Semi Crazy

Semi Crazy
Studio album by
Junior Brown
Released1996
GenreCountry, rock and roll
LabelMCG/Curb[1]
ProducerJunior Brown
Junior Brown chronology
Junior High EP
(1995) 		Semi Crazy
(1996) 		Long Walk Back
(1998)

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.

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

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The Austin Chronicle[12]
Robert Christgau(2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)[13]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[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.

  1. "Gotta Get Up Every Morning" – 1:58
  2. "Darlin' I'll Do Anything You Say" – 2:49
  3. "I Hung It Up" – 3:33
  4. "I Want to Hear It from You" (Fred Carter Jr.) – 3:11
  5. "Semi-Crazy" (Junior Brown, Ron Avis) – 3:23
  6. "Hong Kong Blues" (Hoagy Carmichael) – 3:32
  7. "Venom Wearing Denim" – 2:38
  8. "Parole Board" – 3:40
  9. "Joe the Singing Janitor" – 3:18
  10. "Surf Medley" – 7:08

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

References

  1. ^ "Junior Brown". Trouser Press. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Junior Brown Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Buja, Ben (July 5, 1996). "Semi Crazy". Washington City Paper.
  4. ^ "Junior Brown". Billboard.
  5. ^ MacLaughlin, John P. (11 Sep 1996). "Junior Brown one of a kind". The Province. p. B5.
  6. ^ Shuster, Fred (31 May 1996). "COUNTRY MUSIC'S NEW TRAILBLAZERS: MAVERICKS, JUNIOR BROWN EXPAND HORIZONS IN NASHVILLE". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L20.
  7. ^ Verna, Paul (Jun 8, 1996). "Semi Crazy". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 23. p. 97.
  8. ^ Ching, Barbara (July 19, 2001). Wrong's What I Do Best: Hard Country Music and Contemporary Culture. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-535529-1 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Nash, Alanna (Jul 1996). "Semi-Crazy". Stereo Review. 61 (7): 84.
  10. ^ McLeese, Don (9 May 1996). "Junior Brown: Hip Country". Austin American-Statesman. p. 36.
  11. ^ a b "Semi-Crazy - Junior Brown | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  12. ^ "Record Reviews". www.austinchronicle.com.
  13. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Junior Brown". www.robertchristgau.com.
  14. ^ a b "Semi-Crazy". EW.com.
  15. ^ a b Redmond, Mike (19 May 1996). "Junior Brown 'Semi- Crazy'". The Indianapolis Star. p. I8.
  16. ^ a b Lewis, Randy (19 May 1996). "JUNIOR BROWN, 'Semi-Crazy'". Los Angeles Times. p. 70.
  17. ^ a b Gettelman, Parry (18 Oct 1996). "JUNIOR BROWN". Orlando Sentinel. Calendar. p. 6.
  18. ^ a b Corcoran, Michael (Jun 13, 1996). "Semi-Crazy: Junior Brown". Rolling Stone. No. 736. p. 86.
  19. ^ Patoski, Joe Nick (June 1, 1996). "Junior Achievement". Texas Monthly.
  20. ^ Margasak, Peter (July 4, 1996). "Mavericks/Junior Brown". Chicago Reader.