Diary of a Mod Housewife
| Diary of a Mod Housewife | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Label | Koch[1] | |||
| Producer | Elliot Easton, Gene Holder | |||
| Amy Rigby chronology | ||||
| ||||
Diary of a Mod Housewife is the debut album by the American musician Amy Rigby, released in 1996.[2][3] It has been called a concept album about growing older in a music scene, marriage, motherhood, and romantic dissolution.[4][5] Rigby supported the album with a North American tour.[6]
Production[edit]
The album was produced by the Cars guitarist Elliot Easton, with the dB member Gene Holder.[7][8] Rigby duets with John Wesley Harding on the album's third track, "Beer & Kisses".[9] Ira Kaplan contributed organ to "That Tone of Voice".[10] Diary of a Mod Housewife was written while Rigby was doing temp work in New York.[11]
Critical reception[edit]
Robert Christgau thought that Rigby personalizes "the political for a bohemia that coexists oh so neatly with structural underemployment [and thinks] harder about marriage than a dozen Nashville homilizers."[5] Entertainment Weekly called the album "an impressive debut," writing that the songs "occupy a world where relationships, jobs, and urban life are rife with unfulfilled promise."[14] The New York Times wrote that, "like Kate McGarrigle and Iris DeMent, Ms. Rigby has a reedy voice with steely underpinnings," writing: "With clear-cut melodies and an exacting eye, songs like 'Beer and Kisses' and 'Just Someone I Had in Mind' measure the distance between romance and reality."[18]
The Philadelphia Inquirer placed the album on the "short" list of "grown-up rock-and-roll records that examine monogamy with insight and intelligence."[19] Stereo Review deemed it "a cross between the Go-Go's, Buddy Holly, and a female cowpunk band."[20] The Winston-Salem Journal called it "a disgruntled look at the disheveled life of a creative thirtysomething woman."[17]
AllMusic wrote that "in addition to her knowing lyrical eye, Rigby is also a terrific composer who synthesizes elements of rock, country, folk and girl group-era pop."[12]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Time for Me to Come Down" | |
| 2. | "Sad Tale" | |
| 3. | "Beer & Kisses" | |
| 4. | "20 Questions" | |
| 5. | "Down Side of Love" | |
| 6. | "The Good Girls" | |
| 7. | "Knapsack" | |
| 8. | "Just Someone I Had in Mind" | |
| 9. | "Don't Break the Heart" | |
| 10. | "That Tone of Voice" | |
| 11. | "Didn't I?" | |
| 12. | "We're Stronger than That" |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. pp. 22–23.
- ^ "Amy Rigby | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ Fernandes, Matt (24 Oct 1996). "Diary of a Mod Housewife Amy Rigby (Koch)". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8.
- ^ Lepage, Mark (20 Mar 1997). "Temp jobs feed into Diary of a Mod Housewife". The Gazette. p. C5.
- ^ a b c "Robert Christgau: CG: Amy Rigby". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Perry, Jan (31 Oct 1996). "Kentucky Spotlight". The Cincinnati Post. p. 17.
- ^ "Songs from a Marriage". Salon. November 26, 1996.
- ^ "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 34. Aug 24, 1996. p. 112.
- ^ "Amy Rigby". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
- ^ a b Moser, Daniel R. (24 Nov 1996). "Amy Rigby, Diary of a Mod Housewife, Koch". Lincoln Journal Star. p. H4.
- ^ Catlin, Roger (21 May 1997). "Temp Work OK for Rigby If Result Is Good Songs". Hartford Courant. p. E1.
- ^ a b "Diary of a Mod Housewife - Amy Rigby | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Muretich, James (6 Apr 1997). "New Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C2.
- ^ a b "Diary of a Mod Housewife". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 943.
- ^ Powers, Ann (Oct 1996). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 12, no. 7. pp. 135–136.
- ^ a b Bumgardner, Ed (27 Sep 1996). "Spins". Winston-Salem Journal. p. D7.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (11 Oct 1996). "Old-Time Rock-and-Roll". The New York Times. p. C37.
- ^ DeLuca, Dan (11 Jan 1997). "Amy Rigby at Silk City: Grown-Up Rock Tales". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D8.
- ^ Nash, Alanna (Jan 1997). "Amy Rigby: Diary of a Mod Housewife". Stereo Review. Vol. 62, no. 1. p. 100.