Widdershins (album)

Widdershins
Studio album by Grant-Lee Phillips
Released	February 23, 2018 (2018-02-23)
Studio	Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee) [1]
Genre	Americana [2] indie rock [3]
Length	41:18
Label	Yep Roc
Producer	Grant-Lee Phillips
Grant-Lee Phillips chronology
The Narrows (2016) Widdershins (2018) Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff (2020)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.3/10 [4]
Metacritic	78/100 [5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Classic Rock	[6]
PopMatters	8/10 [7]
The Skinny	[8]

Widdershins is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips. It was released on February 23, 2018 under Yep Roc Records. ^[1]

Production

The album was recorded over a four-day period at the Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. ^[1] It was mixed by Tucker Martine and engineered by Mike Stankiewicz. ^[9]

Critical reception

Widdershins was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 78, based on 8 reviews. ^[5] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 78 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 5 reviews. ^[2]

Mark Deming of AllMusic said the album "is full of joy and purpose, and Phillips has married them to a great set of hooky tunes with a folk-rock slant. He hasn't entirely abandoned the moody undertow that's always been a part of his music, but the unspoken message behind these songs is that this is not a time to brood, and Phillips has rarely sounded quite this lively and direct." ^[3] Chris Roberts from Classic Rock said: "Whether it’s sideways social comment blazing with guitars, or poignant self-reflection with undulating melodies, this showcases his soulful, vulnerable voice, which never fails to catch every colour in a song. Locating the sweet spot where spontaneity and polish meet, Widdershins swings in all the right directions." ^[6]

Track listing

Widdershins track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Walk in Circles"	3:32
2.	"Unruly Mobs"	2:26
3.	"King of Catastrophes"	3:13
4.	"Something's Gotta' Give"	3:02
5.	"Scared Stiff"	2:31
6.	"Miss Betsy"	3:29
7.	"The Wilderness"	3:25
8.	"Another, Another, Then Boom"	2:56
9.	"Totally You Gunslinger"	3:31
10.	"History Has Their Number"	3:55
11.	"Great Acceleration"	3:35
12.	"Liberation"	3:03

Personnel

Musicians

• Grant-Lee Phillips – primary artist, guitar, vocals, producer
• Jerry Roe – drums
• Lex Price – bass

Production

• Mike Stankiewicz – engineer
• John Baldwin – mastering
• Nathan Golub – design
• Tucker Martine – mixing

References

1. "New Release and Video for Grant-Lee Phillips". Folk Radio UK . January 10, 2018. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
2. "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
3. Deming, Mark. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic . Retrieved September 13, 2020.
4. "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
5. "Metacritic Review". Metacritic . Retrieved September 13, 2020.
6. Roberts, Chris (February 1, 2018). "Classic Rock Review". Classic Rock . Louder Sound . Retrieved September 13, 2020.
7. Rushbury, Ian (February 21, 2018). "Anarchy in the USA? Grant Lee Phillips Points the Finger at the Prez on 'Widdershins'". PopMatters . Retrieved September 13, 2020.
8. Wild, Pete (February 20, 2018). "The Skinny Review". The Skinny . Retrieved September 13, 2020.
9. Niesel, Jeff (March 8, 2018). "Grant-Lee Phillips' New Album Offers a Commentary on the Current Political Climate". Clevescene . Retrieved September 13, 2020.