Slow Dance (Southside Johnny album)
| Slow Dance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Label | Cypress[1] | |||
| Producer | John Lyon, Steve Skinner | |||
| Southside Johnny chronology | ||||
| ||||
Slow Dance is an album by the American musician Southside Johnny, released in 1988.[2][3] It was marketed as a solo endeavor, although a few Asbury Jukes played on the album.[4][5]
The album peaked at No. 198 on the Billboard 200.[6] The cover of "Ain't That Peculiar" was a minor radio hit.[7] Southside Johnny promoted the album by again touring with the Asbury Jukes.[8]
Production[edit]
The album was recorded during a six-month period between Asbury Jukes commitments.[9] Southside Johnny wrote five of its 10 songs; he wanted to focus more on his lyrics than he had in the past.[10][11]
Bruce Springsteen contributed to "Walking Through Midnight", which was written in part in 1978.[5] The Uptown Horns performed on a few songs.[12] "Little Calcutta" was inspired by the plight of the homeless people who resided at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.[8]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
| The Record | [14] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [15] |
The Globe and Mail wrote that "it's pleasant enough—Lyons has a smoky, soulful voice and writes a pretty fair song—but the production has rounded all the edges off the songs."[16] The Orlando Sentinel deemed the album "an exceptional collection that combines the sheen of modern production techniques, eschewed by the Jukes, with the old-fashioned power of Lyon's heartfelt vocals."[10] The Toronto Star labeled the album "pleasant" and "serviceable," but noted that Southside Johnny's "not quite special enough; his experience somehow works against him... He doesn't quite grab our attention."[17]
The Ottawa Citizen determined that "Lyon can make soul ballads as powerful and assertive as an army of tough-slinging guitar players."[18] The Kingston Whig-Standard opined that, "once again, without horns and their natural bluster, Southside Johnny sounds forced and, well, phony."[19] The Record considered Slow Dance a "pleasant little album that will probably win him some new fans in the easy-listening ranks."[14]
AllMusic called the album "a noble, but failed, experiment," writing that it was an "attempt is to take Southside out of the bar band, R&B, horn-filled Jukes style, and put him with contemporary synthesizer sounds and programmed drums."[5]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "On the Air" | |
| 2. | "Sirens of the Night" | |
| 3. | "Ain't That Peculiar" | |
| 4. | "Little Calcutta" | |
| 5. | "Act of Love" | |
| 6. | "Slow Dance" | |
| 7. | "Your Precious Love" | |
| 8. | "No Secret" | |
| 9. | "When the Moment Is Right" | |
| 10. | "Walking Through Midnight" |
References[edit]
- ^ Krampert, Peter (March 23, 2016). The Encyclopedia of the Harmonica. Mel Bay Publications.
- ^ "Southside Johnny Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ "Southside Johnny". MTV News.
- ^ Santelli, Robert (February 27, 1994). "New Jersey Q & A: Johnny Lyon; Johnny of Southside Johnny and the Jukes". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d "Slow Dance". AllMusic.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research Inc. p. 729.
- ^ Takiff, Jonathan (16 Dec 1988). "Live! This Week". Features Friday. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 49.
- ^ a b Benarde, Scott (16 Jan 1989). "Southside Johnny Goes Solo". The Palm Beach Post. p. E1.
- ^ "Southside Johnny Gears Down". Part II. Newsday. 26 Nov 1988. p. 14.
- ^ a b Duffy, Thom (15 Jan 1989). "Johnny Rocks After Pausing for 'Slow Dance'". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 18.
- ^ Darling, Cary (November 27, 1988). "Southside Johnny grows up". Orange County Register. p. H28.
- ^ Papajohn, George (4 Dec 1988). "Recordings". Arts. Chicago Tribune. p. 33.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 632.
- ^ a b Jaeger, Barbara (October 27, 1988). "Southside Johnny, 'Slow Dance'". The Record. p. E10.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 657.
- ^ Dafoe, Chris (12 Jan 1989). "Slow Dance Southside Johnny". The Globe and Mail. p. C7.
- ^ Quill, Greg (2 Dec 1988). "Slow Dance Southside Johnny". Toronto Star. p. D18.
- ^ Erskine, Evelyn (2 Dec 1988). "Southside Johnny Slow Dance". Ottawa Citizen. p. B6.
- ^ Burliuk, Greg (7 Jan 1989). "Slow Dance Southside Johnny". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
