Master of Disaster

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Master of Disaster
Hiatt Master.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 21, 2005 (2005-06-21)
Studio Ardent Studio "C", Memphis, Tennessee
Genre
Length50:24
Label New West
Producer Jim Dickinson
John Hiatt chronology
Beneath This Gruff Exterior
(2003)
Master of Disaster
(2005)
Live from Austin, TX
(2005)

Master of Disaster is singer-songwriter John Hiatt's seventeenth album, released in 2005. The album features contributions from the North Mississippi Allstars. The album peaked at number 126 on the Billboard 200 and number 10 on the Independent Albums in the United States.

Contents

Recording and release

The recording sessions took place at Ardent Studio "C" in Memphis, Tennessee. [1] The album was produced by Jim Dickinson. [2] [3] It features contributions from the North Mississippi Allstars, David Hood, Jim Spake, Jeff Callaway, Scott Thompson, Joe Sellmansberger, "T-Bone" Tommy Burroughs, and Dickinson.

Master of Disaster was released by New West on June 21, 2005. [1] [4] The album debuted, and peaked at No. 126 on the Billboard 200 chart. [5] [6]

Critic reception

The album was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 70, based on eight reviews. [7]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 70/100 [7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The Irish Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [9]
The New Zealand Herald Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [10]
Now 3/5 [11]
PopMatters 4/10 [12]
Under The Radar Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]

AllMusic's Mark Deming wrote "while Hiatt sounds soulful as all get out (as per usual) on this set, the lingering mood is often downbeat and introspective," adding "Master of Disaster packs too much good and greasy East Memphis vibe to qualify as "mellow," even when Hiatt is searching the depths of his soul, and his material strikes a comfortable balance between his more confessional work and his impulsive rock & roll, allowing him to have it both ways for a change." [1] Steve Horowitz of PopMatters says that "the tunes would be a whole lot better with careful pruning". [4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Hiatt.

No.TitleLength
1."Master of Disaster"5:26
2."Howlin' Down the Cumberland"3:45
3."Thunderbird"4:04
4."Wintertime Blues"4:19
5."When My Love Crosses Over"4:21
6."Love's Not Where We Thought We Left It"5:17
7."Ain't Ever Goin' Back"5:40
8."Cold River"5:34
9."Find You at Last"4:48
10."Old School"3:18
11."Back on the Corner"3:52
Total length:50:24

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Master of Disaster
Chart (2005)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [14] 126
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [15] 10

References

  1. 1 2 3 Deming, Mark. "Master of Disaster Review by Mark Deming". AllMusic .
  2. Zimmermann, Shannon (June 25, 2005). "Hiatt's Recipe for 'Disaster' Is Worth Sharing". The Washington Post .
  3. Doole, Kerry (July 1, 2005). "John Hiatt | Exclaim!". Exclaim! .
  4. 1 2 Horowitz, Steve (July 12, 2005). "John Hiatt: Master of Disaster > PopMatters". PopMatters .
  5. "Billboard 200 - Week of July 9, 2005". Billboard .
  6. "John Hiatt Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard .
  7. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for Master Of Disaster". Metacritic . Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  8. Deming, Mark. "Master of Disaster - John Hiatt | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  9. Breen, Joe (July 22, 2005). "Roots - The Irish Times". The Irish Times .
  10. Reid, Graham (July 30, 2005). "John Hiatt: Master of Disaster". The New Zealand Herald .
  11. Raynor, Brent (August 25, 2005). "JOHN HIATT Master Of Disaster". 'Now .
  12. Horowitz, Steve (July 12, 2005). "John Hiatt: Master of Disaster, PopMatters". PopMatters . Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  13. Christoffersen, Matthew (August 2005). "John Hiatt: Master of Disaster". Under The Radar .
  14. "John Hiatt Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  15. "John Hiatt Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2021.