Loose (Victoria Williams album)
| Loose | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Victoria Williams | ||||
| Released | October 18, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | American Recording Studios, Woodland Hills, California | |||
| Genre | Country rock, Folk, Alternative Rock | |||
| Length | 60:20 | |||
| Label |
Atlantic Mammoth | |||
| Producer | Paul Fox | |||
| Victoria Williams chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A− [2] |
| Rolling Stone |  [3] |
Loose, released in 1994 (see 1994 in music) is the third studio album by American singer/songwriter Victoria Williams.
Her previous album, 1990’s Swing the Statue!, won some critical praise but completely failed to attract commercial attention, and the collapse of Rough trade left her without a contract until Mammoth bought the rights to that album.[3] Two years afterwards, Victoria was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and as a working musician, lacked health insurance or the money to pay her medical fees; however, a large number of musicians who admired the talent she had shown on her Geffen albums came into support her with 1993’s Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams tribute album recording her songs – including two unrecorded by Victoria herself.
Loose, in contrast to her first two albums, was recorded with a large crew including some high-profile contributors like R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Sly Stone’s sister and bandmate Rose, husband-to-be Mark Olson and Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner.
Containing a full hour of music, Loose saw Victoria Williams use a greater diversity of styles, notably the spiritual-influenced “You R Loved” and “Get Away”.[1] Despite widespread critical praise, Loose could not break her commercially, failing to dent the Billboard Top 200, and Victoria moved with new husband Olson to Joshua Tree, California.
Track listing
All tracks written by Victoria Williams, except where otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Century Plant" | 4:50 |
| 2. | "You R Loved" | 4:24 |
| 3. | "Harry Went to Heaven" | 2:49 |
| 4. | "Crazy Mary" | 5:15 |
| 5. | "When We Sing Together" | 2:43 |
| 6. | "Polish Those Shoes" | 5:06 |
| 7. | "Love" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "What a Wonderful World" (George Douglas/Bob Thiele/George David Weiss) | 2:49 |
| 9. | "Waterfall" | 3:10 |
| 10. | "Nature’s Way" (Randy California) | 2:24 |
| 11. | "Sunshine Country" | 3:45 |
| 12. | "Happy to Have Known Pappy" | 3:13 |
| 13. | "My Ally" (Victoria Williams/Dave Pirner) | 3:33 |
| 14. | "Hitchhikers’ Smile" | 4:33 |
| 15. | "Get Away" | 4:41 |
| 16. | "Psalms" (Don Heffington) | 3:20 |
Total length: |
60:20 | |