Something Real is the seventh studio album by the American musician Phoebe Snow, released in 1989 by Elektra Records.[2][3] It was her first album in eight years.[4] While caring for her disabled daughter, Snow spent five years making demo tapes and mailing them to labels.[5]
| Something Real | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1989 | |||
| Studio | The Hit Factory and The Power Station (New York City, New York). | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | Elektra[1] | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Phoebe Snow chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 75 on the Billboard 200.[6]
Background
editAccording to music executive Charles Koppelman, who had headed Columbia Records music publishing department at the time Snow was on the Columbia roster, his interest in Snow was captured after he recognized her voice singing the jingle for a Bloomingdale's television commercial. Koppelman attended Snow's Bottom Line gig in July 1986 and—deeming her performance a "knockout"—he began to champion Snow's return to recording. With Koppelman's support, Snow was signed to Elektra by the year's end:[7]
Production
editThe album was produced by Rob Fraboni and Ricky Fataar; Russ Titelman also worked on the album.[8][5] Mick Taylor played guitar on "Cardiac Arrest".[9] Lou Marini and Tom Scott led the horn section.[10]
Snow shot a video, her first, for the album's first single, "If I Can Just Get Through the Night".[11] The track "Something Real", which served as the second single and video, was hailed by Washington Post music critic Joe Brown as "'Poetry Man' revisited...[The earlier] song's ingenuously adulterous protagonist has wised up in a decade. This time around, she wants—quoting the lyrics of "Something Real"—something real - something I don't have to steal."[12] Snow would state her vision for the song was "not [as] a vulnerable fragile song...I thought it could be a more powerful R&B ballad like something Whitney Houston might sing But everybody who heard my homemade demo thought [that acoustic version] was too good to change."[13]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [15] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [16] |
| MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide | [8] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [17] |
| Vancouver Sun | [18] |
The Los Angeles Times thought that, "while this album is classy and polished, there isn't much that approaches classic Snow territory, aside from 'We Might Never Feel This Way Again', with its touching, grab-the-moment romanticism, and the softly tender 'I'm Your Girl', which Snow wrote for her late mother."[16] The Buffalo News wrote that the singer "still has trouble resisting instrumental sucrose in the background, but the sound of Phoebe Snow singing 'I'm Your Girl' or 'If I Can Just Get Through the Night' is the essence of pop authenticity."[19] The Boston Globe concluded that Something Real "has a couple of slick, poorly chosen cover songs, but her four original songs on the album are sparkling."[9]
The Vancouver Sun opined that "the highly produced musical packaging feels too slick and hip for conveying truly honest emotions."[18] The Washington Post declared: "With a voice that's equally suited to pop, R&B and gospel, she has no difficulty reviving the old Emotions' hit 'Best of My Love' or emulating James Taylor's tuneful insouciance on 'Soothin'', but other song choices don't pan out nearly as well."[20] The New York Times deemed Something Real Snow's "most coherent album," writing that her "excesses are reined in just enough to make her sound bighearted and benevolent rather than overwrought."[21]
AllMusic called the album "a sturdy, respectable set," writing that Snow "tends to de-emphasize the more unusual aspects of her voice, although not so much that you'd confuse it with anybody else's."[14]
Aftermath
editAt the time of the album's release, Snow would say of Something Real: “We’ve made our statement on this record: it's got the right amount of everything. But I want my next [album] to reduce the margin for error - [to have] strong powerful music...that expresses how I envision myself."[13] Snow would abandon the recording of her second Elektra album after cutting six tracks which (Phoebe Snow quote:) "were just wrong. They weren't who I am. I was like the gal singer who phoned her part in." Snow asked for release from her contract, recording what would be her final two studio albums: I Can't Complain (1998) and Natural Wonder (2003), for indie labels.[22]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Something Real" | Phoebe Snow | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Mr. Wondering" | Don Yowell | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Touch Your Soul" | Snow | 4:36 |
| 4. | "We Might Never Feel This Way Again" | Rhonda Schuster | 3:50 |
| 5. | "I'm Your Girl" | Snow | 5:21 |
| 6. | "If Can Just Get Through the Night" | Peter Anders | 4:09 |
| 7. | "Stay Away" | Sue Sheridan, Sue Shifrin | 4:14 |
| 8. | "Soothin'" | Jae Mason | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Best of My Love" | Al McKay, Maurice White | 3:48 |
| 10. | "Cardiac Arrest" | Snow | 3:34 |
Personnel
edit- Phoebe Snow – vocals, acoustic guitar (1, 3), backing vocals (2, 8), harmony vocals (2, 6, 10)
Session players/ singers
- Robbie Kondor – keyboards (1, 6, 8), synth string arrangements (2)
- Joy Askew – keyboards (2, 6-8), acoustic piano (2)
- Jeff Bova – keyboards (3, 5)
- Robbie Kilgore – keyboards (3, 5)
- Rob Mounsey – keyboards (3, 5)
- Eric Rehl – keyboards (4), drums (4)
- Ivan Neville – keyboards (8), acoustic piano (10), Hammond B3 organ (10)
- David Frank – keyboards (9), arrangements (9)
- Pat Thrall – guitars (2, 6-8)
- John McCurry – guitars (4)
- Mick Taylor – guitars (5, 7, 10)
- Larry DeBari – guitars (6)
- Shane Fontayne – guitars (10)
- Ricky Fataar – bass (1), percussion (1, 2, 7, 10), drums (2, 5-8, 10), additional drums (3), acoustic guitar (7), guitars (8), backing vocals (8)
- Anthony Jackson – bass (2, 6-8)
- Jimmy Bralower – drum machine programming (3, 5)
- Errol "Crusher" Bennett – percussion (8)
- Carol Steele – percussion (9)
- Paul McGovern – saxophone (2)
- Tom Scott – alto saxophone (9)
- Lou Marini – saxophones (9)
- Bob Mintzer – saxophones (9)
- Dave Bargeron – trombone (9)
- Randy Brecker – trumpet (9)
- Jon Faddis – trumpet (9)
- Darryl Johnson – backing vocals (6, 7, 10), bass (10)
Session players/ singers (cont.)
- Blondie Chaplin – backing vocals (8)
- Lani Groves – backing vocals (9)
- Brenda King – backing vocals (9)
- Vaneese Thomas – backing vocals (9)
Production
- Phoebe Snow – pre-production
- Ricky Fataar – producer (1, 2, 6-8, 10)
- Rob Fraboni – producer (1, 2, 6-8, 10)
- Russ Titelman – producer (3, 5, 9)
- Phil Ramone – producer (4)
- Steve Boyer – recording (1, 2, 6-8, 10), mixing (1, 2, 6-8, 10)
- Steve Rinkoff – recording (3, 5, 9), mixing (3, 5, 9)
- Jay Healy – recording (4), mixing (4)
- Joe Pirrera – recording (4), mixing (4)
- Bruce Calder – additional engineer (1, 2, 6-8, 10), assistant engineer (1, 2, 6-8, 10)
- Dan Gellert – assistant engineer (3, 5, 9)
- Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk (New York City, New York)
- Karen Fine – production coordinator (1, 2, 6-8, 10)
- Jill Dell'Abate – production coordinator (3, 5, 9)
- Alexandra Saraspe-Conomos – production assistant (3, 5, 9)
- Carol Bobolts – art direction
- Michele Clement – photography
References
edit- ^ Jones IV, James T. (27 Mar 1989). "Her new LP packs a wallop". USA Today. p. 1D.
- ^ "Phoebe Snow Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (April 26, 2011). "Phoebe Snow, Bluesy Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 60". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ "Phoebe Snow Returns with an Introspective 'Something Real'". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ a b Moon, Tom (9 Apr 1989). "Phoebe Snow: The Voice Is Back with a New Gloss". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F1.
- ^ "Phoebe Snow | Billboard". Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ^ New York Daily News June 25 1989 "Phoebe Snow: second time around" by Roger Friedman p.257
- ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 526.
- ^ a b Morse, Steve (7 Apr 1989). "Phoebe Snow's Comeback". Arts and Film. The Boston Globe. p. 37.
- ^ Persall, Steve (2 Apr 1989). "Phoebe Snow sings of survival and sadness in latest offering". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2F.
- ^ Takiff, Jonathan (10 Apr 1989). "Acting Their Age". Features. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 41.
- ^ Washington Post August 18 1989 "Snow Flurries of True Power" by Joe Brown
- ^ a b Miami Herald August 25 1989 "New Power Charges Phoebe Snow's Welcome Return" by Doug Adrianson p.168
- ^ a b "Something Real". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 585.
- ^ a b Johnson, Connie (23 Apr 1989). "Phoebe Snow 'Something Real'". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 69.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 652.
- ^ a b Todd, Douglas (29 July 1989). "Recordings". Vancouver Sun. p. D2.
- ^ Simon, Jeff. "In the Nick of Time, Something Real for Pop Music". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ^ Joyce, Mike (26 Mar 1989). "Phoebe Snow: 'Something Real'". The Washington Post. p. G2.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (19 Mar 1989). "Lifted Voices from Women of a Certain Age". The New York Times. p. A28.
- ^ Star Tribune 23 August 1998 "Where is the Phoebe Snow of Yesteryear? She's back on track album and a 'turned-around life'" by Michael Anthony p.85