War and Peace (Syd Straw album)

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War and Peace
Studio album by
Syd Straw
Released1996
StudioThe Studio, Springfield, Missouri
LabelCapricorn[1]
ProducerSyd Straw
Syd Straw chronology
Surprise
(1989) 		War and Peace
(1996) 		Pink Velour
(2008)

War and Peace is the second album by the American musician Syd Straw, released in 1996.[2][3] Straw had been without a record label for four years prior to signing with Capricorn Records.[4] The album title jokingly refers to War and Peace's almost 60-minute running time.[5][6] The first single was "Love, and the Lack of It".[7]

Production[edit]

The album was produced by Straw.[8][9] She recorded it, in two weeks, in Springfield, Missouri, where she was backed by the cult band the Skeletons.[7][10] The sessions were paid for by Straw's manager boyfriend.[11]

Many of the songs are about Straw's divorce and past relationships.[11] "Million Miles" was cowritten with Johnette Napolitano.[12] "Static" was originally an instrumental track, composed by Jeff Tweedy.[13] "Almost as Blue" is dedicated to Kurt Cobain.[14]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Chicago Tribune[8]
Robert Christgau(dud)[16]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
The Indianapolis Star[6]
Los Angeles Times[17]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[9]

Trouser Press wrote that "Straw's vocals are tremendous throughout, and the album has a tougher tone musically than the overly glossy Surprise."[12] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution deemed the album "a resilient cycle of country-rock songs about hopes, longings and the memories of complicated relationships."[18] The Dayton Daily News concluded that "her infectious roots rock melodies are surprisingly upbeat, given the subject matter, and her rich voice—capable of fierce passion or a soft country lilt—is simply beyond compare."[19]

Stereo Review determined that "it's her intelligent lyrics and soaring choruses that make War and Peace a standout—the way she plays the victim/victor personas off each other."[20] The Hartford Courant praised the Skeletons, writing that "Straw has just the right twang and snap to back her solid, affecting songs."[21] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch labeled the album "a fair-to-middlin' collection of pop dirges and country-rock tunes on which her voice veers from adequate to lovely."[22] The New York Times stated that "songs settle in between country rock and folk rock, with well-turned melodies and steady-strummed guitars... Singing about heartache, Ms. Straw cuts self-pity with determined resilience."[23] The Waterloo Region Record listed it as the second best album of 1996.[24]

AllMusic called the album "a jangly-guitar, singer/songwriter folk-rock feast and a glimpse into an apparently tortured soul."[15]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."The Toughest Girl in the World" 
2."Million Miles" 
3."Time Has Done This" 
4."Love, and the Lack of It" 
5."CBGB's" 
6."All Things Change" 
7."Madrid" 
8."Almost as Blue" 
9."Water, Please" 
10."X-Ray" 
11."Howl" 
12."Static" 
13."Black Squirrel" 
14."The Train That Takes You Away" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Dawn, Randee (Jun 1996). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 34. p. 45.
  2. ^ "Syd Straw Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Weisbard, Eric (Sep 1996). "Whatever". Spin. Vol. 12, no. 6. p. 158.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Jim (24 Mar 1996). "Talking 'bout g-g-generations". The Boston Globe. p. B23.
  5. ^ Bauder, David (10 May 1996). "Straw's 2nd CD both serious and silly". Cue. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 18.
  6. ^ a b Penner, Diana (9 June 1996). "Syd Straw 'War and Peace'". The Indianapolis Star. p. I7.
  7. ^ a b Morris, Chris (Mar 30, 1996). "Capricorn's Straw makes 'War and Peace'". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 13. p. 22.
  8. ^ a b Rothschild, David (16 May 1996). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 9C.
  9. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. pp. 1097–1098.
  10. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 793.
  11. ^ a b DeRogatis, Jim (May 16, 1996). "Syd Straw plays with the skeletons in her closet". Rolling Stone. No. 734. p. 25.
  12. ^ a b "Syd Straw". Trouser Press. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  13. ^ McLennan, Scott (4 June 1996). "Syd Straw better than ever". Telegram & Gazette. p. C3.
  14. ^ DeLuca, Dan (9 Aug 1996). "Syd Straw". Features Weekend. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 15.
  15. ^ a b "War and Peace". AllMusic.
  16. ^ "Syd Straw". Robert Christgau.
  17. ^ Rosenbluth, Jean (23 June 1996). "Pop Music". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 89.
  18. ^ "Music scene jams to radio confab". Features. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 12 Feb 1996. p. D10.
  19. ^ Larsen, Dave (17 May 1996). "Recordings on Review". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 19.
  20. ^ Nash, Alanna (May 1996). "Syd Straw: War and Peace". Stereo Review. Vol. 61, no. 5. p. 93.
  21. ^ Catlin, Roger (9 May 1996). "Pop/Rock". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 4.
  22. ^ Daily, Patrick (17 May 1996). "Syd Straw: Great When Angry". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8E.
  23. ^ Pareles, Jon (11 June 1996). "Weepers, Teasers And Hymns". The New York Times. p. C15.
  24. ^ "Rock writers choose year's top 10 albums". The Ottawa Citizen. 14 Dec 1996. p. H2.
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