Learn to Sing Like a Star | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 23, 2007 | |||
Recorded | June–October 2006 | |||
Studio | Stable Sound Studio, Portsmouth, Rhode Island [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 41:20 | |||
Label | 4AD, Yep Roc Records | |||
Producer | Kristin Hersh | |||
Kristin Hersh chronology | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 74/100 [2] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
The Austin Chronicle | [3] |
MusicOMH | [4] |
Pitchfork | 6.2/10 [5] |
Rolling Stone | [6] |
Slant Magazine | [7] |
Learn to Sing Like a Star is Kristin Hersh's seventh solo album and was released in the US on Yep Roc Records on the 23 January 2007 and on 4AD for the rest of the world on the 29 January. The album was produced by Kristin herself and mixed in Nashville by two-time Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker. It features her Throwing Muses bandmate David Narcizo on drums and with strings by the McCarricks. The album peaked at #27 on the US's Billboard Top Heatseekers Album Chart.
In early 2007 Hersh toured throughout Europe and the US to promote the album, first solo in a series of instore performances and then with her 50 Foot Wave bandmates Bernard Georges and Rob Ahlers as well as The McCarricks. In October 2007 she will do a short tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Learn to Sing Like a Star was met with "generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 74, based on 20 reviews. [2] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 75 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 9 reviews. [8]
Shawn Badgley of The Austin Chronicle said the album "is the full Hersh experience, encompassing as it does all of her back-catalog iterations, from the knife-throwing thrills of the Throwing Muses' precise power pop to the cutting melancholia of her Hips and Makers-era balladry. With help from Dave Narcizo on drums and Martin and Kimberlee McCarrick on cello and violin, Hersh handles everything else." [3]
All tracks are written by Kristin Hersh
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "In Shock" | 4:12 |
2. | "Nerve Endings" | 3:35 |
3. | "Day Glow" | 3:56 |
4. | "Christian Hearse" | 0:29 |
5. | "Ice" | 3:16 |
6. | "Under the Gun" | 3:10 |
7. | "Piano 1" | 1:43 |
8. | "Sugarbaby" | 3:10 |
9. | "Peggy Lee" | 3:15 |
10. | "Piano 2" | 0:47 |
11. | "Vertigo" | 3:59 |
12. | "Winter" | 2:33 |
13. | "Wild Vanilla" | 2:58 |
14. | "The Thin Man" | 4:17 |
Musicians
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Throwing Muses are an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, that toured and recorded extensively until 1997, when its members began concentrating more on other projects.
Martha Kristin Hersh is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter known for her solo work and with her rock bands Throwing Muses and 50FootWave. She has released eleven solo albums. Her guitar work and composition style ranges from jaggedly dissonant to traditional folk. Hersh's lyrics have a stream-of-consciousness style, reflecting her personal experiences.
Tanya Donelly is an American Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New England who co-founded Throwing Muses with her step-sister Kristin Hersh. Donelly went on to co-form the alternative rock band The Breeders in 1989, before leaving to front her own band Belly in 1991. By the late 1990s, she settled into a solo recording career, working largely with musicians connected to the Boston music scene.
David John Narcizo is an American musician and graphic designer, primarily known for his work as the longtime drummer for Throwing Muses.
Lakuna was an electronic instrumental project begun by drummer David Narcizo after Throwing Muses first split up following their 1996 Limbo album. Lakuna first released a 12-inch called So Happy and then a 1999 full-length album called Castle of Crime. Narcizo provided drums, drum programming, and keyboards on all the tracks. The album's guest musicians included Bernard Georges on bass, Kristin Hersh on guitar loops, Belly's Tom Gorman on bass, Melissa "Misi" Narcizo on piano and keyboards, and Frank Gardner on bass and bass synthesizer. Narcizo employed tape loops and samples from obscure, vintage music to achieve the album's ambient-styled instrumental sounds. Lakuna recorded on the 4AD and Throwing Music labels.
Martin McCarrick is an English cellist, keyboardist, guitarist and composer. Aside from being a live and recording artist, he is also a teacher and visiting lecturer in music.
The Real Ramona is the fourth studio album by Throwing Muses, released in 1991. It peaked at number 26 on the UK Albums Chart.
Hunkpapa is the third studio album by Throwing Muses, released in 1989. It peaked at number 59 on the UK Albums Chart.
"Bright Yellow Gun" is the only single by Throwing Muses from their 1995 album University. An accompanying video was also made directed by Kevin Kerslake.
Throwing Muses is the 1986 debut album of the band Throwing Muses, released on British independent label 4AD. This was the first album by an American band to be released on 4AD, which had concentrated primarily on British-based acts up to this point. The release marked a shift in the label's direction; a year later 4AD would sign Pixies based in part on the band's connection to Throwing Muses, and by the mid-1990s much of the label's roster was made up of American bands.
The Grotto is the sixth solo album released by Kristin Hersh. It was released on 17 March 2003 on 4AD records, simultaneously with the Throwing Muses (2003) record. It features Howe Gelb on piano and Andrew Bird on violin. Kristin Hersh produced the album as well as playing all other instruments. The album peaked at #39 on the US's Billboard Top Independent Albums Chart.
Throwing Muses is the eighth studio album by the alternative rock band Throwing Muses. It was recorded over three weekends and released simultaneously with Kristin Hersh's solo record The Grotto on 17 March 2003. The album features Bernard Georges on bass and David Narcizo on drums as well as original bandmate Tanya Donelly on backing vocals.
Sunny Border Blue is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kristin Hersh. The album peaked at #93 on the Official UK Albums Chart. It also peaked at #50 on the US's Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart and, #33 on the US's Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.
Sky Motel is the fourth studio album by the American musician Kristin Hersh, released in 1999.
Red Heaven is a studio album by the American band Throwing Muses, released in 1992. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart. Throwing Muses promoted the album by touring with the Flaming Lips. "Firepile" was released as a single.
Limbo is the seventh studio album by the American alternative rock band Throwing Muses, released on Rykodisc in 1996. It was recorded at the New Orleans studio where the band had recorded University. Following a tour for the album, Throwing Muses were dissolved, with Kristin Hersh continuing her solo career and David Narcizo and Bernard Georges working on several personal and music projects including Hersh's. The album, engineered by Trina Shoemaker, also features cellist Martin McCarrick and Robert Rust on piano.
Purgatory/Paradise is the ninth studio album by Throwing Muses. The album was released in the form of a book containing song lyrics, artwork and a code to download additional music. The album was named after Purgatory Road and Paradise Avenue, two roads that intersect in Middletown, Rhode Island.
Possible Dust Clouds is the tenth studio album by American musician Kristin Hersh. It was released on October 5, 2018 under Fire Records.
Sun Racket is the tenth studio album by American alternative rock band Throwing Muses. The album was released on Fire Records on September 4, 2020, and has received positive reviews from critics.
Wyatt at the Coyote Palace is the ninth studio album by American musician Kristin Hersh. It was released on November 11, 2016 in the form of a book and album, through Omnibus Press.