| You Must Ask the Heart | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Label | Rounder | |||
| Producer | Brennan Totten | |||
| Jonathan Richman chronology | ||||
| ||||
You Must Ask the Heart is an album by the American musician Jonathan Richman, released in 1995. [1] [2] Richman supported the album with a North American tour. [3] He included a more up-tempo version of "To Hide a Little Thought" on 1996's Surrender to Jonathan! [4]
Richman recorded the album in a casual manner, using whichever musicians could make the sessions and figuring out the sound based on the personnel. [5] He emphasized keyboards on You Must Ask the Heart. [6] "Just Because I'm Irish" is a duet with Julia Sweeney; the pair first performed it on Late Night with Conan O'Brien . [7] [8] "The Rose" is a cover of the Amanda McBroom composition. [9] The tribute to Walter Johnson is sung a cappella. [10] The cover of Tom Waits's "The Heart of Saturday Night" is performed in a rockabilly style. [11] "Nothing Can Change This Love" was originally performed by Sam Cooke. [12] "Amorcito Corazon" was inspired by Richman's frequent tours of Spain. [13] "Let Her Go into the Darkness" is about a girlfriend returning to an alcoholic ex. [14]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [15] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [16] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [17] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C− [18] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [19] |
| The Republican | [20] |
| The Tampa Tribune | [21] |
The Edmonton Journal noted the "hummable hooks, warmly expressed obsessions and the usual romantic commentary." [7] Trouser Press concluded: "Employing innocence like an instrument, Richman turns the joyfully spirited You Must Ask the Heart into an amazing feat." [9] The Gazette called the album another of Richman's "dippy little records, full of oddball observations, droll humor and adenoidal singing." [10]
The Chicago Tribune stated that, "beneath his naive facade, Richman is a canny social observer who can cut to the heart of a gamut of emotions and yearnings." [16] Entertainment Weekly determined that "emotional complexities seem beyond his reach, making this monotonous and insubstantial." [18] The Houston Press opined: "Self-conscious perhaps, but never self-indulgent, his songs don't get mired in the vague soul purging that makes many singer-songwriters insufferable." [22]
AllMusic wrote that "Richman sings with remarkable energy and honesty; even after dozens of records, his joyful spirit remains undimmed." [15]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "To Hide a Little Thought" | |
| 2. | "The Heart of Saturday Night" | |
| 3. | "Vampire Girl" | |
| 4. | "Just Because I'm Irish" | |
| 5. | "That's How I Feel" | |
| 6. | "Let Her Go into the Darkness" | |
| 7. | "The Rose" | |
| 8. | "You Must Ask the Heart" | |
| 9. | "Nothing Can Change This Love" | |
| 10. | "Amorcito Corazon" | |
| 11. | "City Vs. Country" | |
| 12. | "Walter Johnson" | |
| 13. | "Nishi" |
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