World So Bright
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| World So Bright | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Studio | Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, additional recording at Private Studios in Urbana and Schmitt's house in Champaign | |||
| Genre | Pop, power pop[1] | |||
| Length | 44:58 | |||
| Label | Reprise[2] | |||
| Producer | Greg Edward, Adam Schmitt | |||
| Adam Schmitt chronology | ||||
| ||||
World So Bright is the debut album by the American musician Adam Schmitt, released in 1991.[3][4] Schmitt supported the album by opening for the BoDeans on a North American tour.[5]
Recorded at Chicago Recording Company and in Schmitt's Champaign, Illinois, basement, the album was produced by Greg Edward and Schmitt.[6][7][8] It contains contributions from Lisa Germano, Kenny Aronoff, John Richardson, and Jay Bennett.[9][10] "Scarlet Street" addresses the problem of homelessness in the United States.[11]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [13] |
| The Record | [5] |
| The Republican | [14] |
| The Telegraph | [10] |
Trouser Press thought that the "well-crafted songs are mega-tuneful guitar-driven gems with hooks galore and lyrics that rise above the prosaic 'boy meets girl/boy loses girl/boy misses girl/boy goes looking for another girl' fodder."[9] The Chicago Tribune determined that "the album's dozen songs resound with the innate humability that informs the best work of Squeeze, XTC and the dB's."[13]
The Palm Beach Post wrote: "A hopeful romantic, [Schmitt] infuses love song after love song with memorable hooks. A tough, heartfelt delivery gives them an added edge."[15] The Republican concluded that "it's pop alright, but the hooks don't hook and the thing don't swing."[14] Rolling Stone called it "more than a promising debut, it's a confident piece of work from a canny singer-songwriter who's going to be around for a good long while."[2]
AllMusic wrote that "things are less impressive when the amps get cranked too high ('River Black'), but fortunately that's not a frequent mistake, and one that's more than redeemed by songs like the wistful, touching ballad 'Elizabeth Einstein'."[12] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide deemed the album "a flawless disc," writing that the title track is a "symmetrical diamond."[16] In 2001, Goldmine labeled World So Bright "a pop manifesto to the max, brimming with catchy tunes delivered in a classic pop style."[17]