A River Ain't Too Much to Love
| A River Ain't Too Much to Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Smog | ||||
| Released | May 31, 2005 | |||
| Recorded |
Pedernales Studio, Spicewood, Texas, 2004 | |||
| Genre |
Indie Folk Alternative Country | |||
| Length | 50:47 | |||
| Label |
Drag City (U.S.) Domino (France, Germany, UK) | |||
| Producer | Bill Callahan | |||
| Smog chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 76/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Drowned in Sound | [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | 91/100[4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.7/10[6] |
| Stylus Magazine | A[7] |
A River Ain't Too Much to Love is the eleventh studio album by Smog, released on May 30, 2005 on Domino Records in Europe and on Drag City in North America. The album is the last to be recorded under the Smog moniker, with Bill Callahan choosing to record under his own name for subsequent releases.
A River Ain't Too Much to Love features guest appearances by Joanna Newsom and Thor Harris of Shearwater. Music videos were produced for both "Rock Bottom Riser" and "I Feel Like the Mother of the World," the latter featuring actress Chloë Sevigny. Both videos can be found on the "Rock Bottom Riser" CD single release.
Background
Smog recording artist Bill Callahan initially wanted to release the album under his own name, stating: "I realized that [Smog is] a really ugly word. I realized I'd been going so many years without even thinking about it. I realized I didn't want to be associated with this thing that doesn't even exist. Because a name is a pretty strong thing, right?".[8] Callahan subsequently began issuing albums under his own name following the release of A River Ain't Too Much to Love.
Track listing
All songs written by Bill Callahan except where noted.
- "Palimpsest" – 2:52
- "Say Valley Maker" – 5:10
- "The Well" – 7:00
- "Rock Bottom Riser" – 5:44
- "I Feel Like the Mother of the World" – 3:09
- "In the Pines" (Traditional) – 5:12
- "Drinking at the Dam" – 4:07
- "Running the Loping" – 6:55
- "I'm New Here" – 3:59
- "Let Me See the Colts" – 6:39
Credits
- Bill Callahan – vocals, various instruments, guitar
- Connie Lovatt – vocals, bass guitar
- Jim White – drums
- Thor Harris – hammer dulcimer, airdrums, zills
- Travis Weller – fiddle
- Joanna Newsom – piano
References
- ↑ "A River Ain't Too Much To Love by Smog". Metacritic. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
- ↑ A River Ain't Too Much to Love at AllMusic
- ↑ http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/12305.html
- ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/music/a-river-aint-too-much-to-love/critic-reviews
- ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/story/0,11712,1493128,00.html
- ↑ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/7286-a-river-aint-too-much-to-love/
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-03-10. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
- ↑ "Bill Callahan Rolls on Like a River". spin.com. Retrieved 25 September 2013.