I Enjoy Being a Girl (album)
1989 studio album by Phranc
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I Enjoy Being a Girl is an album by the American musician Phranc, released in 1989.[1][2] She supported the album with a North American tour.[3]
| I Enjoy Being a Girl | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1989 | |||
| Genres | Folk, folk rock | |||
| Length | 34:56 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Victor DeLorenzo | |||
| Phranc chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
The album was produced by Victor DeLorenzo.[4] "I Enjoy Being a Girl" is a cover of the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein composition from Flower Drum Song.[5][6] "M-A-R-T-I-N-A" is about Martina Navratilova.[7] "Bloodbath" criticizes Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.[8] "Myriam and Esther" is dedicated to Phranc's grandmothers.[9] "Rodeo Parakeet" is about Phranc's bird that enjoys riding on dogs.[10] "Toy Time" is a tribute to Toys "R" Us.[11]
The album cover art was in part inspired by a photo of Alice Faye.[12] Orson Bean wrote the liner notes.[13]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Robert Christgau | B[15] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [16] |
| Houston Chronicle | [17] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [7] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10[18] |
The Calgary Herald determined that the "heavy-handed protest anthems are the album's weaker entries."[19] The Globe and Mail deemed the album "a delightful piece of work: funny, committed, romantic and charming."[20]
The Washington Post wrote that Phranc "has a warm but not particularly lovely voice, and her strumming is basic at best, but she's a folk singer in the true sense of the word—she seizes her inspiration of the moment and makes music about it."[21] The Houston Chronicle praised the "earnest, endearing quality not unlike Jonathan Richman."[17]
AllMusic wrote that "'Myriam and Esther', a traditional folk ballad with a distinctly female perspective, is the type of earnest song that only Phranc seems able to pull off in post-modern times."[14]
Track listing
All tracks composed by Phranc; except where indicated
- "Folksinger" – 2:05
- "I Enjoy Being a Girl" (Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers) – 3:16
- "Double Decker Bed" – 2:02
- "Bloodbath" – 2:54
- "Individuality" – 2:31
- "Rodeo Parakeet" – 3:01
- "Take Off Your Swastika" – 3:30
- "Toy Time" – 2:34
- "M-A-R-T-I-N-A" – 2:36
- "Myriam and Esther" – 3:41
- "Ballad of Lucy + Ted" – 4:19
- "Moonlight Becomes You" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 2:27
Personnel
- Phranc – producer, vocals, guitar
- Victor DeLorenzo – producer
- Connie Grauer– backing vocals, arranger, keyboards
- Jimmy Eanelli – bass guitar, 12-string guitar
- Brian Ritchie – mandolin
- Kim Zick – percussion, drums
- Scott Leonard – engineer