| Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2001 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Label | Vapor | |||
| Producer | Niko Bolas, Jonathan Richman | |||
| Jonathan Richman chronology | ||||
| ||||
Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow is an album by the American musician Jonathan Richman, released in 2001. [1] [2] It was his third album for Vapor Records. [3] Richman supported the album with a North American tour. [4]
The album was produced by Niko Bolas and Richman; Richman felt that some of his previous albums had been overproduced. [5] [6] Richman was again backed by stand-up drummer Tommy Larkins. [7] Ralph Carney contributed on woodwinds. [8] "Vampiresa Mujer" is a remake of Richman's "Vampire Girl". [9] "Give Paris One More Chance" is a new version of a song Richman recorded for Jonathan Sings! [10] "Leaves on the Sidewalk After the Rain" and "Maybe a Walk Home from Natick High" are instrumentals. [11] "Springtime in New York" describes walking through Tompkins Square Park. [12]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [13] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [10] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [14] |
The New York Times wrote that "rock's mooniest troubadour veils his wit in a cloud of romantic simplicity." [15] Pitchfork noted that "albums this unpretentious are increasingly rare ... that's what makes Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow so seductive." [14] The Hartford Courant called Richman "so forthright and free of irony that he may be mistaken as a children's performer, he is nonetheless full of unique adult insights." [9]
The Orlando Sentinel praised "My Love for Her Ain't Sad", writing that "the open harmonies in the gut-string guitar solo fall somewhere in the rich middle ground between country, folk and rock." [13] The Washington Post concluded that "Richman can seem a little too stuck in (or on) his own past... Yet there's always the fresh amour of songs like 'Me and Her Got a Good Thing Goin' Baby' to reinvigorate his sorta folky, sorta old-timey rock-and-roll." [16] The Gazette said that "the disc has a rough, deliciously sloppy garage-band feel to it." [6]
AllMusic stated that "the title track is pure magic; its moonstruck words and gently swinging sound, even its cumbersome title, posit an alternative universe in which rock & roll only became more innocent and naïve after the '50s." [8]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow" | |
| 2. | "Springtime in New York" | |
| 3. | "Me and Her Got a Good Thing Goin' Baby" | |
| 4. | "Couples Must Fight" | |
| 5. | "I Took a Chance on Her" | |
| 6. | "Maybe a Walk Home from Natick High School" | |
| 7. | "Give Paris One More Chance" | |
| 8. | "My Love for Her Ain't Sad" | |
| 9. | "Leaves on the Sidewalk After the Rain" | |
| 10. | "Tonight" | |
| 11. | "Yo Tengo Una Novia" | |
| 12. | "El Joven So Estremece" | |
| 13. | "Con El Merengue" | |
| 14. | "Vampiresa Mujer (Vampire Girl)" |
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