Semi Crazy
1996 studio album by Junior Brown
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Semi Crazy is an album by the American musician Junior Brown, released in 1996.[2][3] It contains the crossover hit "Surf Medley", featuring three popular surf rock songs.
| Semi Crazy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Country, rock and roll | |||
| Label | MCG/Curb[1] | |||
| Producer | Junior Brown | |||
| Junior Brown chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 32 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.[4] Brown supported Semi Crazy by touring with the Mavericks.[5] Its first single was "Venom Wearing Denim".[6]
Production
The album was produced by Brown.[7] "Semi-Crazy" is a duet with Red Simpson.[8] "Hong Kong Blues" was written by Hoagy Carmichael.[9] Brown's intention was to craft a mainstream album; he did not want to be considered a revivalist/traditionalist or an outsider artist.[10]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The Austin Chronicle |  [12] |
| Robert Christgau |  [13] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[14] |
| The Indianapolis Star | [15] |
| Los Angeles Times | [16] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [17] |
| Rolling Stone | [18] |
Robert Christgau deemed the album "the essence of Western swing—jazzy picking, lousy singing, and a light heart."[13] Entertainment Weekly wrote: "A virtuoso picker (guitar freaks will appreciate the jaw-dropping pyrotechnics of 'I Hung It Up', and his definitive 'Surf Medley'), Brown’s a casually irreverent humorist to boot."[14] Rolling Stone thought that Brown "straddles the fence between Nashville airplay and Texas grit" on "Gotta Get Up Every Morning" and "Surf Medley".[18] The Orlando Sentinel determined that the album "is chock full of the kind of catchy, clever, instantly memorable songs that used to be a staple of country radio."[17]
Texas Monthly called "Semi-Crazy" "the first decent truckin’ song in more than a decade."[19] The Chicago Reader stated that "while Brown and his band may look like Republican staffers, his witty, jaunty music is anything but conservative."[20] The Los Angeles Times concluded that "by stretching stories of wayward lovers almost beyond believability—as Hank Williams himself often did—Brown magnifies and clarifies the very real emotions underlying them."[16] The Indianapolis Star considered the album to be "a masterpiece" and "a collection of Ernest Tubb-meets-Jimi Hendrix country music."[15]
AllMusic wrote that Brown's "clever lyrics, Ernest Tubb-like voice, and virtuoso guitar playing ... are once again intact and on the mark."[11]
Track listing
All tracks written by Junior Brown except where noted.
- "Gotta Get Up Every Morning" – 1:58
- "Darlin' I'll Do Anything You Say" – 2:49
- "I Hung It Up" – 3:33
- "I Want to Hear It from You" (Fred Carter Jr.) – 3:11
- "Semi-Crazy" (Junior Brown, Ron Avis) – 3:23
- duet with Red Simpson
- "Hong Kong Blues" (Hoagy Carmichael) – 3:32
- "Venom Wearing Denim" – 2:38
- "Parole Board" – 3:40
- "Joe the Singing Janitor" – 3:18
- "Surf Medley" – 7:08
- medley of "Pipeline" (Brian Carman, Bob Spickard), "Walk, Don't Run" (Johnny Smith), and "Secret Agent Man" (Steve Barri, P. F. Sloan)
Musicians
- Junior Brown – vocals, guitar, steel guitar
- Tanya Rae Brown – rhythm guitar, harmony vocals
- Steve Lane – bass, harmony vocals
- Tommy Lewis – drums
- Danny Levin – piano on tracks 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9
- Red Simpson – vocals on track 5