Hidden Charms is a blues album by Willie Dixon, released in 1988 on Bug/Capitol Records.[1][2] It won a 1989 Grammy Award.[3]
| Hidden Charms | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Studio | Ocean Way, Hollywood | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Bug/Capitol Records | |||
| Producer | T Bone Burnett | |||
| Willie Dixon chronology | ||||
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Production
editThe album was produced by T Bone Burnett.[4] The band was made up of Cash McCall and Burnett on guitars, Sugar Blue on harmonica, Red Callender on bass, Lafayette Leake on piano, and Earl Palmer on drums.[5] "Study War No More" was cowritten by Dixon's grandson.[6]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [5] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [8] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
The Globe and Mail wrote that "the band is excellent - rootsy and tough but not overpowering - and, while Dixon's hardly a mesmerizing singer, his gruff grandfatherly voice has a plaintive soulfullness that suits his more recent songs."[9] The Kingston Whig-Standard wrote that "Leake's unique playing is alone worth the price of the album."[10]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide called the album "a solid if unspectacular outing."[4] Paste deemed it "a collection of overlooked Dixon gems."[11]
Track listing
editAll tracks composed and arranged by Willie Dixon; except where indicated
- "Blues You Can't Lose" 5:44
- "I Don't Trust Myself" 4:23
- "Jungle Swing" (Willie Dixon, Leonard Caston) 5:27
- "Don't Mess With The Messer" 7:10
- "Study War No More" (Willie Dixon, Alex Dixon) 4:33
- "I Love The Life I Live (I Live The Life I Love)" 3:11
- "I Cry For You" 4:40
- "Good Advice" (Willie Dixon, J.B. Lenoir) 5:13
- "I Do The Job" 6:22
Personnel
edit- Willie Dixon - vocals
- Cash McCall - electric guitar, National Steel resonator guitar, harmony vocals, associate producer
- T Bone Burnett - dobro
- Red Callender - bass
- Lafayette Leake - piano
- Earl Palmer - drums
- Sugar Blue - harmonica
- Technical
- Rik Pekkonen - recording, mixing
- Larry Hirsch - additional engineer
- Nancy Meyer - project coordinator
- Marc Norberg - front cover portrait
References
edit- ^ "Willie Dixon and the Blues--One of the Last From the Past". Los Angeles Times. December 3, 1988.
- ^ a b "Hidden Charms - Willie Dixon - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ^ Steve Shorter (2015). Roots to Rock: Part 2 - Blues. Booktango. ISBN 978-1468954456.
Dixon was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and won a Grammy Award in 1989 for his album, Hidden Charms
- ^ a b c The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 202–203.
- ^ a b Fields, Curt (11 Dec 1988). "WILLIE DIXON". Orlando Sentinel: 6.
- ^ "Dixon hasn't stopped singing the blues". Calgary Herald: C5. 22 Dec 1988.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 37.
- ^ Moon, Tom (20 Nov 1988). "Willie Dixon Hidden Charms". The Philadelphia Inquirer: H12.
- ^ Dafoe, Chris (15 Dec 1988). "INSIDE THE SLEEVE POP Hidden Charms Willie Dixon". The Globe and Mail: C13.
- ^ Burliuk, Greg (24 Dec 1988). "Short Cuts". The Kingston Whig-Standard: 1.
- ^ "Forgotten Giants: Willie Dixon - The Poet Laureate of Chess Records". pastemagazine.com. September 25, 2018.