| Silver Lake | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2003 | |||
| Label | New West | |||
| Producer | Mark Howard | |||
| Vic Chesnutt chronology | ||||
| ||||
Silver Lake is an album by the American musician Vic Chesnutt, released in 2003. [1] [2] Chesnutt supported the album with a North American tour that included shows with M. Ward. [3] [4]
Recorded over two weeks in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, the album was produced by Mark Howard. [5] [6] [7] It was a more musically expansive album; Chesnutt, perhaps ironically, had initially intended to make "a big giant record, a ponderous, overproduced monstrosity." [8] Chesnutt did not know his backing band before entering the studio. [9] He claimed that the album contains references and secret messages to Victoria Williams. [10]
"In My Way, Yes" expresses gratitude for Chesnutt's achievements. [11] "Styrofoam" is about the interior life of a Styrofoam cooler. [12] "Sultan, So Mighty" is about a harem eunuch. [13] "Second Floor" is based on a Chinese poem from the fifth century. [14] "I'm Through" describes a breakup. [15]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Detroit Free Press |   [16] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [17] |
| Knoxville News Sentinel | A [18] |
The Knoxville News Sentinel wrote that "the sometimes lush production adds drama the Chesnutt's sweet, quirky vocals." [18] The Arizona Republic deemed "Band Camp" "entertaining, uplifting, with an underlying hint of sadness and despair." [19] The Boston Globe called the album "adventurous and compelling music" and "the most diverse and deeply textured work of his career." [20] The New York Times noted that "Chesnutt has the scratchy voice of a young codger, an ear for modestly inspirational tunes and an eye for the homely, off-kilter detail." [21]
The Washington Post opined that "Chesnutt's straight talk can be merely bratty and stereotypical, and his songs tend to meander aimlessly." [22] The New Yorker labeled Silver Lake "one of his rootsiest—it sounds like a pine forest at dusk—and strongest efforts"; the magazine named it one of the best albums of 2003. [12] [23] The Globe and Mail considered "In My Way, Yes" "possibly his loveliest to date, where intensity and uncertainty join hands." [24]
All tracks are written by Vic Chesnutt
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Through" | 6:42 |
| 2. | "Stay Inside" | 4:46 |
| 3. | "Band Camp" | 4:34 |
| 4. | "Girl's Say" | 3:24 |
| 5. | "2nd Floor" | 6:15 |
| 6. | "Styrofoam" | 4:56 |
| 7. | "Zippy Morocco" | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Sultan, So Mighty" | 8:18 |
| 9. | "Wren's Nest" | 5:16 |
| 10. | "Fa-la-La" | 5:21 |
| 11. | "In My Way, Yes" | 5:17 |
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