| Old Wives' Tales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Genre | Folk, folk rock | |||
| Label | Rhino [1] | |||
| Producer | Tony Gilkyson | |||
| Exene Cervenka chronology | ||||
| ||||
Old Wives' Tales is an album by the American musician Exene Cervenka, released in 1989. [2] [3] Cervenka told the Los Angeles Times that she considered the album to be "for and about women." [4]
"He's Got a She" peaked at No. 17 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. [5] Cervenka promoted the album by touring with the Oyster Band. [6]
The album was produced by the former X guitarist Tony Gilkyson. [7] Unlike in X, Cervenka contributed to both the album's music and lyrics; Cervenka had to reacquaint herself with playing the guitar. [4] [8] The songs were written in northern Idaho. [9]
"Gravel" and "Famous Barmaid" include poetry recitations. [10] Gilkyson's sister, Eliza, provided backing vocals on the album. [11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [10] |
| Robert Christgau | B [13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [1] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [14] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [15] |
| Ottawa Citizen | [7] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [16] |
The Chicago Reader called the album "a surpassingly melodic manifesto on what can only be called post-postpunk feminism and romanticism." [17] The New York Times thought that, "as in X, Ms. Cervenka's lyrics conjure an American panorama of prosaic hopes and romantic friction." [18] The Globe and Mail wrote that it is the "casual musical eclecticism, along with Exene's ability to toss off lines like 'She believes in a God who's all thumbs,' that make Old Wives' Tales interesting." [19]
Robert Christgau stated: "Always a notebook-toter, she goes for the roots and poetry you'd expect—in other words, folk-rock." [13] Trouser Press determined that "the tasteful and varied mixture of folk, country, recitation and sturdy rock isn’t that great a stylistic leap from the essence of X." [20] The Orlando Sentinel concluded that if Cervenka "didn't have a punk-rock past, her solo debut might win her a place among country-Western New Traditionalists such as Lyle Lovett and K.D. Lang." [15] The Toronto Star opined that, while Cervenka "doggedly wrestles with the empty romance of poverty-stricken America," the album "comes replete with suspect vocals and arrangements." [21]
AllMusic called Old Wives' Tales "a charming, timeless album of mostly quiet, quirky folk music." [12] The Rolling Stone Album Guide deemed the songs "wordy and pretentious." [16]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She Wanted" | |
| 2. | "Biggest Memory" | |
| 3. | "Here Come the Crucifiers" | |
| 4. | "Cocktail Trees" | |
| 5. | "Famous Barmaid" | |
| 6. | "Leave Heaven Alone" | |
| 7. | "Good Luck" | |
| 8. | "White Trash Wife" | |
| 9. | "He's Got a She" | |
| 10. | "Gravel" | |
| 11. | "Coyote on the Town" |
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Exene Cervenka is an American singer, artist, and poet. She is best known for her work as a singer in the California punk rock band X.
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