Annie Up
Annie Up | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by Pistol Annies | ||||
Released | May 7, 2013 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 42:35 | |||
Label | RCA Nashville | |||
Producer |
Frank Liddell Chuck Ainlay Glenn Worf | |||
Pistol Annies chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Annie Up | ||||
Annie Up is the second studio album by American country girl group Pistol Annies, but this is the first album with RCA Nashville. The group consists of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Annie Up started with 83,000 albums sold in the first week.[1]
The vinyl LP version of the record was pressed by United Record Pressing in Nashville, TN.
Critical reception
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
Robert Christgau | A-[3] |
Country Weekly | A-[4] |
Entertainment Weekly | A-[5] |
Los Angeles Times | [6] |
Music Is My Oxygen Weekly | [7] |
Rolling Stone | [8] |
Roughstock | [9] |
The Salt Lake Tribune | A-[10] |
Slant Magazine | [11] |
Taste of Country | [12] |
USA Today | [13] |
Annie Up has received almost universally positive reviews and ratings from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream critics, the album received a metascore of 87, based on 11 reviews.[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called it a "thoroughly integrated effort; the work of a group, not three individuals" that has a "bruised, beautiful richness."[2] At MSN Music's Expert Witness blog, Robert Christgau highlighted how "a lark evolves into a business proposition as an album of 10 inspired three-minute songs eventuates in an album of 12 expert three-and-a-half-minute songs."[3] At Country Weekly, Jon Freeman found that this album even more so than its predecessor has "more engaging studies of real-life heartbreak, domestic inertia and the daily trials of womanhood."[4]
Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly alluded to that the release "is a more fully formed take on Southern sisterhood."[5] At Los Angeles Times, Randy Lewis evoked that "their switchblade-sharp vision incorporates acute observational powers about the human condition and savvy compositional skills that come together in songs that are piercingly honest, funny and sometimes both."[6] In addition, Lewis said that "mostly it feels like eavesdropping on one helluva lively girls night out."[6] Rob Burkhardt of Music Is My Oxygen Weekly told that the release "doesn’t take this popularity for granted; instead, it wisely spends the political capital", and that is because it "has enough sex appeal to keep the men interested, a deeper look reveals that it is really an album by women, for women."[7] At Rolling Stone, Jody Rosen affirmed that like the predecessor the work is "full of attitude and guffaws, delivered in three-part harmony over down-home country", and found that the trio "drop the 'tude altogether for a love song as poignant as the rest is fun."[8] Roughstock's Matt Bjorke wrote that the effort "is the work of a band and is clearly no side project for any of the band's members."[9]
At The Salt Lake Tribune, David Burger called it a "bluegrass-inspired collection is nothing short of entertaining, even when the women complain non-stop about the men in their lives."[10] Annie Galvin of Slant Magazine highlighted that "Annie Up doesn't quite break the country genre's familiar format, it's a hell of a lot of fun, and one could do worse than spend 40 minutes with these sassy almost-outlaws."[11] Taste of Country's Billy Dukes stated that Pistol Annies "make strides with the arrangements and production on 'Annie Up,' but the stories aren't as sharp and the messages aren't nearly as emotional."[12] At USA Today, Elysa Gardner found that "the clichés are far less striking than the trio's gritty-sweet harmonies, taut musicianship and genuine pluck."[13]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "I Feel a Sin Comin' On" | Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, Angaleena Presley | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | 3:18 |
2. | "Hush Hush" | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | 3:25 |
3. | "Being Pretty Ain't Pretty" | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | Presley | 3:34 |
4. | "Unhappily Married" | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | 3:07 |
5. | "Loved by a Workin' Man" | Presley | Presley | 3:48 |
6. | "Blues, You're a Buzzkill" | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | Monroe | 4:52 |
7. | "Don't Talk About Him, Tina" | Lambert, Presley | Lambert | 3:31 |
8. | "Trading One Heartbreak for Another" | Monroe, Presley | Presley | 3:58 |
9. | "Dear Sobriety" | Lambert, Monroe | Monroe | 4:10 |
10. | "Damn Thing" | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | Lambert | 2:29 |
11. | "Girls Like Us" | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | 3:51 |
12. | "I Hope You're the End of My Story" | Lambert, Monroe, Presley | Monroe | 2:32 |
Total length: |
42:35 |
Personnel
- Pistol Annies
- Miranda Lambert - lead vocals, background vocals
- Ashley Monroe - lead vocals, background vocals
- Angaleena Presley - lead vocals, background vocals
- Additional Musicians
- Eric Darken - percussion
- Fred Eltringham - drums, finger snaps, percussion
- Steve Fishell - steel guitar, lap steel guitar
- Randy Scruggs - acoustic slide guitar, banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin
- Guthrie Trapp - electric guitar, mandolin
- Bobby Wood - Hammond B-3 organ, piano
- Glenn Worf - bass guitar, upright bass, slide bass, Wurlitzer
Chart performance
Album
Chart (2013) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] | 11 |
UK Country Albums (OCC)[16] | 2 |
US Billboard 200[17] | 5 |
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[18] | 2 |
Sales 221,145 (US Only)
Year-end charts
Chart (2013) | Position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[19] | 120 |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US Country | US Country Airplay | ||
2013 | "Hush Hush" | 41 | 43 |
References
- ↑ "Pistol Annies Shoot Onto Top Country Albums Chart". Billboard.com. May 16, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
- 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (May 7, 2013). "Annie Up - Pistol Annies : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- 1 2 Christgau, Robert (May 10, 2013). "The Uncluded/Pistol Annies". Expert Witness. MSN Music. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- 1 2 Freeman, Jon (May 7, 2013). "Annie Up by Pistol Annies". Country Weekly. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- 1 2 Anderson, Kyle (May 1, 2013). "Annie Up Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- 1 2 3 Lewis, Randy (May 6, 2013). "Pop Music review: Pistol Annies' 'Annie Up'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- 1 2 Burkhardt, Rob (May 7, 2013). "Pistol Annies "Annie Up" (Album Review)". Music Is My Oxygen Weekly. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- 1 2 Rosen, Jody (May 7, 2013). "Pistol Annies: Annie Up (RCA Nashville)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- 1 2 Bjorke, Matt (May 6, 2013). "Album Review: Pistol Annies - Annie Up". Roughstock. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- 1 2 Burger, David (May 7, 2013). "CD Reviews: Lady Antebellum, Pistol Annies, Natalie Maines". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- 1 2 Galvin, Annie (May 5, 2013). "Pistol Annies: Annie Up". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- 1 2 Dukes, Billy (May 7, 2013). "Pistol Annies, 'Annie Up' – Album Review". Taste of Country. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- 1 2 Gardner, Elysa (May 6, 2013). "Listen Up notables: Lady Antebellum, more". USA Today. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- ↑ Metacritic (May 7, 2013). "Critic Reviews for Annie Up". CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- ↑ "Pistol Annies – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Pistol Annies.
- ↑ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ "Pistol Annies – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Pistol Annies.
- ↑ "Pistol Annies – Chart history" Billboard Top Country Albums for Pistol Annies.
- ↑ "2013 Year-End Charts – Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2013.