The Creek Drank the Cradle

The Creek Drank the Cradle
Studio album by Iron & Wine
Released	September 24, 2002
Genre	Folk [1] lo-fi [2]
Length	39:26
Label	Sub Pop
Producer	Iron & Wine
Iron & Wine chronology
The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002) The Sea & The Rhythm (2003)

The Creek Drank the Cradle is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Sam Beam, better known by his stage name Iron & Wine. The album was released through Sub Pop on September 24, 2002. The vinyl LP release had a bonus 7" vinyl single. The promotional CD for this album was released in a cardboard sleeve with different artwork.

Background

The sparse lo-fi sound of the album is attributed to Beam recording the tracks at home on a four-track recorder, initially as demos. His intention was to pass these on to Joey Burns and John Convertino of the band Calexico who provided a rhythm section on the finished piece. However, the demos were released instead. ^[3]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	87/100 [4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
The Austin Chronicle	[6]
Drowned in Sound	8/10 [7]
Pitchfork	8.1/10 [8]
Q	[9]
Stylus	B+ [10]
Tiny Mix Tapes	4.5/5 [11]
Uncut	[12]

The Creek Drank the Cradle has received widespread critical acclaim since its release. At Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 87, based on 14 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". ^[4]

Pitchfork placed The Creek Drank the Cradle at number 137 on its list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s. ^[13] Tim Sendra of AllMusic called it "a stunning debut and one of the best records of 2002". ^[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sam Beam.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Lion's Mane"	2:49
2.	"Bird Stealing Bread"	4:21
3.	"Faded from the Winter"	3:17
4.	"Promising Light"	2:49
5.	"The Rooster Moans"	3:24
6.	"Upward Over the Mountain"	5:56
7.	"Southern Anthem"	3:54
8.	"An Angry Blade"	3:48
9.	"Weary Memory"	4:01
10.	"Promise What You Will"	2:24
11.	"Muddy Hymnal"	2:43
Total length:		39:26

7" Vinyl Single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Her Tea Leaves"	3:50
2.	"Carissa's Wierd[ sic ] [14] "	2:07
Total length:		5:57

References

1. Pitchfork Staff (October 2, 2009). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2000s". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 28, 2023. The Creek Drank the Cradle is a stunning collection of traditional folk music...
2. Miller, Derek (September 25, 2007). "Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog - Review". Stylus. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
3. Perlich, Tim (September 29, 2005). "IRON & WINE/CALEXICO". Now. 25 (5). Archived from the original on September 6, 2014.
4. "Reviews for The Creek Drank The Cradle by Iron & Wine". Metacritic . Retrieved May 12, 2015.
5. Sendra, Tim. "The Creek Drank the Cradle – Iron & Wine". AllMusic . Retrieved May 12, 2015.
6. Lynch, David (March 14, 2003). "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle (Sub Pop)". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved May 12, 2015.
7. Robertson, Neil (April 27, 2003). "Album Review: Iron & Wine – The Creek Drank The Cradle". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
8. Kearney, Ryan (October 1, 2002). "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Pitchfork . Retrieved May 12, 2015.
9. "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Q (200): 109. March 2003.
10. Martin, Tyler (September 1, 2003). "Iron and Wine – The Creek Drank the Cradle – Review". Stylus . Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
11. Jean-Pierre. "Iron & Wine – The Creek Drank The Cradle". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved May 12, 2015.
12. "Iron & Wine: The Creek Drank the Cradle". Uncut (66): 121. November 2002.
13. "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 150–101". Pitchfork . September 28, 2009. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
14. "Carissa Wierd". Iron and Wine. September 24, 2012. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2013.