Steady On (Shawn Colvin album)
Steady On is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin, released on October 17, 1989 by Columbia Records. In addition to launching Colvin's career the album was positively received by critics and had moderate commercial success.
| Steady On | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 17, 1989 | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 44:09 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Shawn Colvin chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [2] |
Recording and release
Colvin has explained that the themes on the album include healing from personal life trauma and drug and alcohol addiction.[3]
Colvin recorded acoustic versions of these songs for 2019's Steady On: 30th Anniversary Acoustic Edition.
Reception
Steady On won the award for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 33rd Grammy Awards in February 1991. Allmusic calls the album, "a must have for anyone who loves acoustic music created in the grand tradition of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor."[1] Notable guest appearances include Suzanne Vega and Bruce Hornsby.
The album reached 111 on the Billboard 200 in 1989. The title track was released as a single and in 1990 reached 30 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and 23 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Shawn Colvin, except where noted otherwise
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Steady On" |
| 4:59 |
| 2. | "Diamond in the Rough" |
| 5:02 |
| 3. | "Shotgun Down the Avalanche" |
| 5:02 |
| 4. | "Stranded" | Colvin | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Another Long One" | Colvin | 3:46 |
| 6. | "Cry Like an Angel" |
| 4:52 |
| 7. | "Something to Believe In" |
| 4:12 |
| 8. | "The Story" |
| 3:59 |
| 9. | "Ricochet in Time" | Colvin | 3:11 |
| 10. | "The Dead of the Night" | Colvin | 5:03 |
Arrangement ideas were contributed by T-Bone Wolk and Phil Galdston on "Diamond in the Rough" and David Sanborn on "Another Long One".[4]
Personnel
|
|
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Billboard 200 | 111 |
Release history
| date | format | label | catalog # |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD | Columbia | CK-45209 | |
| Columbia | FC 45209 | ||
| CD | Columbia | CO45209 | |
| 1989 | CS | Columbia | FCT-45209 |
| 1995 | CD | Columbia | 45209 |
| 2001 | CD | Sony | 4661422 |
| 2008 | CD | Sbme Special MKTS. | 725020 |
References
- McCartney, Kelly, "Review: Steady On, Shawn Colvin", AllMusic, accessed August 19, 2008
- The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 156.
- Betts, Stephen L. (June 27, 2016). "Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin Talk Joint Album, Rehab Shorthand and Trump". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- "Shawn Colvin - Steady On". Discogs.com. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
External links
- "Rock on the Net: Shawn Colvin", a timeline of Colvin's releases, awards