| Street Party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Studio | Dr. Caw Recording | |||
| Genre | R&B, blues | |||
| Label | Alligator | |||
| Producer | Gene Barge, Peter Special | |||
| The Mellow Fellows chronology | ||||
| ||||
Street Party is an album by the American band the Mellow Fellows, released in 1990. [1] [2] It was the band's first album since the March 1990 death of frontman Big Twist. [3] The Mellow Fellows supported the album with a North American tour. [4] Street Party was a success on radio stations throughout Illinois. [5]
The album was recorded at Dr. Caw Recording, in Northbrook, Illinois. [6] It was the band's first studio album with early bandmember Martin Allbritton. [7] The Mellow Fellows wrote five of Street Party's songs. [8] The bandmembers strove to play more as an ensemble rather than as a backup band. [9] "Feels Like Rain" is a cover of the John Hiatt song. [10] "We'll Be Friends" is a tribute to Big Twist. [8] "Since I Fell for You" was written by Buddy Johnson. "Don't Turn Your Heater Down" was cowritten by Steve Cropper. [11]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Calgary Herald | B [13] |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide | [14] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [15] |
| Record-Journal | A [16] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul | [17] |
The Calgary Herald deemed Street Party "an album solidly anchored in the journeyman work ethic." The Chicago Reader labeled it "a gutty, powerful album that shows a band restless to explore new directions as they retain their patented good-time roots." [10] The Kingston Whig-Standard considered it "a treatment of classic rhythm and blues, the likes of which haven't been heard in a long time." [8]
The Washington Post determined that "Allbritton is a real find—a soul-shouter cum blues-belter who sings with both passion and authority, precisely the combination a lot of these songs demand." [18] The Morning Call deemed the album "hot and brassy, a joyride of '60s-era Chicago R&B." [11] The Record-Journal wrote that "Allbritton's gut-wrenching vocals wail, shriek and generally haul emotion all the hell over the place." [16]
AllMusic called Allbritton "a melismatic and undeniably more powerful vocalist than the finesse-oriented Twist." [12]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I've Got to Find a Way" | |
| 2. | "Street Party" | |
| 3. | "I've Got a Feeling" | |
| 4. | "Feels Like Rain" | |
| 5. | "Driving Wheel" | |
| 6. | "We'll Be Friends" | |
| 7. | "Don't Turn Your Heater Down" | |
| 8. | "Since I Fell for You" | |
| 9. | "Last Night" | |
| 10. | "Me and My Woman" | |
| 11. | "Broad Daylight" |
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