Whisper Tames the Lion
Studio album by
Drivin' n' Cryin'
Released1988
LabelIsland
ProducerAnton Fier
Drivin' n' Cryin' chronology
Scarred but Smarter
(1986)		 Whisper Tames the Lion
(1988)		 Mystery Road
(1989)

Whisper Tames the Lion is the second album by the American band Drivin' n' Cryin', released in 1988.[1][2] "Powerhouse" was released as single.[3] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[4] The album peaked at No. 130 on the Billboard 200.[5] It sold more than 70,000 copies in its first year of release.[6]

Production

Recorded in New York City, the album was produced by Anton Fier.[7] Jeff Sullivan joined the band on drums, although Fier drummed on most of the tracks.[8][9] Frontman Kevn Kinney considered the band's sound to be an amalgamation of styles but described himself as a folk singer.[10] "Check Your Tears at the Door" is narrated by a recently deceased young man.[11] Bernie Worrell played keyboards on "Good Day Every Day".[12] "On a Clear Daze" employed acoustic guitar and mandolin.[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[16]

Trouser Press wrote that the album "focuses the trio's musical attack while maintaining the polystylistic approach."[9] The Orlando Sentinel noted: "Call it eclecticism, diversity or simply musical schizophrenia, but this album veers from one extreme to the other throughout."[17] The Atlanta Constitution opined that "there are a few overproduced tracks ... and a few glutinous violins ... [but the album] hews mostly to the band's unadorned strengths."[11]

The State concluded that "Catch the Wind" "is the best Byrds song Roger McGuinn never wrote."[18] LA Weekly determined that Whisper Tames the Lion "points new directions in backward-looking alterno-pop."[19] The Morning Call panned "the combination of heavy metal and folk music."[20] The North Bay Nugget determined that the band "bring a respectability to heavy rock that has been missing since the mid-Seventies."[21]

AllMusic wrote that the band was "still inflected with hillbilly/bluegrass roots and edging ever closer toward the hard rock sound they would ultimately embrace."[14]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."The Whisper Tames the Lion" 
2."Catch the Wind" 
3."Powerhouse" 
4."The Friend Song" 
5."On a Clear Daze" 
6."Ridin' on the Soul Road" 
7."Can't Promise You the World" 
8."Livin' by the Book" 
9."Good Day Every Day" 
10."Legal Gun" 
11."Check Your Tears at the Door" 
12."Blue Ridge Way" 

References

  1. ↑ Healy, James (27 Mar 1988). "Whisper Tames the Lion". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 1.
  2. ↑ Abrahams, Andrew (May 30, 1988). "Picks & Pans: Song". People. Vol. 29, no. 21. p. 26.
  3. ↑ Meyer, Stuart (Apr 16, 1988). "New on the Charts". Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 16. p. 30.
  4. ↑ Racine, Marty (19 May 1988). "Anderson Fair is back on track with acoustic, folk music". Weekend Preview. Houston Chronicle. p. 4.
  5. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Albums: Includes Every Album that Made the Billboard 200 Chart : 50 Year History of the Rock Era. Record Research Incorporated. p. 313.
  6. ↑ Wirt, John (21 Apr 1989). "Southern Rock Band Riding Wave of College Raves". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. B5.
  7. ↑ "Drivin' n' Cryin' Biography by Mark Deming". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  8. ↑ Davis, Mik (29 Mar 2008). "There is nightlife after HubFest". Local News. Hattiesburg American.
  9. 1 2 "Drivin' n' Cryin'". Trouser Press. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  10. ↑ Olson, Eric (9 Oct 1987). "Of Tears and Happy Endings". The News & Observer. p. 11.
  11. 1 2 Emerson, Bo (18 Mar 1988). "Drivin' n' Cryin' Pulls Through on 'The Whisper Tames the Lion'". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 2P.
  12. ↑ Day, Jeffrey (25 Mar 1988). "Drivin' n' Cryin' Album as Good as the Real Thing". The Macon Telegraph. p. 8D.
  13. ↑ Potter, Mitch (31 Mar 1988). "Pop Music". Winnipeg Sun. p. F15.
  14. 1 2 "Whisper Tames the Lion Review by Denise Sullivan". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  15. ↑ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 222.
  16. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 212.
  17. ↑ Duffy, Thom (7 Aug 1988). "Spotlight". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 18.
  18. ↑ Miller, Michael L. (25 Mar 1988). "Sound Advice". The State. p. 8B.
  19. ↑ Lloyd, Robert (7 Apr 1988). "The Critical List". LA Weekly. p. 56.
  20. ↑ Fisher, Harry (16 Apr 1988). "Records". The Morning Call. p. A75.
  21. ↑ McAnulty, Drew (5 May 1988). "Whisper Tames the Lion". North Bay Nugget. p. 28.
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