Whaler (album)

Whaler is the second album by American singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins, released in 1994 on Columbia Records. The release was preceded by the single "Right Beside You", which reached No. 56 on the Billboard Chart,[9] but did much better in the UK, where it peaked at No. 13.[10]

Whaler
Studio album by
Sophie B. Hawkins
ReleasedAugust 2, 1994
RecordedMarch – June 1994
GenrePop
Length47:48
LabelColumbia
ProducerStephen Lipson
Sophie B. Hawkins chronology
Tongues and Tails
(1992)		 Whaler
(1994)		 Timbre
(1999)
Singles from Whaler
  1. "Right Beside You"
    Released: July 26, 1994
  2. "Don't Don't Tell Me No"
    Released: 1994
  3. "As I Lay Me Down"
    Released: February 7, 1995
  4. "Did We Not Choose Each Other"
    Released: 1995
  5. "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)"
    Released: 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert Christgau(dud)[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
Knoxville News Sentinel[5]
Los Angeles Times[6]
People Magazine(mixed)[7]
Rolling Stone[8]

The album was not as commercially successful as her debut album Tongues and Tails two years earlier; however, the sales picked up after the third single, "As I Lay Me Down", released at the beginning of 1995,[1] went to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Consequently, the album managed to climb to No. 65 on the Billboard Album Chart.

Critical reception

The critical reception was mixed. Paul Evans of Rolling Stone said that the album did not quite live up to the standard and expectations set by her debut.[8] The Los Angeles Times review noted that Hawkins tries to knit "a crazy quilt of styles" trying to combine different influences but the experimentation does not pay off and "unravels at the seams", and the only tracks that do work are the mainstream ones, such as the "dance-floor-friendly" opening track "Right Beside You" and the "anguished" ballad "I Need Nothing Else".[6] Other reviews were more favorable, praising the album's subdued and subtle melodies, which make the album overall more consistent than her debut outing,[1] and describing some tracks as "irresistibly catchy".[11]

Track listing

All songs written by Sophie B. Hawkins, except where noted.

  1. "Right Beside You" (Chertoff, Hawkins, Lerman) – 4:47
  2. "Did We Not Choose Each Other" – 4:25
  3. "Don't Don't Tell Me No" – 4:53
  4. "As I Lay Me Down" – 4:08
  5. "Swing from Limb to Limb (My Home Is in Your Jungle)" – 4:15
  6. "True Romance" – 2:23
  7. "Let Me Love You Up" – 3:26
  8. "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)" – 5:05
  9. "I Need Nothing Else" – 4:17
  10. "Sometimes I See" – 4:40
  11. "Mr. Tugboat Hello" – 5:30

Personnel

Musicians

Production
  • Producer: Steve Lipson
  • Engineer: Heff Moraes
  • Programming: Sophie B. Hawkins, Steve Lipson

Charts

Album
Chart (1994–1995) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 31
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] 56
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 50
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] 13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 43
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 46
US Billboard 200[18] 65

Singles
Year Single Chart Peak
position
1994 "Right Beside You" Billboard Hot 100 56
Top 40 Mainstream 24
1995 "As I Lay Me Down" Adult Contemporary 1
Adult Top 40 1
Billboard Hot 100 6
Top 40 Mainstream 3
1996 "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)" Adult Contemporary 22
Adult Top 40 19
The Billboard Hot 100 49
Top 40 Mainstream 22

References
  1. "Sophie B. Hawkins "Whaler" - AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  2. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Sophie B. Hawkins". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
  4. Tucker, Ken (August 5, 1994). "Whaler Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  5. Campbell, Chuck (July 29, 1994). "Hawkins Has Little Bait For 'Whaler'". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  6. Rosenbluth, Jean (July 31, 1994). "A Crazy-Quilt of Styles Unravels at the Seams". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  7. "Picks and Pans Review: Whaler". People Magazine. August 15, 1994.
  8. Evans, Paul (August 11, 1994). "Sophie B. Hawkins: Whaler : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  9. "Sophie B. Hawkins". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  10. "SOPHIE B HAWKINS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  11. Tucker, Ken (August 5, 1994). "Whaler". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  12. "Australiancharts.com – Sophie B. Hawkins – Whaler". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Sophie B. Hawkins – Whaler" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sophie B. Hawkins – Whaler" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  15. "Charts.nz – Sophie B. Hawkins – Whaler". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  16. "Swisscharts.com – Sophie B. Hawkins – Whaler". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  17. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  18. "Sophie B Hawkins Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
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