Whisper Tames the Lion | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1988 | |||
Studio | RPM, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:40 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Producer | Anton Fier | |||
Drivin' n' Cryin' chronology | ||||
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Whisper Tames the Lion is the second album by the American band Drivin' n' Cryin', released in 1988. [3] [4] "Powerhouse" was released as single. [5] The band supported the album with a North American tour. [6] The album peaked at No. 130 on the Billboard 200. [7] It sold more than 70,000 copies in its first year of release. [8]
Recorded in New York City, the album was produced by Anton Fier. [9] Jeff Sullivan joined the band on drums, although Fier drummed on most of the tracks. [10] [11] Frontman Kevn Kinney considered the band's sound to be an amalgamation of styles but described himself as a folk singer. [12] "Check Your Tears at the Door" is narrated by a recently deceased young man. [13] Bernie Worrell played keyboards on "Good Day Every Day". [14] "On a Clear Daze" employed acoustic guitar and mandolin. [15]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Trouser Press wrote that the album "focuses the trio's musical attack while maintaining the polystylistic approach." [11] The Orlando Sentinel noted: "Call it eclecticism, diversity or simply musical schizophrenia, but this album veers from one extreme to the other throughout." [19] The Atlanta Constitution opined that "there are a few overproduced tracks ... and a few glutinous violins ... [but the album] hews mostly to the band's unadorned strengths." [13]
The State concluded that "Catch the Wind" "is the best Byrds song Roger McGuinn never wrote." [20] LA Weekly determined that Whisper Tames the Lion "points new directions in backward-looking alterno-pop." [21] The Morning Call panned "the combination of heavy metal and folk music." [2] The North Bay Nugget determined that the band "bring a respectability to heavy rock that has been missing since the mid-Seventies." [1]
AllMusic wrote that the band was "still inflected with hillbilly/bluegrass roots and edging ever closer toward the hard rock sound they would ultimately embrace." [16]
All tracks are written by Drivin' n' Cryin' (Kevn Kinney, Tim Nielsen, and Jeff Sullivan).
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "The Whisper Tames the Lion" | 3:50 |
2. | "Catch the Wind" | 4:02 |
3. | "Powerhouse" | 3:33 |
4. | "The Friend Song" | 4:11 |
5. | "On a Clear Daze" | 2:30 |
6. | "Ridin' on the Soul Road" | 4:50 |
7. | "Can't Promise You the World" | 2:56 |
8. | "Livin' by the Book" | 2:33 |
9. | "Good Day Every Day" | 2:39 |
10. | "Legal Gun" | 3:44 |
11. | "Check Your Tears at the Door" | 5:08 |
12. | "Blue Ridge Way" | 3:44 |