Little Head

Last updated

Little Head
Hiatt Head.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 1, 1997
Studio
Genre Rock
Length42:58
Label Capitol
Producer Davey Faragher, John Hiatt
John Hiatt chronology
Walk On
(1995)
Little Head
(1997)
Crossing Muddy Waters
(2000)
Singles from Little Head
  1. "Little Head"
    Released: 1997
  2. "Sure Pinocchio"
    Released: September 1997
  3. "Pirate Radio"
    Released: 1997

Little Head is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's thirteenth album, released in 1997. It failed to hit the top half of the Billboard 200, and it was his last album with Capitol Records. Little Head was the first album which Hiatt took a role in its production.

Contents

Recording

The album was co-produced by John Hiatt and Davey Faragher, who also plays bass on the album. Hiatt wrote all of the songs on the album while on the tour supporting Walk On in 1996. Two of the songs from the album, "Graduated" and "Runaway" were recorded during the tour, in Chapman Studios, Kansas City, Missouri, and Sunset Sound Factory, Los Angeles, California, [1] while the rest were recorded at the Village Recorder in Los Angeles. [2]

Release

Little Head was released by Capitol Records on July 1, 1997. [1] [3] The album debuted, and peaked at No. 111 on the Billboard 200 chart. [4] [5] The title track, [1] "Sure Pinocchio" [6] and "Pirate Radio" [7] were released as singles.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Daily VaultB [9]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]

The Independent reviewer Andy Gill writes "While clearly in more jocular mood than on 1995's admirable but downbeat Walk On, John Hiatt relinquishes none of that set's essential quality on Little Head, which may be his most approachable record yet." [11] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls the album "arguably his weakest to date," writing "By attempting to loosen up on Little Head, John Hiatt only accentuates his songwriting slump. Hiatt tentatively backs away from pure Americana, trying to make the rhythms looser and the lyrics funnier. Its supposed to be a lighthearted record, but the humor is so labored and the music so forced that it largely falls flat. But the real problem is Hiatt's shockingly listless songwriting. Although he's recycled past ideas on Perfectly Good Guitar and Walk On , his craftsmanship made those two efforts at least marginally entertaining. On Little Head, his skill has abandoned him -- there's no spark to the music, no bite to the lyrics, no hooks in the melodies." [3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Hiatt, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Little Head" 3:45
2."Pirate Radio" 4:27
3."My Sweet Girl" 4:04
4."Feelin' Again" 3:45
5."Graduated" 4:38
6."Sure Pinocchio"John Hiatt, Davey Faragher 4:16
7."Runaway" 5:53
8."Woman Sawed in Half" 4:31
9."Far As We Go" 4:15
10."After All This Time" 3:24

Personnel

Additional musicians

References

  1. 1 2 3 Morris, Chris (31 May 1997). "Capitol Anticipates Higher Profile For Hiatt's 'Head'" (PDF). Billboard . pp. 13, 16 via World Radio History.
  2. "A Perfectly Good Cigar" (PDF). Billboard . 5 April 1997. p. 43 via World Radio History.
  3. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Little Head Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic .
  4. "Billboard 200 - Week of July 19, 1997". Billboard .
  5. "John Hiatt Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard .
  6. "Sure Pinocchio - John Hiatt | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  7. "Once Upon A TIme There Was Such A Thing As Pirate Radio" (PDF). The Gavin Report . 19 September 1997. p. 27 via World Radio History.
  8. Little Head at AllMusic. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  9. Daily Vault Review
  10. Hogan, Peter (July 1997). "John Hiatt: Little Head". Uncut . No. 2. p. 101.
  11. Gill, Andy (19 June 1997). "John Hiatt Little Head Capitol CDEST 2296". The Independent .