Romantic Depressive

Romantic Depressive is an album by the American musician Don Dixon, released in 1995 via Sugar Hill Records.[1][2] The album was part of an attempt by Sugar Hill to expand its roster beyond a traditional acoustic style.[3] Dixon supported the album with a North American tour that included shows opening for Hootie & the Blowfish.[4][5] Romantic Depressive was nominated for a NAIRD Indie Award.[6]

Romantic Depressive
Studio album by
Released1995
LabelSugar Hill
ProducerMark Williams, Don Dixon
Don Dixon chronology
(If) I'm a Ham, Well You're a Sausage
(1992)
Romantic Depressive
(1995)
The Invisible Man
(2000)

Production

Produced by Mark Williams and Dixon, the songs were recorded over a period of four years.[7][1] Dixon pulled from a pool of 30 songs.[8] He played most of the instruments.[9] The first half of the album is about romantic relationships; Dixon considered turning Romantic Depressive into a kind of concept album.[1][10] "Lottery of Lives" is about the military draft.[1] "Good Golly Svengali" is an instrumental.[11] "25,000 Days" was cowritten by Marti Jones, Dixon's wife; Sugar Hill had originally wanted an album of Dixon-Jones duets.[12][13] Bland Simpson played piano on "I Should Know Better".[14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Charlotte Observer[15]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[16]
USA Today[17]

USA Today praised Dixon's "well-crafted songs and bluesy, Southern-soul rasp."[17] The Santa Fe New Mexican called the album "a tuneful journey through the convolutions of a gently twisted sensibility," writing that "the real genius of these songs is how deceptively simple they seem."[12] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch determined that "Dixon once again fashions a sound that mixes the melodic qualities of Beatles-styled pop, the gritty groove of soul and a bit of country twang."[10] Stereo Review stated that "Dixon's subject matter is evenly divided between doleful reminiscences about love's labors and reflections on himself and the world from the vantage point of midlife."[14] The Charlotte Observer opined that "the songs are too laid-back."[15]

AllMusic noted that "everything here sheds new light on old traditions ... the sound is dense without being muddy, snappy without being shallow."[9] The Star-Gazette listed the album among the 10 best of 1995.[18] In 2008, the Pittsburgh City Paper deemed Romantic Depressive "old-school soul-pop."[19]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Righteous Side of Love" 
2."Giving Up the Ghost" 
3."I Should Know Better" 
4."Angel Angel" 
5."Everytime I Think of Home" 
6."What You Saw" 
7."Peace for the Last Time" 
8."Good Golly Svengali" 
9."25,000 Days" 
10."Lottery of Lives" 
11."Never Slow Down" 

References

  1. Menconi, David (Feb 25, 1995). "Don Dixon's sweet return on the growing Sugar Hill". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 8. p. 16.
  2. "Don Dixon Biography by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  3. Menconi, David (26 Mar 1995). "Climbing Sugar Hill". The News & Observer. p. G1.
  4. Porter, Mark (5 May 1995). "Producer Steps Back Out Front". Previews. The Record. Bergen County. p. 12.
  5. Charles, Jeff (2 Aug 1995). "Hootie & the Blowfish hooks sold-out crowd". Houston. Houston Chronicle. p. 1.
  6. "NAIRD's '95 Indie Award nominees". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 19. May 11, 1996. p. 50.
  7. "Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 20. May 20, 1995. p. 52.
  8. Phialas, Mark (24 Mar 1995). "Dixon, Sugar Hill Collaborate Beautifully". Preview. The Herald-Sun. p. 5.
  9. "Romantic Depressive Review by Rick Anderson". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  10. Sculley, Alan (3 Aug 1995). "Lovelorn Again". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 12.
  11. Menconi, David (26 Mar 1995). "The Pop and Soul Survive on Don Dixon's New Sugar Hill Album". The News & Observer. p. G1.
  12. Prince, David (9 June 1995). "Like Costello, songwriter/ vocalist/ bassist Don Dixon...". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 21.
  13. McGuinness, Jim (15 Nov 1996). "Lost Her Label, Had a Baby, Cut Her Hair". Previews. The Record. Bergen County. p. 37.
  14. Puterbaugh, Parke (Jan 1996). "Romantic Depressive by Don Dixon". Stereo Review. Vol. 61, no. 1. p. 101.
  15. Tomlinson, Tommy (31 Mar 1995). "Pop". The Charlotte Observer. p. 5F.
  16. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 210.
  17. Ayers, Anne (23 May 1995). "Don Dixon, Romantic Depressive". USA Today. p. 8D.
  18. Aloi, Daniel (28 Dec 1995). "Pop Begins to Get Smart Again". Time Out. Star-Gazette. p. 4.
  19. Parker, Chris (June 26, 2008). "Southern pop architect Don Dixon performs at Club Café". Music. Pittsburgh City Paper.
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