Holy Smokes (album)

Holy Smokes is the debut solo album by the American musician Suzzy Roche, released in 1997.[2][3] It was the first solo album by a member of the Roches.[4] Roche supported the album by embarking on a tour, playing solo with just a guitar.[5]

Holy Smokes
Studio album by
Suzzy Roche
Released1997
GenrePop, folk
LabelRed House Records[1]
ProducerStewart Lerman, Suzzy Roche
Suzzy Roche chronology
Holy Smokes
(1997)		 Songs from an Unmarried Housewife and Mother, Greenwich Village, USA
(2000)

Production

The album was produced by Stewart Lerman and Roche.[6] Roche wrote 11 of the album's 12 songs; the final track is based on poem written by her mother.[7] The vocals were often multitracked, to reproduce the harmony sound of the Roches; Jules Shear and Maggie Roche also contributed vocals.[6][8][9]

Roche spent close to two years working on Holy Smokes.[10] The decision to make a solo album was inspired by a book of Irish poetry given to her by her late father.[11]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[13]
MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide[14]

The Washington Post wrote that the songs "occupy that broad middle ground of somewhat amusing, somewhat touching songs about the trials and joys of growing up a smart, middle-class American woman."[7] Entertainment Weekly deemed the album "a deceptively placid-sounding solo effort whose surface calm belies its emotional turbulence."[13] The Philadelphia Inquirer thought that "Roche's inherent ethereal charm belies the unrelieved heartbreak that colors much of Holy Smokes."[10]

New York concluded that Roche's "lyric are more personal than the Roches', and her melodic sense is as vivid."[15] The Chicago Tribune thought that "Roche sets one warm, folky melody after another amid cozy piano-acoustic guitar textures, creating a relaxed and intimate work."[16]

AllMusic called the album "an oddly tentative premiere for such a seasoned performer, and not as much fun as it should have been."[12]

Track listing
  1. "My My Broken Heart"
  2. "Crash"
  3. "Eggshell"
  4. "Holy Smokes"
  5. "Rules"
  6. "The Second Coming of Eli"
  7. "Losing"
  8. "Lightning Storm"
  9. "ABC's"
  10. "Pink Ballet Slippers"
  11. "Breathing"
  12. "Two Bumps on a Log"

References
  1. "Suzzy Roche". NPR.
  2. "Suzzy Roche Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. "Suzzy Roche". SF Weekly. May 17, 2000.
  4. Mervis, Scott (12 Sep 1997). "SUZZY WITH NO SISTERS". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT. p. 20.
  5. McLennan, Scott (14 May 1998). "Suzzy Roche sings with Bohemian joyfulness". Telegram & Gazette. p. C1.
  6. Bessman, Jim (Aug 9, 1997). "Suzzy Roche steps out solo on Red House". Billboard. 109 (32): 13, 31.
  7. "SUZZY ROCHE". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  8. Kalish, Jon (19 Oct 1997). "A Folkie Flying Solo Sweetly in Mid-Life". Newsday. p. D35.
  9. Tillotson, Kristin (19 Sep 1997). "Suzzy Roche, singular sister". Star Tribune. p. 1E.
  10. Carter, Kevin L. (28 Nov 1997). "SUZZY ROCHE". The Philadelphia Inquirer. FEATURES WEEKEND. p. 17.
  11. Renzhofer, Martin (21 Nov 1997). "The most famous Roche takes a break from the sister act". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. B1.
  12. "Holy Smokes - Suzzy Roche | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  13. "Holy Smokes". EW.com.
  14. MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 677.
  15. Smith, Ethan (Sep 29, 1997). "Swing Out, Sister". New York. 30 (37): 91.
  16. Reger, Rick (20 Mar 1998). "Suzzy Roche". Chicago Tribune. Friday. p. 26.
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