World So Bright
| World So Bright | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Studio | Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, additional recording at Private Studios in Urbana and Schmitt's house in Champaign | |||
| Genre | Pop, power pop[1] | |||
| Length | 44:58 | |||
| Label | Reprise[2] | |||
| Producer | Greg Edward, Adam Schmitt | |||
| Adam Schmitt chronology | ||||
| ||||
World So Bright is the debut album by the American musician Adam Schmitt, released in 1991.[3][4] Schmitt supported the album by opening for the BoDeans on a North American tour.[5]
Production
Recorded at Chicago Recording Company and in Schmitt's Champaign, Illinois, basement, the album was produced by Greg Edward and Schmitt.[6][7][8] It contains contributions from Lisa Germano, Kenny Aronoff, John Richardson, and Jay Bennett.[9][10] "Scarlet Street" addresses the problem of homelessness in the United States.[11]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [12] |
| Chicago Tribune | [13] |
| The Record | [5] |
| The Republican | [14] |
| The Telegraph | [10] |
Trouser Press thought that the "well-crafted songs are mega-tuneful guitar-driven gems with hooks galore and lyrics that rise above the prosaic 'boy meets girl/boy loses girl/boy misses girl/boy goes looking for another girl' fodder."[9] The Chicago Tribune determined that "the album's dozen songs resound with the innate humability that informs the best work of Squeeze, XTC and the dB's."[13]
The Palm Beach Post wrote: "A hopeful romantic, [Schmitt] infuses love song after love song with memorable hooks. A tough, heartfelt delivery gives them an added edge."[15] The Republican concluded that "it's pop alright, but the hooks don't hook and the thing don't swing."[14] Rolling Stone called it "more than a promising debut, it's a confident piece of work from a canny singer-songwriter who's going to be around for a good long while."[2]
AllMusic wrote that "things are less impressive when the amps get cranked too high ('River Black'), but fortunately that's not a frequent mistake, and one that's more than redeemed by songs like the wistful, touching ballad 'Elizabeth Einstein'."[12] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide deemed the album "a flawless disc," writing that the title track is a "symmetrical diamond."[16] In 2001, Goldmine labeled World So Bright "a pop manifesto to the max, brimming with catchy tunes delivered in a classic pop style."[17]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Adam Schmitt.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dead End" | 3:35 |
| 2. | "World So Bright" | 3:09 |
| 3. | "Can't Get You on My Mind" | 3:28 |
| 4. | "River Black" | 4:04 |
| 5. | "Lost" | 3:36 |
| 6. | "Garden of Love" | 4:13 |
| 7. | "My Killer" | 4:01 |
| 8. | "Remembered Sun" | 3:37 |
| 9. | "Everything Turned Blue" | 3:33 |
| 10. | "Elizabeth Einstein" | 3:48 |
| 11. | "Scarlet Street" | 3:49 |
| 12. | "At Season's End" | 4:06 |
Personnel
- Adam Schmitt - All vocals and instruments except when noted
Additional musicians
- Kenny Aronoff - drums and percussion
- John Richardson - drums
- Lisa Germano - violin
- Jay Bennett - guitar solo on "Can't Get You on My Mind" and "Everything Turned Blue"
- Donna Delory - additional backing vocals on "River Black" and "Garden of Love"
- Julie Griffin - additional backing vocals on "River Black"
- Greg Edward - trumpet and percussion
- Michael Hill - handclaps on "At Season's End"
Production
- Adam Schmitt - producing, recording, mixing engineering
- Greg Edward - producing, recording, mixing
- Chris Shepard - engineering, mixing assistant
- Stephen Marcussen - mastering
- Kim Champagne - art direction, design
- Annalisa - photography
References
- ^ Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide. Not Lame Recordings. ISBN 978-0-9797714-0-8.
- ^ a b Wild, David (July 12, 1991). "Rating the Recordings". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Rolling Stone. p. 4F.
- ^ "Adam Schmitt Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Corcoran, Michael (July 21, 1991). "Record File". Show. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 2.
- ^ a b Jaeger, Barbara (November 7, 1991). "Adam Schmitt, 'World So Bright'". The Record. p. C1.
- ^ Caro, Mark (June 21, 1991). "National debuts". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. N.
- ^ Smith, Liz (August 12, 1991). "Yes, summer is more than half over...". News. Newsday. p. 11.
- ^ "Album Reviews — World So Bright by Adam Schmitt". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 25. June 22, 1991. p. 70.
- ^ a b "Adam Schmitt". Trouser Press. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
- ^ a b Mueller, Paul (August 16, 1991). "Adam Schmitt nearly does it all in debut showing much promise". The Telegraph. Macon. p. 5D.
- ^ Wolff, Carlo (February 6, 1992). "Adam Schmitt World So Bright". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 6.
- ^ a b "World So Bright". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Kening, Dan (July 4, 1991). "Adam Schmitt World So Bright". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
- ^ a b O'Hare, Kevin (August 11, 1991). "Ethereal to earthy – New discs run gamut". The Republican. p. D10.
- ^ Benarde, Scott (August 18, 1991). "Troubadours, Genre Fusion Latest in Pop". The Palm Beach Post. p. 1L.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 984.
- ^ Borack, John M. (November 30, 2001). "New Releases". Goldmine. Vol. 27, no. 24. p. 52.