Shooting Straight in the Dark

Shooting Straight in the Dark
Studio album by Mary-Chapin Carpenter
Released	October 9, 1990
Genre	Country
Length	42:12
Label	Columbia Nashville
Producer	Mary Chapin Carpenter John Jennings
Mary-Chapin Carpenter chronology
State of the Heart (1989) Shooting Straight in the Dark (1990) Come On Come On (1992)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[2]

Shooting Straight in the Dark is Mary Chapin Carpenter's third studio album. It was a #11 Country Album on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Four of its tracks became Billboard Hot Country Songs hits: "You Win Again" at #16, "Right Now" at #15, "Down at the Twist and Shout" at #2, and "Going Out Tonight" at #14. Members of the Cajun band BeauSoleil provide guest instrumentation on "Down at the Twist and Shout". Shawn Colvin provided backing vocals on three of the album's songs.

Track listing

All songs written by Mary Chapin Carpenter; except where indicated

1. "Going Out Tonight" (Carpenter, John Jennings) - 3:16
2. "Right Now" (Al Lewis, Sylvester Bradford) - 2:36
3. "The More Things Change" - 3:56
4. "When She's Gone" - 5:05
5. "Middle Ground" - 3:51
6. "Can't Take Love for Granted" - 4:01
7. "Down at the Twist and Shout" - 3:21
8. "Halley Came to Jackson" - 3:10
9. "What You Didn't Say" - 4:36
10. "You Win Again" - 3:59
11. "The Moon and St. Christopher" - 4:21
    • duet with Shawn Colvin

Personnel

As listed in liner notes.^[3]

• Peter Bonta – keyboards, piano, acoustic guitar, bass guitar
• Jimmy Breaux – Accadian accordion, Cajun yells
• Mary Chapin Carpenter – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
• Jon Carroll – piano, acoustic guitar
• Shawn Colvin – background vocals
• Mike Cotter – background vocals
• Don Dixon – bass guitar, background vocals
• Michael Doucet – fiddle, Cajun yells
• John Jennings – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, synthesizer, background vocals, Cajun yells
• Marti Jones – background vocals
• Robbie Magruder – drums
• John McCutcheson – hammer dulcimer
• Mark O'Connor – fiddle
• Dave Palamar – drums
• Herb Pedersen – background vocals
• Rico Petruccelli – bass guitar
• Matt Rollings – piano
• Vince Santoro – drums
• Billy Ware – percussion, Cajun yells

Production

• Mary Chapin Carpenter, John Jennings - production
• Bob Dawson, Jim DeMain - engineering

Chart performance

Chart (1990)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	11
U.S. Billboard 200	70

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Entertainment Weekly review
3. Shooting Straight in the Dark (CD). Mary Chapin Carpenter. Columbia Records. 1990. CK 46077.