Hidden Charms (Willie Dixon album)
Hidden Charms is a blues album by Willie Dixon, released in 1988 on Bug/Capitol Records.[6][1] It won a 1989 Grammy Award.[7]
Hidden Charms | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1988 | |||
Studio | Ocean Way, Hollywood | |||
Genre | Blues | |||
Label | Bug/Capitol Records | |||
Producer | T Bone Burnett | |||
Willie Dixon chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
Orlando Sentinel | [3] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer | [4] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
Production
The album was produced by T Bone Burnett.[5] The band was made up of Cash McCall and Burnett on guitars, Sugar Blue on harmonica, Red Callender on bass, Lafayette Leake on piano, and Earl Palmer on drums.[3] "Study War No More" was cowritten by Dixon's grandson.[8]
Critical reception
The Globe and Mail wrote that "the band is excellent - rootsy and tough but not overpowering - and, while Dixon's hardly a mesmerizing singer, his gruff grandfatherly voice has a plaintive soulfullness that suits his more recent songs."[9] The Kingston Whig-Standard wrote that "Leake's unique playing is alone worth the price of the album."[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the album "a solid if unspectacular outing."[5] Paste deemed it "a collection of overlooked Dixon gems."[11]
Track listing
All tracks composed and arranged by Willie Dixon; except where indicated
- "Blues You Can't Lose" 5:44
- "I Don't Trust Myself" 4:23
- "Jungle Swing" (Willie Dixon, Leonard Caston) 5:27
- "Don't Mess With The Messer" 7:10
- "Study War No More" (Willie Dixon, Alex Dixon) 4:33
- "I Love The Life I Live (I Live The Life I Love)" 3:11
- "I Cry For You" 4:40
- "Good Advice" (Willie Dixon, J.B. Lenoir) 5:13
- "I Do The Job" 6:22
Personnel
- Willie Dixon - vocals
- Cash McCall - electric guitar, National Steel resonator guitar, harmony vocals, associate producer
- T Bone Burnett - dobro
- Red Callender - bass
- Lafayette Leake - piano
- Earl Palmer - drums
- Sugar Blue - harmonica
- Technical
- Rik Pekkonen - recording, mixing
- Larry Hirsch - additional engineer
- Nancy Meyer - project coordinator
- Marc Norberg - front cover portrait
References
- "Hidden Charms - Willie Dixon - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 37.
- Fields, Curt (11 Dec 1988). "WILLIE DIXON". Orlando Sentinel: 6.
- Moon, Tom (20 Nov 1988). "Willie Dixon Hidden Charms". The Philadelphia Inquirer: H12.
- The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 202–203.
- "Willie Dixon and the Blues--One of the Last From the Past". Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1988.
- Steve Shorter (2015). Roots to Rock: Part 2 - Blues. ISBN 1468954458.
Dixon was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and won a Grammy Award in 1989 for his album, Hidden Charms
- "Dixon hasn't stopped singing the blues". Calgary Herald: C5. 22 Dec 1988.
- Dafoe, Chris (15 Dec 1988). "INSIDE THE SLEEVE POP Hidden Charms Willie Dixon". The Globe and Mail: C13.
- Burliuk, Greg (24 Dec 1988). "Short Cuts". The Kingston Whig-Standard: 1.
- "Forgotten Giants: Willie Dixon - The Poet Laureate of Chess Records". pastemagazine.com. September 25, 2018.