Loud & Lonesome

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Loud & Lonesome
Loud & Lonesome.jpg
Studio album by
Eric Ambel
Released1994, Belgium
1995, United States
Genre Rock, roots rock [1]
Label Survival Europe
East Side Digital [2]
Producer Eric Ambel
Eric Ambel chronology
Roscoe's Gang
(1988)		Loud & Lonesome
(1994)

Loud & Lonesome is an album by the American musician Eric Ambel. [3] [4] The album is credited to Eric Ambel and Roscoe's Gang, with Ambel adopting his Roscoe persona. [5] [6] It was first released by Belgium's Survival Europe record label. [7]

Contents

The album was reissued in 2004, via Ambel's Lakeside Lounge Records. [8]

Production

The album was written with Dan Baird, Kevin Salem, and Dan Zanes, among others. [9] Produced by Ambel, it was recorded with drummer Keith Lervreault, of Blood Oranges, and bass player Andy York, who had played with John Mellencamp. [10] [11]

A hidden track at the end of the album, "Frozen Head State Park", marked the recording debut of Ambel's Yayhoos. [12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Entertainment Weekly A− [6]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Province Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
The Record Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]

No Depression thought that Ambel's "urgent guitar playing repeatedly breaks through the themes of self-imposed isolation." [5] Trouser Press wrote that, "with his overdriven, wailing guitar and reedy vocals, [Ambel] favors the more rock side of the (don’t-call-it) cowpunk equation, sounding like a less-ravaged Neil Young." [9] The Record praised the "ferocious guitar work." [15]

Entertainment Weekly opined that Loud & Lonesome "evokes Texas via the Lower East Side, on the strength of rough-hewn stylings and achy ballads." [6] Guitar Player wrote: "Blending tremoloed chords, searing feedback, clanging riffs, ringing flat-top, and tangy country bends, Ambel conjures a desolate campfire lit by blinking neon and littered with empty beer cans." [16] The Philadelphia Inquirer deemed the album "a rugged platter ... delivered with the authority of Zuma-era Neil Young." [17]

AllMusic wrote: "A tougher and darker effort than one might expect from Ambel, Loud and Lonesome isn't always an easy listen, but it's certainly a rewarding one." [13]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Song for the Walls" 
2."Miles from the Machine" 
3."Way Outside" 
4."Three Feet Under" 
5."I'm Not Alone" 
6."One More Moment Gone" 
7."Downtown at Midnight" 
8."The Rain Won't Stop" 
9."Long Gone Dream" 
10."Autumn Rose" 
11."Red Apple Juice" 

References

  1. ↑ "New & Noteworthy Roots Rock Titles". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 17. April 29, 1995. p. 94.
  2. ↑ Smith, Chris (May 29, 1995). "Recorded Music". New York. Vol. 28, no. 22. p. 93.
  3. ↑ "Eric Ambel Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  4. ↑ Maley, Dan (July 14, 1995). "Strong Lineup Should Have Liz Reed Rockin'". The Telegraph. p. D8.
  5. 1 2 "Eric Ambel – Loud & Lonesome". No Depression. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "Loud & Lonesome". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  7. ↑ Herndon, David (September 4, 1994). "It's a Twang Thang". Fanfare. Newsday. p. 17.
  8. ↑ Morris, Chris (May 1, 2004). "Record Label Next Venture for Veteran Rocker Ambel". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 18. p. 46.
  9. 1 2 "Eric Ambel". Trouser Press. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  10. 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 327.
  11. ↑ Himes, Geoffrey (October 31, 2023). "The Forgotten Triumph of East Side Digital Records". Music Features. Paste.
  12. ↑ Gettelman, Parry. "For Eric Ambel, It's Sound That Counts". OrlandoSentinel. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Loud & Lonesome". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  14. ↑ Harrison, Tom (May 1, 1997). "Eric Ambel & Roscoe's Gang: Loud and Lonesome (ESD)". The Province. p. B26.
  15. 1 2 Edel, Raymond A. (September 15, 1995). "Quick Spins". Lifestyle/Previews. The Record. p. 6.
  16. ↑ Ellis, Andy (September 1995). "Loud & Lonesome by Eric Ambel & Roscoe's Gang". Guitar Player. Vol. 29, no. 9. p. 120.
  17. ↑ DeLuca, Dean (August 4, 1995). "One Roots Icon and Many Votaries Arrive". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 17.
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