs not included on the CD.
These Days is the eleventh studio album and the first box set by American country music artist Vince Gill. Consisting of 43 original songs spanning four discs, the album displays the range of Gill’s lyrical and musical styles, ranging from traditional country and bluegrass to jazz and rock. The album was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and won Best Country Album. In 2012, the album was number 10 on People Magazine's "Top 10 Best Albums of the Century ". It is also ranked #9 on Country Universe's "The 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade."
The Hacienda Brothers is an American alternative country band composed of Chris Gaffney, Dave Gonzalez, Dave Berzansky, Dale Daniel, and Hank Maninger. They have been described as "the finest country rock band since the Flying Burrito Brothers in their prime," and were called "the best country band of the decade." Their music blends soul, blues, rockabilly, country, Tex-Mex and rock and roll. They themselves call it "western Soul." The band was hailed as making a "groundbreaking blend of country, rock, blues and accordion-anchored Americana" and by the time founder Chris Gaffney died in 2008 had made three studio albums and one live album.
Christopher F. Gaffney was an American singer and songwriter from the Southwest. His career, both as a solo musician and as a member of several bands, was as eclectic as his musical tastes. Although he never achieved widespread fame, Gaffney, who died at the age of 57 from liver cancer, left his mark on country, rock, soul, and other forms of American music. In its obituary, the Los Angeles Times described Gaffney as "a peer of [Dave] Alvin, Los Lobos, X and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in chronicling the life of Southern California."
Lucky Old Sun is the twelfth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on October 14, 2008 as the first release for Blue Chair Records, Chesney's personal division of the BNA Records record label. The album produced two singles in "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" and "Down the Road", which were both number ones on the country charts. Chesney's versions of those two songs are duets with The Wailers and Mac McAnally respectively. This was Kenny's first album since 1997's I Will Stand to not have a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Just Lookin' for a Hit is the first compilation album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It includes eight singles from his 1980s albums for Reprise Records, as well as two newly recorded cover songs: "Long White Cadillac," originally recorded by The Blasters, and "Sin City," originally recorded by the Flying Burrito Brothers.
Johnny's Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash is a 2003 compilation album, released by Northern Blues Music, of blues-oriented songs made popular by Johnny Cash, sung by various Canadian and American performers.
Dwight's Used Records is a compilation album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released by Audium Records on June 29, 2004. The album peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Loser's Paradise is an album by country music singer-songwriter Chris Gaffney, released in 1995 on HighTone Records. It was Gaffney's second album released on HighTone, and was produced by Dave Alvin. It was recorded over a 10-day period in Austin, Texas.
Ashgrove is an album by American artist Dave Alvin, released in 2004. It reached number 38 on the Top Independent Albums chart.
King of California is an album by the American musician Dave Alvin, released in 1994.
West of the West is an album by American artist Dave Alvin, released in 2006. The album pays tribute to California songwriters. It reached number 35 on the Top Independent Albums chart.
Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women is an album by American artist Dave Alvin, released in 2009. It reached number 35 on the Top Independent Albums chart.
Out in California is a live album by American artist Dave Alvin and the Guilty Men, released in 2002. It was recorded live in August 2001 in Santa Barbara and in January 2002 in Pasadena, California.
Blackjack David is the sixth album by the American artist Dave Alvin, released in 1998.
Christy McWilson is an American singer-songwriter based in the Pacific Northwest. She has performed with the Dynette Set, the Picketts, as a solo artist, and with many other artists, including Dave Alvin and The Young Fresh Fellows.
Common Ground: Dave & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy is a studio album by rock musicians Dave and Phil Alvin, released in 2014. The album is a tribute to the songs of Big Bill Broonzy; the brothers credit him with writing the first rockabilly song.
I Used to Be Pretty is a studio album by American band the Flesh Eaters. It was released on January 18, 2019, through Yep Roc Records.