The Brightest Smile in Town

Last updated
The Brightest Smile in Town
The Brightest Smile in Town.jpg
Studio album by
Released1983
Label Clean Cuts [1]
Producer Ed Levine, Jack Heyrman
Dr. John chronology
Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, Vol. 1
(1982)
The Brightest Smile in Town
(1983)
Such a Night! Live in London
(1984)

The Brightest Smile in Town is an album by the American musician Dr. John, released in 1983. [2] [3] It was his second solo piano album. [4] [5] It was reissued in 2006, along with Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, Vol. 1 plus bonus tracks. [6]

Contents

Production

The album was coproduced by Ed Levine. [7] Half of its songs are instrumentals. [8] "Waiting for a Train" is a cover of the Jimmie Rodgers song. [9] "Touro Infirmary", about a dead friend, was included on the album's reissue. [10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Robert Christgau B− [11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]

The Philadelphia Inquirer deemed the album "an uneven but charming record that peaks with his rowdy performances of 'Marie La Veau' and ... 'Average Kind of Guy'." [13] The Globe and Mail praised the "unassuming, easy-rolling vein of New Orleans' piano playing." [15] The Philadelphia Daily News called it "a joyous romp through various aspects of traditional and modern music from the Crescent City." [16]

Robert Christgau noted that "too often on his second unaccompanied mostly-instrumental album he's as pleasant and boring as any other session man doing his thing." [11] Goldmine determined that the album is "filled with glissandos, arpeggios and quiet, almost eerie, passages." [17]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Saddled the Cow" 
2."Boxcar Boogie" 
3."The Brightest Smile in Town" 
4."Waiting for a Train" 
5."Monkey Puzzle" 
6."Your Average Kind of Guy" 
7."Pretty Libby" 
8."Marie la Veau" 
9."Come Rain or Come Shine" 
10."Suite Home New Orleans" 

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References

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  2. Bambarger, Bradley (May 21, 2006). "Dr. John takes it easy". Spotlight. The Star-Ledger. p. 12.
  3. Sweeting, Adam (7 June 2019). "Dr John Obituary". Music. The Guardian. p. 8.
  4. Milkowski, Bill (6 June 2019). "Dr. John Dies at 77". DownBeat. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  5. McDermott, Tom (December 21, 2002). "Solo Practice – Twenty years ago, Dr. John single-handedly recorded one of the best albums of his career". Food & Drink. Gambit.
  6. Shuster, Fred (March 5, 2006). "Recordings". Zest. Houston Chronicle. Los Angeles Daily News. p. 4.
  7. Levine, Ed (2019). Serious Eater: A Food Lover's Perilous Quest for Pizza and Redemption. Penguin. p. 37.
  8. 1 2 "The Brightest Smile in Town Review by William Ruhlmann". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  9. "Building a Library". Stereophile. April 1998. p. 249.
  10. Rebennack, Mac (1995). Under a Hoodoo Moon: The Life of the Night Tripper. Macmillan. pp. 242–243.
  11. 1 2 "Dr. John". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  12. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 112.
  13. 1 2 Tucker, Ken (15 Jan 1984). "Dr. John, The Brightest Smile in Town". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. I5.
  14. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 204–205.
  15. Lacey, Liam (26 Jan 1984). "The Brightest Smile in Town Dr. John". The Globe and Mail. p. E3.
  16. Marsh, Dave (24 Mar 1984). "Dr. John: The Brightest Smile in Town". Features. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 18.
  17. "Dr. John". Goldmine. Vol. 37, no. 5. Spring 2011. pp. 43–47.