Strange Pleasure

Last updated
Strange Pleasure
Strange Pleasure.jpg
Studio album by
Jimmie Vaughan
Released1994
Genre Blues, rock
Label Epic [1]
Producer Nile Rodgers, Jimmie Vaughan
Jimmie Vaughan chronology
Strange Pleasure
(1994)		 Out There
(1998)

Strange Pleasure is the first solo album by the American musician Jimmie Vaughan, released in 1994. [2] [3] It is dedicated to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins. [4] Vaughan supported the album with a North American tour, including shows with C. C. Adcock. [5] [6]

Contents

The album peaked at No. 127 on the Billboard 200. [7] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Album". [8]

Production

Recorded partly at Ardent Studios, Strange Pleasure was produced primarily by Nile Rodgers. [9] [10] Vaughan wrote or cowrote all of the album's songs; Dr. John cowrote two, and also played on the title track. [11] [10] [12] Vaughan did not use a bass player, instead having the organ handle the low end; when he returned to music after Stevie Ray's death, Vaughan wanted to move the foundation of his sound from the electric guitar to a Hammond. [13] [14] Many songs contain three-part backing vocals. [15]

Lou Ann Barton sang on the album. [16] "Six Strings Down", cowritten with the Neville Brothers, is a tribute to Vaughan's brother. [17] [18] Vaughan, with "Six Strings Down" selected, chose to fill the rest of the album with upbeat, unserious songs. [19] "Tilt a Whirl" is an instrumental. [20]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [21]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [22]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [23]
The Indianapolis Star Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [24]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [20]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [25]
Windsor Star B+ [26]

The St. Petersburg Times called the album "a winning set of finely crafted tunes that insinuate rather than dazzle." [27] The Windsor Star wrote that Vaughan "treats his playing as if he were singing, always leaving room to breathe, letting his few notes speak volumes, with their thick textures, gentle tweaks at perfect moments and his great grooves." [26] The Indianapolis Star concluded that "the songs are lined up as if producer Nile Rodgers acknowledges that Jimmie Vaughan is best when his rhythms are earthier and his lyrics are co-written by songwriting veterans." [24]

The Sun-Sentinel noted that "infectious shuffles, greasy late-night rockers and soaring gospel tunes pepper the album like cigarette butts on a honky-tonk floor." [28] USA Today stated that the songs "range from honky-tonk to gospel mixed with soul, blues and rock, spiced by scrumptious backup singers and an organ sound like Booker T. and the MG's' on 'Green Onions'." [25] The Chicago Tribune determined that "the biggest surprise is that Vaughan ... acquits himself more than adequately on lead vocals." [22]

The Austin Chronicle deemed Strange Pleasure the best Texas album of 1994. [29] Record Collector praised the "effortless groove that waves a worn plectrum in the direction of old masters such as Big Bill Broonzy and John Lee Hooker, while keepin a close watch on the sleeker rock shapes of 70s-era Rolling Stones." [11]

Track listing

All tracks are written, or co-written, by Jimmie Vaughan; additional writers noted where applicable.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Boom-Bapa-Boom" 3:56
2."Don't Cha Know" 4:20
3."Hey-Yeah"Paul Ray3:43
4."Flamenco Dancer"Ray4:18
5."(Everybody's Got) Sweet Soul Vibe" Nile Rodgers 4:33
6."Tilt a Whirl" 4:56
7."Six Strings Down"
4:25
8."Just Like Putty"Ray4:07
9."Two Wings" Dr. John 4:25
10."Love the World"Dr. John4:14
11."Strange Pleasure (Modern Backporch Duende)" 2:29

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References

  1. ↑ Prown, Pete; Newquist, H. P. (February 1, 1997). Legends of Rock Guitar. Hal Leonard.
  2. ↑ "Jimmie Vaughan Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ "Jimmie Vaughan". MTV News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022.
  4. ↑ Stashenko, Joel (30 May 1994). "Out of the shadows". The Gazette. Montreal. p. B7.
  5. ↑ Jarvey, Paul (2 June 1994). "Jimmie Vaughan resumes career with solo album, tour". Telegram & Gazette. p. C5.
  6. ↑ Cristiano, Nick (18 June 1994). "Bursting into the Spotlight, Jimmy Vaughan Plays TLA". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D11.
  7. ↑ "Jimmie Vaughan". Billboard.
  8. ↑ "Jimmie Vaughan". Recording Academy. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  9. ↑ Nager, Larry (17 June 1994). "A case of the blues". Arts & Entertainment. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 20.
  10. 1 2 "Album reviews — Strange Pleasure by Jimmie Vaughan". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 18. Apr 30, 1994. p. 68.
  11. 1 2 3 "Strange Pleasure". Record Collector.
  12. 1 2 The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 666.
  13. ↑ McLeese, Don (25 Jan 1994). "The rumor of a Jimmie Vaughan album...". Austin American-Statesman. p. C5.
  14. ↑ Provencher, Norman (1 Dec 1994). "Jimmie Vaughan: Almost ready for a laugh, veteran guitarist turns out some 'pretty damned fine' music". Ottawa Citizen. p. D1.
  15. ↑ Asimov, Eric (6 Oct 1994). "Behind the Wheel with Jimmie Vaughan". The New York Times. p. C1.
  16. ↑ Dicaire, David (November 5, 2015). More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century. McFarland.
  17. ↑ Morse, Steve (8 Apr 1994). "Return of Jimmie Vaughan". Arts & Film. The Boston Globe. p. 57.
  18. ↑ Mackie, John (2 June 1994). "Brother's tribute to Stevie Ray sends chills down spine". Vancouver Sun. p. D8.
  19. ↑ Sculley, Alan (7 July 1994). "Jimmie Vaughan: 'The Past Is Done'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1G.
  20. 1 2 MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 374.
  21. ↑ "Jimmie Vaughan Strange Pleasure". AllMusic.
  22. 1 2 Kening, Dan (7 July 1994). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  23. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 404.
  24. 1 2 Miley, Scott L. (20 June 1994). "Jimmie Vaughan 'Strange Pleasure'". The Indianapolis Star. p. C5.
  25. 1 2 Ayers, Anne (17 May 1994). "A double, shot of boppin' blues". USA Today. p. 10D.
  26. 1 2 Jones, Owen (14 May 1994). "Record Review". Windsor Star. p. E2.
  27. ↑ Green, Tony (29 Apr 1994). "Two kinds of intense". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 13.
  28. ↑ Schulman, Sandra (15 May 1994). "Stevie Ray Would Be Proud". Sun-Sentinel. p. 3D.
  29. ↑ "Jimmie Vaughan, Strange Pleasure – Album of the Year – Austin Music Awards – 1994 – Best Texas Recordings". The Austin Chronicle.
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