Water to Drink (album)

Water to Drink
Studio album by
Victoria Williams
Released2000
LabelAtlantic
ProducerVictoria Williams, J. C. Hopkins
Victoria Williams chronology
Musings of a Creek Dipper
(1998) 		Water to Drink
(2000) 		Sings Some Ol' Songs
(2002)

Water to Drink is an album by the American musician Victoria Williams, released in 2000.[1][2] She had originally intended to record an album of standards, but was discouraged by Atlantic Records.[3] Williams promoted the album by touring with Lou Reed.[4]

Production

Produced by Williams and J. C. Hopkins, the album was recorded mostly at Williams's home studio, in Joshua Tree.[5][6] The title track was written by Antônio Carlos Jobim.[7] Williams used a kalimba on some of the tracks.[8] Van Dyke Parks composed the string parts for some songs.[8] Greg Leisz played pedal steel on the album; David Piltch played bass.[9][10] Mark Olson, Williams's then-husband, sang on "Joy of Love".[11] Petra Haden sang and played violin on several tracks.[12] "Junk" employs a Mellotron; "Gladys and Lucy" a horn section.[13][14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[7]
The Atlanta ConstitutionB+[15]
Birmingham PostStarStarStarStar[16]
Entertainment WeeklyB[17]
The GazetteStarStarStar[18]
Los Angeles TimesStarStarStarHalf star[19]
Orange County RegisterB+[14]
Rolling StoneStarStarStarHalf star[20]
Spin8/10[9]

Entertainment Weekly noted that "Williams has a strange, little-girl voice that channels big emotions and annoys small-minded quirkophobes."[17] The Atlanta Constitution wrote that Williams has "tamed the wilder edges of her oddball compositions so that her shambling country-gospel-pop sound has steeped into something you might call homespun jazz."[15] Spin praised Haden's "shimmering backing vocals."[9] Rolling Stone concluded: "Both homespun and hymnlike, the songs on Water to Drink are the fullest expression yet of Williams' cockeyed genius."[20]

The Los Angeles Times opined that Williams "is among the least jaded contemporary songwriters, a chronicler of the incidental moments that transform the prosaic into the transcendent."[19] The Hartford Courant determined that "her cutesy turn on 'Claude' has her sounding like a nails-on-chalkboard version of Carol Channing."[11] The Gazette called Water to Drink "a crazy quilt of musical styles all stitched together with waif-like vocals."[18] The Irish Times determined that, "at her best her music evokes the richness of southern American rural culture, intimate reflections packaged in delightful light folksy melodies."[21]

AllMusic wrote that "the constraints of performing another composer's songs tone down the blur of her ideas, giving her space where she can spread out and share her immense talent."[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Victoria Williams, unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Grandma's Hat Pin" 4:08
2."Gladys and Lucy" 3:42
3."Water to Drink"Antônio Carlos Jobim/Vinícius de Moraes3:08
4."Light the Lamp Freddie" 4:09
5."Claude" 4:03
6."Joy of Love" 4:46
7."Until the Real Thing Comes Along"Sammy Cahn/Saul Chaplin/L.E. Freeman/Mann Holiner/Alberta Nichols4:42
8."Lagniappe" 3:56
9."Junk" 4:33
10."Little Bird" 3:09
11."Young at Heart"Carolyn Leigh/Johnny Richards3:49
12."Little Bit of Love" 3:56

References

  1. ^ "Reviews". Music Week. Aug 5, 2000. p. 8.
  2. ^ Thrills, Adrian (11 Aug 2000). "Victoria Williams: Water to Drink". Daily Mail. p. 48.
  3. ^ Derdeyn, Stuart (1 June 2000). "Sweet relief after illness for Williams". The Province. p. B23.
  4. ^ Bream, Jon (11 June 2000). "Pop Music". Star Tribune. p. 6F.
  5. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (13 Oct 2000). "She sings three jazz standards...". The Washington Post. p. WW14.
  6. ^ Shuster, Fred (27 Aug 2000). "The Accidental Tourist". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L3.
  7. ^ a b c "Water to Drink Review by Stacia Proefrock". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b Bessman, Jim (Jun 24, 2000). "Williams' 'Drink' mixes standards, new songs on Atlantic". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 26. p. 14.
  9. ^ a b c Smith, RJ (Sep 2000). "Reviews". Spin. Vol. 16, no. 9. pp. 186, 188.
  10. ^ Krewen, Nick (17 Aug 2000). "Great Storytelling". Waterloo Region Record. p. D6.
  11. ^ a b Catlin, Roger (17 Aug 2000). "Victoria Williams' Expanding Styles". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 6.
  12. ^ Underwood, Bob (15 Sep 2000). "Recordings on Review". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 25.
  13. ^ Everett-Green, Robert (31 Aug 2000). "Vulnerable survivor makes singing look easy". The Globe and Mail. p. R4.
  14. ^ a b Wener, Ben (August 11, 2000). "Sound Check". Orange County Register. p. F52.
  15. ^ a b Drennen, Eileen M. (3 Aug 2000). "Pop/Rock". The Atlanta Constitution. p. F8.
  16. ^ "Victoria Williams Water to Drink". National. Birmingham Post. 2 Sep 2000. p. 6.
  17. ^ a b Brunner, Rob (Jul 14, 2000). "Water to Drink". Entertainment Weekly. No. 549. p. 78.
  18. ^ a b Lamey, Mary (24 Aug 2000). "Roots". The Gazette. p. D13.
  19. ^ a b Weingarten, Marc (11 Aug 2000). "Record Rack". Los Angeles Times. p. F27.
  20. ^ a b Berger, Arion (Aug 31, 2000). "Water to Drink". Rolling Stone. No. 848. p. 76.
  21. ^ Breen, Joe (16 Sep 2000). "Roots". Weekend. The Irish Times. p. 72.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_to_Drink_(album)