Small Town Heroes

Small Town Heroes
Studio album by Hurray for the Riff Raff
Released February 11, 2014 (2014-02-11)
Genre Americana, Folk
Length 44:03
Label ATO
Producer Alynda Lee Segarra
Hurray for the Riff Raff chronology
My Dearest Darkest Neighbor
(2013)		 Small Town Heroes
(2014)

Small Town Heroes is the fifth full length studio album by Hurray for the Riff Raff, and their first to be released by ATO Records. The album released on February 11, 2014, and was produced by their front-woman Alynda Lee Segarra. This album received positive critical reception and commercial sales.

Background

The album was released on February 11, 2014 by ATO Records, and the producer on the album was front-woman Alynda Lee Segarra. This was the fifth studio album from the band.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(77/100)[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Paste8.0/10[3]
Pitchfork7.8/10[4]
PopMatters8/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Small Town Heroes received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album holds a Metascore of an 77 out of 100 based upon 6 selected independent ratings and reviews, which means the album has been looked upon with generally favorability.[1] At Allmusic, James Christopher Monger rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, writing that "Throughout it all Segarra struts her stuff without the slightest bit of arrogance (most of the arrangements are spare, but never willfully so), offering up a confident, yet ultimately amiable set of millennial-informed, urban crafted, Woody Guthrie-inspired, contemporary hobo-folk anthems that play fast and loose with genre tropes without losing the essence that makes them universal."[2] Will Hermes of Rolling Stone rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, stating that "Segarra's supple, intimate vocals are about more than conjuring a musical past [...] she clearly wants to shape the future, too."[6]

At Paste, Eric R. Danton rated the album an eight out of ten, saying that the songs "encompass a broad swath of a timeless America, like old Carter Family tunes existing in the peaks and troughs of AM radio waves rolling endlessly over the miles."[3] PopMatters' Eric Risch rated the album an eight out of ten, affirming that the album "is a collection of songs that speak from and for the heart of America’s fringe, calling them both to task and arms" on which Segarra "has found a home and sense of being for her voice – a voice capable and deserving of a population larger than the album’s title."[5] At Pitchfork, Scott M. Deusner rated the album a seven point eight out of ten, asserting that "With Small Town Heroes, Segarra proves herself one of the most compelling stylists in a folk revival full of suspicious acts either too beholden to tradition or too uncritical to make much of it."[4]

Commercial performance

For the Billboard charting week of March 1, 2014, Small Town Heroes was the No. 158 most sold album in the entirety of the United State via The Billboard 200 and it was the No. 3 album sold in the breaking-and-entry category by the Heatseekers Albums. In addition, the album was the No. 29 most sold Independent Albums, and it was the No. 24 most sold Top Tastemaker Albums. It also sold enough copies to attain No. 41 on the Top Rock Albums chart.

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Blue Ridge Mountain"   2:33
2. "Crash on the Highway"   2:45
3. "Good Time Blues (An Outlaw's Lament)"   5:17
4. "End of the Line"   3:38
5. "The New SF Bay Blues"   4:01
6. "The Body Electric"   2:49
7. "No One Else"   3:17
8. "St. Roch Blues"   5:09
9. "Levon's Dream"   3:50
10. "I Know It's Wrong (But That's Alright)"   2:58
11. "Small Town Heroes"   4:28
12. "Forever Is Just a Day"   3:18
Total length:
 44:03

Chart performance

Chart (2014) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[7] 158
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[8] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[9] 29
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[10] 41
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[11] 24

References

  1. 1 2 Metacritic (February 14, 2014). "Critic Reviews for Small Town Heroes". CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Monger, James Christopher (February 11, 2014). "Small Town Heroes - Hurray for the Riff Raff : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Danton, Eric R. (February 11, 2014). "Hurray for the Riff Raff: Small Town Heroes". Paste. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Deusner, Scott M. (February 18, 2014). "Hurray for the Riff Raff: Small Town Heroes". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Risch, Eric (February 14, 2014). "Hurray for the Riff Raff: Small Town Heroes". PopMatters. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Hermes, Will (February 11, 2014). "Hurray for the Riff Raff 'Small Town Heroes' album review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Billboard 200 for Hurray for the Riff Raff. Prometheus Global Media.". Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Hurray for the Riff Raff.". Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Billboard Independent Albums for Hurray for the Riff Raff.". Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Billboard Top Rock Albums for Hurray for the Riff Raff. Prometheus Global Media.". Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Billboard Top Tastemaker Albums for Hurray for the Riff Raff. Prometheus Global Media.". Retrieved March 2, 2014.
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