This Can't Be Life

Last updated
This Can't Be Life
This Can't Be Life.jpg
Studio album by
Wild Colonials
Released1996
Studio
Genre Alternative, folk rock
Length45:07
Label DGC [1]
Producer Tony Berg, John Porter
Wild Colonials chronology
Fruit of Life
(1994)		This Can't Be Life
(1996)		Reel Life, Vol. 1
(2000)

This Can't Be Life is the second album by the American band Wild Colonials, released in 1996. [2] [3] The first single was "Charm", which was an alternative radio hit. [4] The band supported the album with a North American tour that included stints with Los Lobos and Chalk FarM. [5] [6] [7] They also headlined the second stage at the inaugural 1997 Lilith Fair. [8]

Contents

Production

The album was produced by Tony Berg and John Porter. [9] The album cover used artwork from a lithograph from the 1700s, which was discovered on a postcard. [9] Bandmember Scott Roewe played a penny whistle, melodica, and didgeridoo, among other instruments. [10] Rickie Lee Jones contributed to the album. [11] "Want" is about the death of singer Angela McCluskey's mother. [12] McCluskey had a practice of starting to compose songs during year-end holiday seasons. [13]

Cover Artwork

The cover image is from a 1917 German postcard. The sleeve design and photos were taken by Wild Colonials' violinist Paul Cantelon's brother Lee Cantelon. Lee has designed several album covers including, Tracy Chapman (New Beginning), Rickie Lee Jones (Naked Songs - Live and Acoustic, and GhostyHead). After a photo session at Rickie Lee Jones' house, Lee noticed the postcard on Rickie's kitchen wall.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [15]
San Jose Mercury News Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]

The Philadelphia Inquirer deemed the album a "catchy, Eastern-flavored second effort." [17] The Los Angeles Times wrote that "McCluskey sings messages for the lovelorn and the bitter over sounds that run from jazzy torch epics to the vaguely Middle Eastern." [15] The San Jose Mercury News noted the "same low-range vocal ground" as 10,000 Maniacs. [16] The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette dismissed This Can't Be Life as "fuzzy acoustic vaguely Irish folk jazz." [18]

The Orange County Register advised: "Imagine an Out of Time-era R.E.M. fronted by a raving mad Deborah Harry and you begin to get the idea of the punch Wild Colonials can pack." [12] The Star-Ledger stated that "McCluskey's husky, intelligent, sultry voice is the right vehicle to carry the band's jagged, edgy, Celtic-flavored alternative folk-rock that's as much Roxy Music as it is 10,000 Maniacs." [19]

The Oregonian listed This Can't Be Life among the 10 best albums of 1996. [20]

Track listing

All songs written by the Wild Colonials

  1. "This Misery" – 4:13
  2. "Spirit" – 4:50
  3. "Coy" – 3:44
  4. "Wake Up Sad" – 5:05
  5. "Charm" – 3:17
  6. "Want" – 5:14
  7. "If" – 4:05
  8. "Blue" – 5:36
  9. "Different" – 3:54
  10. "Childhood" – 5:49

Personnel

With

Production

Related Research Articles

<i>Birrkuta – Wild Honey</i> 1996 studio album by Yothu Yindi

Birrkuta – Wild Honey is the fourth studio album by Australian band, Yothu Yindi. It was released in November 1996 via Mushroom Records. It was co-produced by Lamar Lowder and Andrew Farriss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Hidalgo</span> American musician

David Kent Hidalgo is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requinto jarocho, percussion, drums and guitar as a session musician on other artists' releases.

The 22nd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 1980, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1979. This year was notable for being the first year to have a designated category for Rock music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hooters</span> American rock band

The Hooters are an American rock band, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1980. They combine elements of rock, reggae, ska, and folk music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickie Lee Jones</span> American singer (born 1954)

Rickie Lee Jones is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, and jazz. A two-time Grammy Award winner, Jones was listed at No. 30 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll in 1999. AllMusic stated: "Few singer/songwriters are as individual and eclectic as Rickie Lee Jones, a vocalist with an expressive and smoky instrument, and a composer who can weave jazz, folk, and R&B into songs with a distinct pop sensibility."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Oak Arkansas</span> American southern rock group

Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970s, charting ten albums. Their style is punctuated by multiple guitar players and the raspy voice and on-stage antics of vocalist Jim "Dandy" Mangrum.

<i>New Beginning</i> (Tracy Chapman album) 1995 studio album by Tracy Chapman

New Beginning is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1995. According to Nielsen Soundscan, it is her biggest-selling recording since 1991, with 3.8 million copies sold, and according to the RIAA, it has shipped five million copies in the United States.

<i>Rickie Lee Jones</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee Jones is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones, released on February 28, 1979 by Warner Bros. Records.

<i>The Magazine</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Rickie Lee Jones

The Magazine is an album by Rickie Lee Jones, released in September 1984. It is her third full-length studio album, released as the follow-up to Pirates (1981). The album was partly composed in France and was co-produced by Jones and James Newton Howard.

Joseph Benjamin Geia is an Aboriginal Australian musician of Murri heritage. As a solo artist he has released three albums, Yil Lull (1988), Tribal Journey (1996) and Nunga, Koori and a Murri Love (2005). He has worked with artists, No Fixed Address (1982–83), Shane Howard and Rebecca Barnard (1990). In 1988 Geia composed the track, "Yil Lull", which has been recorded by other artists, Paul Kelly, Archie Roach, Jimmy Barnes, and the Singers for the Red, Black and Gold, which included Howard, Kelly, Christine Anu, Renée Geyer, and Tiddas.

<i>Fruit of Life</i> 1994 studio album by Wild Colonials

Fruit of Life is the debut album by the Wild Colonials, released in 1994. "Spark" was released as a single and was a radio hit. The band supported the album with a North American tour, including shows with Toad the Wet Sprocket and Grant Lee Buffalo.

<i>Clumsy</i> (Samiam album) 1994 studio album by Samiam

Clumsy is an album by the American band Samiam, released in 1994 on Atlantic Records. The band had been the subject of a bidding war, following the early 1994 success of Green Day; it was Samiam's first album for a major label.

<i>Its Like This</i> 2000 studio album by Rickie Lee Jones

It's Like This is an album by the American singer/songwriter Rickie Lee Jones, released in 2000. Like her 1991 album Pop Pop, it is a covers record. The album was nominated for a 2001 Best Pop Traditional Record Grammy Award.

Paul Cantelon is an American contemporary classical music and popular music composer, a film score composer and an actor He is also a violinist, pianist, and accordionist, and a founding member of the American alternative band Wild Colonials.

Wild Colonials are an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1992 by Angela McCluskey (vocals), Shark (guitar/vocals/percussion), Paul Cantelon (violin/piano), Scott Roewe (multi-instrumentalist) and Ian Bernard (drums/percussion). After 1993 members included Thaddeus Corea and Jason Payne on drums/percussion and Skip Ward on bass.

Shark is a Los Angeles–based musician, film composer, radio host, and is a founding member and guitarist for American alternative band Wild Colonials. He also records under the name Shark and Co.. The name Sharkey is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic "O'Searcaigh", composed of the elements "O", male descendant of, with "Searcach", a byname meaning "beloved". The name originated in County Tyrone, and is now to be found located in considerable numbers in various parts of Northern Ireland.

<i>Holy Smokes</i> (album) 1997 studio album by Suzzy Roche

Holy Smokes is the debut solo album by the American musician Suzzy Roche, released in 1997. It was the first solo album by a member of the Roches. Roche supported the album by embarking on a tour, playing solo with just a guitar.

Angela McCluskey was a Scottish singer-songwriter based in California, United States. She performed as a solo artist and as a member of the folk rock group Wild Colonials. McCluskey also provided vocals for Curio and recorded the European dance hit and U.S. Mitsubishi commercial hit, "Breathe", among other songs with Télépopmusik. She also sang "Beautiful Things" for American Express and later her voice was heard on the Schick Quattro commercial singing "I'm Not the Girl". Her songs have appeared on the soundtracks for the films Rachel Getting Married (2008), Sherrybaby (2006), and The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005). Her music has also been featured in the television series Grey's Anatomy.

<i>Outpost</i> (The Samples album) 1996 studio album by The Samples

Outpost is an album by the Boulder, Colorado-based band the Samples, released in 1996. The first single was "The Lost Children ". The band promoted Outpost by playing the H.O.R.D.E. Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickie Lee Jones discography</span>

The discography of Rickie Lee Jones, an American singer, songwriter, and author, consists of 15 studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, one extended play, one video album, and 22 singles, on Warner Bros. Records, Geffen Records, Reprise Records, Artemis Records, V2 Records, New West Records, Fantasy Records, Rhino Entertainment, and the Other Side of Desire Records.

References

  1. ↑ Moon, Tom (23 Aug 1996). "AND THEN THERE'S . . ". FEATURES WEEKEND. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 19.
  2. ↑ "Wild Colonials Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ Maestri, Cathy (August 18, 1996). "It's been a tough climb for mountain show". The Press-Enterprise. p. E3.
  4. ↑ Ehrbar, Joe (10 Jan 1997). "WILD COLONIALS FIND TOURING ALL THE TIME FOSTERS SUCCESS". Weekend. The Spokesman-Review. p. 2.
  5. ↑ Pareles, Jon (30 Sep 1996). "In Performance: Unabashed Sincerity". The New York Times. p. C12.
  6. ↑ Rosen, Steven (November 1, 1996). "Bands get into rhythm of playing Denver and Boulder". The Denver Post. p. F17.
  7. ↑ Renzhofer, Martin (January 17, 1997). "Colonials: Wild Music, From Scotland To Corea". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. D14.
  8. ↑ Mehle, Michael (July 11, 1997). "FAIREST OF THE FAIR". Rocky Mountain News. p. 18D.
  9. 1 2 Shuster, Fred (August 9, 1996). "WILD COLONIALS GET BUSY". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L21.
  10. ↑ Elkins, Elizabeth (October 11, 1996). "Scottish band likes to thrive on wild mix". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P4.
  11. ↑ Renzhofer, Martin (September 15, 1996). "CD Reviews". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. E3.
  12. 1 2 Wener, Ben (August 23, 1996). "Wild Colonials 'This Can't Be Life'". Orange County Register. p. F54.
  13. ↑ Healy, James (December 19, 1996). "Glasgow native finds her singing voice, again, in Hollywood". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 12.
  14. ↑ "Wild Colonials – This Can't Be Life Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  15. 1 2 Appleford, Steve (29 Sep 1996). "Wild Colonials, 'This Can't Be Life'". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 94.
  16. 1 2 Kava, Brad (October 4, 1996). "HALF OF HUMP DAY LOOKS FOR SOME GEMS AMID THE JUNK". Eye. San Jose Mercury News. p. 19.
  17. ↑ Beckley, Fred (13 Sep 1996). "WILD COLONIALS". FEATURES WEEKEND. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 19.
  18. ↑ Martin, Philip (October 11, 1996). "Wild Colonials, This Can't Be Life". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. p. 19W.
  19. ↑ Horowitz, Ben (September 23, 1996). "Wild Colonials are anything but with a room half-empty". Today. The Star-Ledger. p. 25.
  20. ↑ Foyston, John (December 29, 1996). "EAR TO THE YEAR". The Oregonian. p. E1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.