Jimmy Ray is the debut album by British singer Jimmy Ray, released on 10 March 1998. He wrote or co-wrote every song on the album. It debuted at No. 112 on the Billboard 200, and also reached No. 2 on the Heatseekers Chart. Its only successful single, "Are You Jimmy Ray?", made the album a substantial success. "Goin' to Vegas" and "I Got Rolled" did not chart in the US, but had some minor success in Ray's native UK.
| Jimmy Ray | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 March 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Studio | Bunk Junk & Genius, Eden Studios, Metropolis Studios, Strongroom, The Church, Trident Studios (London, England) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:15 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Jimmy Ray chronology | ||||
| ||||
Musical style
editThe sound of Jimmy Ray is a fusion of rockabilly,[1][2][3][4][5] pop,[2] hip hop[2][3][5] and alternative rock.[4]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [6] |
| Rolling Stone |  [7] |
The Edmonton Journal wrote that Ray "cops Danny Zuko's greased stud looks, Michael Hutchence's white-funk hooks, Brian Setzer's '50s rocker riffs and the programming talents of Britain's best DJs."[8]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Jimmy Ray and Con Fitzpatrick, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Are You Jimmy Ray?" | Fitzpatrick | 3:29 | |
| 2. | "Goin' to Vegas" | Fitzpatrick, Ray | 3:30 | |
| 3. | "I Got Rolled" | Fitzpatrick, Ray | 3:38 | |
| 4. | "Daddy's Got a Gun" | Fitzpatrick | 3:33 | |
| 5. | "Way Low" | Fitzpatrick | 3:33 | |
| 6. | "Look Inside for Love" | Ray | Fitzpatrick | 3:35 |
| 7. | "Trippin' on Baby Blue" | Fitzpatrick | 3:54 | |
| 8. | "Sex for Beginners" | Fitzpatrick | 3:12 | |
| 9. | "Let It Go Go" | Ray | Fitzpatrick, Ray | 3:36 |
| 10. | "Free at Last" | Ray | Fitzpatrick | 3:15 |
Personnel
editCredits adpated from the album's inlay and liner notes.[9]
Vocals
- Jimmy Ray – lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (1–3, 5–7), drum vocals (4)
- Katy Kisoon – backing vocals (2–8)
- Con Fitzpatrick – backing vocals (1, 2, 4)
- Chyna Gordon – backing vocals (1)
- Lance Ellington – backing vocals (2)
- The Real People – backing vocals (9)
- Jason Christian – backing vocals (9)
Instrumentation
- Jimmy Ray – acoustic guitar (1, 4), programming (2–4, 6, 8–10)
- Con Fitzpatrick – acoustic guitar (4, 8, 10), slide guitar (4), programming (2–8, 10)
- Rich King – lead guitar, programming (10)
- Rob Tidd – rhythm guitar (10)
- Nick Nasmyth – keyboards (6, 8), Hammond organ (10)
- Nick Plytas – Hammond organ (7)
- John Thirkell – horns (2), trumpet (8)
- Gary Barnacle – saxophone (1, 6)
- Phil Smith – saxophone (8)
- Fayyaz Virji – trombone (8)
- Brendan Power – harmonica (4)
- Mark Seltham – harmonica (7)
- The Real People – percussion (9)
Technical
- Finn Steele – engineering, mixing (all tracks)
- Connagh MacLean – assistant engineering (1, 3, 6)
- Richard Hinton – assistant engineering (4, 8, 10)
- Pat McGovern – assistant engineering (2, 5)
- Ron Warshow – assistant engineering (9, 10)
- Matt & Matt – assistant engineering (7)
- Con Fitzpatrick – mixing
- Jimmy Ray – mixing
Imagery
- Rick Guest – photography
Charts
edit| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[10] | 112 |
References
edit- ^ a b Stephen Thomas Erlewine (1998-03-10). "Jimmy Ray - Jimmy Ray | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
- ^ a b c Crowe, Jerry (March 25, 1998). "Looking for Respect". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Jacobs, Jay S. (May 1998). "Jimmy Ray". Pop Entertainment. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
- ^ a b Partridge, Kenneth (July 18, 2017). "Are You Jimmy Ray?: How a Rockabilly Jam Made Its Way Onto '90s Mainstream Charts". Mental Floss. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
- ^ a b Willmam, Chris (April 17, 1998). "Jimmy Ray's first visit to Hollywood". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Jimmy Ray". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ^ "Album Reviews and Ratings". Rolling Stone. 2014-05-15. Retrieved 2014-05-22.[dead link]
- ^ Ohler, Shawn (14 Mar 1998). "Jimmy Ray: Jimmy Ray". Edmonton Journal. p. C3.
- ^ Jimmy Ray (booklet, inlay cover). Jimmy Ray. Epic. 1998. EK 69104.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Jimmy Ray Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
 | This 1990s rock album–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |