The Skin I'm In is an album by the American musician Elvin Bishop, released in 1998.[1][2] It was his fourth album for Alligator Records.[3] Bishop supported the album with a North American tour.[4]
Production
Bishop wrote 10 of the album's songs.[5] Realizing his voice was only serviceable, he concentrated on writing songs that relayed superior stories.[6] Joe Louis Walker and Charlie Musselwhite played guitar and harmonica, respectively, on "Radio Boogie", a song about hearing blues on the radio in the 1950s.[7][8] Norton Buffalo played harmonica on "Long Shadows".[7] "Shady Lane" was written by Mercy Dee.[9] "The Skin They're In" addresses racial discrimination.[10]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The Baltimore Sun | [12] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
| Ottawa Citizen | [7] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [9] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [10] |
The Independent called the album "a rollicking affair" and "a good-time record."[14] The Ottawa Citizen wrote that it "catches old Elmo in an even mellower mood than normal."[7] The Patriot Ledger noted that "Bishop's vocals are not his strongpoint, always raspy and sometimes strained, but with that deliciously wicked humor always lurking just below the surface."[5]
The Baltimore Sun opined that "the highlight may be 'Long Shadows', a slow blues that's backlit by Norton Buffalo's subtle, mournful harmonica, a hint of what lingers when the party candles burn low."[12] The Age determined that, "more than a sort of blues Harpo Marx, he's an intelligent, humorous observer, delivering convincingly in a wry voice that reflects his Tulsa, Oklahoma, origins."[15] The Record stated that "Bishop keeps things appropriately light with festive horn arrangements, heartfelt singing, and his signature one-note guitar solos."[16]
AllMusic considered the album "perhaps the most cohesive album he's made to date, revealing an artist coming to grips with his muse, his age and his art, all at once."[11]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Right Now Is the Hour" | |
| 2. | "I'm Gone" | |
| 3. | "The Skin They're In" | |
| 4. | "Middle Aged Man" | |
| 5. | "Country Blues" | |
| 6. | "That Train Is Gone" | |
| 7. | "Long Shadows" | |
| 8. | "Slow Down" | |
| 9. | "Mellow-D" | |
| 10. | "Radio Boogie" | |
| 11. | "Way Down in the Valley" | |
| 12. | "Shady Lane" |
References
- ^ Wooley, John (19 June 1998). "All those blues: They're what keep Elvin Bishop bopping". Spot. Tulsa World. p. 28.
- ^ Croft, Tara (Aug 1998). "Bright Lights". Chicago. Vol. 47, no. 8. p. 21.
- ^ Iglauer, Bruce; Roberts, Patrick A. (2018). Bitten by the Blues: The Alligator Records Story. University of Chicago Press. p. 319.
- ^ Penn, Roberta (16 Oct 1998). "Bishop is touring behind...". What's Happening. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 8.
- ^ a b Miller, Jay N. (10 Oct 1998). "Bishop blazing a blues trail". The Patriot Ledger. p. 39.
- ^ Nailen, Dan (23 July 1999). "Jazz and blues at the Bird". The Salt Lake Tribune. p. F1.
- ^ a b c d Provencher, Norman (26 Sep 1998). "Mellow moments from an ace". Ottawa Citizen. p. E3.
- ^ Beck, John (19 Feb 1999). "Elvin Bishop Harvests a Crop of Blues". The Press Democrat. p. D1.
- ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. 2006. pp. 43, 44.
- ^ a b Cristiano, Nick (3 Jan 1999). "Blues". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F10.
- ^ a b "19 June 1998". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Blues". LIV. The Baltimore Sun. 19 Nov 1998. p. 8.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
- ^ Trapp, Roger (5 Sep 1998). "Jazz & Blues". The Independent. p. 45.
- ^ Williams, Ken (25 Dec 1998). "The Skin I'm In Elvin Bishop". Entertainment Guide. The Age. p. 8.
- ^ McGuinness, Jim (9 Oct 1998). "A few new wrinkles on Elvin Bishop". Previews. The Record. p. 29.
