You Should Be So Lucky

You Should Be So Lucky
A photo of Tench at a grand piano
Studio album by
Benmont Tench
ReleasedFebruary 18, 2014 (2014-02-18)[1]
RecordedJanuary 2–12, 2013
StudioSunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California, US
GenreJazz[2]
Length44:47
LanguageEnglish
LabelBlue Note
ProducerGlyn Johns
Benmont Tench chronology
You Should Be So Lucky
(2014) 		The Melancholy Season
(2023)

“I’ve always written songs since I was a kid, always. In Mudcrutch we all wrote songs, and when it got to the focus on Tom and the Heartbreakers I kept writing songs but it wasn’t anything that was up the Heartbreakers tree, I didn’t think — and I don’t think they did, either. So I kept writing songs for the hell of it, but I didn’t want to make record just for the sake of making a record. This time around I kinda felt like, ‘Well, there’s some good songs here, and I think they should exist in some way other than a demo hidden in my closet. I think they deserve to be heard.'”

—Tench on songwriting and release his solo debut.[1]

You Should Be So Lucky is the debut studio album by American rock musician Benmont Tench, released on Blue Note Records in 2014. The album has received positive reviews from critics.

Recording, release, and promotion

Prior to You Should Be So Lucky, Tench had been the keyboardist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for decades and had amassed several songs he had written that he felt would not work well with that group.[3][1] When his pre-Heartbreakers group Mudcrutch reunited in 2007, it encouraged Tench to bring his own compositions to the group and perform them live for the first time.[4] He took up an offer from long-time rock music producer Glyn Johns to produce him and booked 11 days in Sunset Sound Recorders.[5][4] The session included several of Tench's friends as studio musicians, including bandmate Tom Petty.[6]

Reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, You Should Be So Lucky received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 73 out of 100 from seven critic scores.[7] Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing> that Tench "lays back, letting the listener come to him, never commanding attention -- but, whether he's choosing a cover or sculpting an original, he has an ear for a good tune, he knows how to color them effectively, and, especially, he knows how to carry out every kind of groove" and that the work "is distinguished by that casual professionalism, and the album is so comfortable, so easy to enjoy that it can take a few listens to realize how deeply Tench's original songs sink in".[8] In American Songwriter, Hal Horowitz rated this album 3 out of 5 stars, calling it a "humble yet accomplished affair", critiquing that Tench "doesn’t have much of a voice and his songwriting, while adequate, won’t challenge any of [Tom Petty]’s work. But there is a comfortable, deliberate, low key vibe to Tench’s disc that feels lived-in and approachable."[9] Deborah Grabien of No Depression called a Benmont Tench solo album a "dream scenario", she continued that she loved the album and in particular, Tench's vocals.[2]

Meredith Ochs of NPR's All Things Considered stated that "Tench's album feels like pages torn from a journal that's recorded a remarkable life and an exceptional talent".[10] Record Collector's Terry Staunton scored this release 4 out of 5 stars, praising Tench's songwriting and the production from Glyn Johns.[3] Rolling Stone published two reviews: Will Hermes wrote a dedicated piece scoring this album 3 out of 5 stars, calling it "impeccable piano and organ" with "likably understated vocals"[11] and Dave DiMartino characterized it as "a quietly spectacular album" that has "exceedingly well-played, well-produced material with warmth, subtlety and unmistakable character".[12]

Track listing

All songs written by Benmont Tench, except where noted.

  1. "Today I Took Your Picture Down" – 4:07
  2. "Veronica Said" – 3:49
  3. "Ecor Rouge" – 4:23
  4. "Hannah" – 3:32
  5. "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress" – 3:58
  6. "You Should Be so Lucky" – 5:11
  7. "Corrina, Corrina" (traditional) – 3:33
  8. "Dogwood" – 3:27
  9. "Like the Sun (Michoacan)" – 2:27
  10. "Wobbles" – 3:31
  11. "Why Don't You Quit Leavin Me Alone" – 4:07
  12. "Duquesne Whistle" (Bob Dylan, Robert Hunter, and Tench) – 3:59

Bonus tracks on vinyl edition

  2. "She's My Girl Now – 2:07
  3. "After All I've Done for You – 4:14

Personnel

  • Benmont Tench – piano, organ, acoustic guitar on "Dogwood", electric guitar on "Veronica Said", vocals
  • Ryan Adams – acoustic guitar on "You Should Be So Lucky", vocal harmony on "You Should Be So Lucky"
  • Lawrence Azerrad – art direction, cover
  • Julia Brokaw – photography
  • Bob Dylan – arrangement on "Corrina, Corrina"
  • Nicole Frantz – creative direction
  • Zach Hochkeppel – product management
  • Joel Jerome – vocal harmony on "Today I Took Your Picture Down" and "Veronica Said"
  • Ethan Johns – acoustic guitar on "Today I Took Your Picture Down", "Dogwood", and "She's My Girl Now"; electric guitar on "Veronica Said", "Hannah", and "You Should Be So Lucky"; 12 string electric guitar on "Like the Sun (Michoacan)"; drums on "Wobbles" and "After All I've Done for You"; Leslie guitar on "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone"; shaker on "Wobbles"; slide guitar on "Ecor Rouge"; tiple on "Duquesne Whistle"; vocal harmony on "Veronica Said"
  • Glyn Johns – engineering, mixing, production
  • Sam Jones – cover photography
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Blake Mills – electric guitar on "Today I Took Your Picture Down", "Veronica Said", "You Should Be So Lucky", "Like the Sun (Michoacan)", "Wobbles", and "After All I've Done for You"; acoustic guitar on "Dogwood" and "She's My Girl Now"; subsonic guitar on "Ecor Rouge"; tiple on "Wobbles"
  • Tom Petty – bass guitar on "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress"
  • David Rawlings – acoustic guitar on "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress", "Corrina, Corrina", and "Duquesne Whistle"; vocal harmony on "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress"
  • The Section Quartet – string arrangements on "Ecor Rouge", "Hannah", and "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone"; strings on "Ecor Rouge", "Hannah", and "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone"
    • Daphne Chen – violin on "Ecor Rouge", "Hannah", and "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone"
    • Lauren Chipman – viola on "Ecor Rouge", "Hannah", and "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone"
    • Richard Dodd – cello on "Ecor Rouge", "Hannah", and "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone"
    • Eric Gorfain – violin on "Ecor Rouge", "Hannah", and "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone"
  • Jeremy Stacey – drums on "Today I Took Your Picture Down", "Veronica Said", "Ecor Rouge", "Hannah", "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress", "You Should Be So Lucky", "Corrina, Corrina", "Dogwood", "Like the Sun (Michoacan)", "Wobbles", "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone", "Duquesne Whistle", "She's My Girl Now", and "After All I've Done for You"; percussion on "Today I Took Your Picture Down", "Veronica Said", "You Should Be So Lucky", "Dogwood", "Like the Sun (Michoacan)"
  • Ringo Starr – tambourine on "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress"
  • Morgan Stratton – assistant engineering
  • Don Was – bass guitar on "Today I Took Your Picture Down", "You Should Be So Lucky", "Dogwood", "Like the Sun (Michoacan)", "Wobbles", "Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone", and "She's My Girl Now"; upright bass on "Veronica Said", "Ecor Rouge", "Hannah", "Corrina, Corrina", "Duquesne Whistle", and "After All I've Done for You"
  • Gillian Welch – acoustic guitar on "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress", "Corrina, Corrina", and "Duquesne Whistle"; vocal harmony on "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress"
  • Julia Wick – photography

Chart performance

You Should Be So Lucky spent two weeks on the Billboard Heatseekers, peaking at 13.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Graff, Gary (February 17, 2014). "Benmont Tench Releases Solo Debut, Talks Next Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Album". Music News. Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Grabien, Deborah (October 28, 2014). "Benmont Tench – You Should Be So Lucky". Reviews. No Depression. ISSN 1088-4971. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Staunton, Terry (April 16, 2014). "You Should Be So Lucky". Record Collector. No. 472. ISSN 0261-250X. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Miller, Joshua M. (February 18, 2014). "The Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench Finds His Voice With Lucky". Articles. American Songwriter. ISSN 0896-8993. OCLC 17342741. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  5. ^ Blickenstaff, Jacob (March 24, 2014). "Contact: The Heartbreaker Benmont Tench". Media. Mother Jones. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  6. ^ "Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench Takes Center Stage With Debut Solo Album". Arts and Entertainment. LAist. Gothamist. February 20, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  7. ^ "You Should Be So Lucky by Benmont Tench Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  8. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (n.d.). "Benmont Tench – You Should Be So Lucky". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  9. ^ Horowitz, Hal (February 20, 2014). "Benmont Tench: You Should Be So Lucky". Reviews > Album Reviews. American Songwriter. ISSN 0896-8993. OCLC 17342741. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  10. ^ Ochs, Meredith (February 26, 2014). "The Spotlight Shines Bright On A Consummate Sideman's Debut". NPR Music. All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  11. ^ Hermes, Will (February 21, 2014). "Benmont Tench, 'You Should Be So Lucky' Album Review". Music > Album Reviews. Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  12. ^ DiMartino, Dave (February 19, 2014). "Benmont Tench: I, Heartbreaker!". Music > Album Reviews. Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  13. ^ "Benmont Tench". Billboard. n.d. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 9, 2023.