Shooting Straight in the Dark

Shooting Straight in the Dark
Studio album by
Mary-Chapin Carpenter
ReleasedOctober 9, 1990
StudioBias Studios, Springfield, Virginia
GenreCountry
Length42:12
LabelColumbia Nashville/TriStar
ProducerMary Chapin Carpenter
John Jennings
Mary-Chapin Carpenter chronology
State of the Heart
(1989) 		Shooting Straight in the Dark
(1990) 		Come On Come On
(1992)
Singles from Shooting Straight in the Dark
  1. "You Win Again"
    Released: October 1990
  2. "Right Now"
    Released: January 1991
  3. "Down at the Twist and Shout"
    Released: June 3, 1991
  4. "Going Out Tonight"
    Released: September 1991
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[2]

Shooting Straight in the Dark is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released by Columbia Records on October 9, 1990. It rose to No. 11 on the Billboard's Country Albums chart, with four of its tracks reaching the Hot Country Songs chart: "You Win Again" (No. 16), "Right Now" (No. 15), "Down at the Twist and Shout" (No. 2), and "Going Out Tonight" (No. 14).

Members of the Cajun band BeauSoleil provide guest instrumentation on "Down at the Twist and Shout". Shawn Colvin provided backing vocals on three of the album's songs.

Track listing

All songs written by Mary Chapin Carpenter unless noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Going Out Tonight"Carpenter, John Jennings3:16
2."Right Now"Al Lewis, Sylvester Bradford2:36
3."The More Things Change" 3:56
4."When She's Gone" 5:05
5."Middle Ground" 3:51
6."Can't Take Love for Granted" 4:01
7."Down at the Twist and Shout" 3:21
8."Halley Came to Jackson" 3:10
9."What You Didn't Say" 4:36
10."You Win Again" 3:59
11."The Moon and St. Christopher" (duet with Shawn Colvin) 4:21
Total length:42:12

Personnel

Credits from album liner notes.[3]

  • Peter Bonta – acoustic guitar on "Down at the Twist and Shout", keyboards on "Can't Take Love for Granted", piano on "Halley Came to Jackson"
  • Jimmy Breaux – Acadian accordion and Cajun yells on "Down at the Twist and Shout"
  • Mary Chapin Carpenter – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, producer
  • Jon Carroll – piano on "Right Now", backing vocals on "The More Things Change"
  • Shawn Colvin – backing vocals on "Middle Ground", duet vocals on "The Moon and St. Christopher"
  • Mike Cotter – backing vocals
  • Don Dixon – bass guitar on "Right Now", backing vocals on "Right Now"
  • Michael Doucet – fiddle on "Down at the Twist and Shout", Cajun yells on "Down at the Twist and Shout"
  • John Jennings – electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals, Cajun yells, producer
  • Marti Jones – backing vocals on "Right Now" and "Middle Ground"
  • Robbie Magruder – drums
  • John McCutcheon – hammer dulcimer on "Halley Came to Jackson"
  • Mark O'Connor – fiddle on "Halley Came to Jackson"
  • Dave Palamar – drums on "Right Now"
  • Herb Pedersen – backing vocals on "Halley Came to Jackson"
  • Rico Petruccelli – bass guitar
  • Matt Rollings – piano
  • Vince Santoro – drums on "Middle Ground"
  • Billy Ware – percussion on "Down at the Twist and Shout", Cajun yells on "Down at the Twist and Shout"

Chart performance

Chart (1989–1990) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[4] 70
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[5] 11

References

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  3. ^ Shooting Straight in the Dark (CD). Mary Chapin Carpenter. Columbia Records. 1990. CK 46077.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  5. ^ "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.