American Middle Class (album)
| American Middle Class | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Angaleena Presley | |
| Released | October 14, 2014 |
| Genre | Country |
| Length | 46:48 |
| Label | Slate Creek Records |
| Producer |
Jordan Powell Angaleena Presley |
American Middle Class is an album by Angaleena Presley, released in 2014 by Slate Creek Records.
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Billboard | [3] |
| Cuepoint | A[4] |
| Exclaim! | 9/10[5] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [6] |
| The Observer | [7] |
| Popmatters | [8] |
| Rolling Stone |  [9] |
| Tampa Bay Times | A[10] |
| Uncut | 8/10[11] |
The album got praise from music critics, and this is reflective in its Metascore of an 84 from Metacritic, which means "acclaim". This album got four stars by Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic, and according to him "it will linger for some time to come."[2] The three and a half star review from Rolling Stone's Jonathan Bernstein, he remarks how its an "impressive solo debut".[9] There was a four star rating granted to the album from Neil Spencer of The Observer, revealing he felt "Presley's vocal and lyrical touch are exceptional on an impressive state-of-the-nation album."[7] They gave the album five stars at The Daily Telegraph, Martin Chilton believing "the musicianship is top notch."[6] The four star review delivered from Billboard's Elias Leight is for "a focused collection of songs."[3] The Uncut magazine rated the album an eight out of ten because "Presley has a wry, modern take on country music."[11] In Cuepoint, Robert Christgau called it a "moderately astonishing bunch of songs" on which "she sings pretty as you please."[4] The eight out of ten rating bestowed on the release from Anthony Easton at PopMatters is in response to "the corruption and failure of the market rotting from the bottom and squeezing from the top, is profoundly realized here."[8] Stuart Henderson rates the album a nine out of ten for Exclaim! because "this debut is about as accomplished as one could reasonably expect."[5] The Tampa Bay Times grants the release an A, and Sean Daly sees how "she has a persistent knack for showmanship, small scenes but grand gestures."[10] The New York Times declares "American Middle Class, her debut album, comes fully formed, clear about its purpose."[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ain't No Man" | Angaleena Presley | 3:44 |
| 2. | "All I Ever Wanted" | Presley | 5:27 |
| 3. | "Grocery Store" | Presley, Lori McKenna | 3:42 |
| 4. | "American Middle Class" | Presley | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Dry County Blues" | Presley, Mark D. Sanders | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Pain Pills" | Presley | 2:58 |
| 7. | "Life of the Party" | Presley, Matraca Berg | 5:24 |
| 8. | "Knocked Up" | Presley, Sanders | 3:54 |
| 9. | "Better Off Red" | Presley | 3:38 |
| 10. | "Drunk" | Presley, Sarah Siskind | 2:57 |
| 11. | "Blessing and a Curse" | Presley, Bob DiPiero | 3:37 |
| 12. | "Surrender" | Presley, Luke Laird, Barry Dean | 3:39 |
Personnel
- Kelly Archer - background vocals
- Aden Bubeck - bass guitar, upright bass
- Fred Eltringham - bottle, castanets, drums, pans, shaker
- Audley Freed - dobro, 12-string electric guitar, electric guitar, mandolin
- Kevin Gates - banjo, bouzouki, dobro, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, background vocals
- Josh Grange - steel guitar
- David Henry - cello, violin
- Patty Loveless - background vocals
- Gayle Mayes - background vocals
- Angaleena Presley - lead vocals
- Angela Primm - background vocals
- Emily Saliers - background vocals
- Sarah Siskind - background vocals
- Chris Stapleton - background vocals
- John Henry Trinko - Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards, Wurlitzer
- Glenn Worf - bass guitar, upright bass
Chart performance
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[13] | 29 |
| US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[14] | 14 |
References
- ↑ Metacritic. "Critic Reviews for American Middle Class". CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- 1 2 Thomas Erlewine, Stephen. "American Middle Class – Angaleena Presley". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- 1 2 Leight, Elias (October 14, 2014). "Album Review: Pistol Annies' Angaleena Presley's 'American Middle Class' a Strong, Focused Debut". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- 1 2 Christgau, Robert (November 28, 2014). "Expert Witness". Cuepoint. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
- 1 2 Henderson, Stuart (October 14, 2014). "Angaleena Presley American Middle Class". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- 1 2 Chilton, Martin (January 20, 2015). "Angaleena Presley, American Middle Class, album review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- 1 2 Spencer, Neil (January 11, 2015). "Angaleena Presley: American Middle Class review – exceptional vocal and lyrical touch". The Observer. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- 1 2 Easton, Anthony (November 21, 2014). "Angaleena Presley: American Middle Class". Popmatters. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- 1 2 Bernstein, Jonathan (October 21, 2014). "Angaleena Presley American Middle Class Album Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- 1 2 Daly, Sean (October 15, 2014). "Miranda Lambert pal Angaleena Presley releases great, gritty country debut". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
- 1 2 Uncut. "Angaleena Presley - American Middle Class". Uncut. p. 81. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ↑ The New York Times (October 14, 2014). "Albums by Mary Lambert, Nico Vinz and Angaleena Presley". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Angaleena Presley – Chart history" Billboard Top Country Albums for Angaleena Presley.
- ↑ "Angaleena Presley – Chart history" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Angaleena Presley.