Candyland | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1992 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Michael Wanchic | |||
James McMurtry chronology | ||||
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Candyland is the second album by the American musician James McMurtry, released in 1992.[1][2] McMurtry supported the album by participating in the "In Their Own Words: A Bunch of Songwriters Sittin' Around Singing" tour, with Marshall Crenshaw, Don Dixon, Jules Shear, and David Halley.[3]
Produced by Michael Wanchic, the album was recorded in 1990.[4][5] John Mellencamp coproduced one song, and most of his band played on the album.[6][7] David Grissom played lead guitar.[8] Candyland's release date was pushed back numerous times, due to Columbia Records' doubts about the songs, problems with McMurtry's management company, and Columbia's request that McMurtry record new material.[5] McMurtry wrote all of the songs, mostly in the studio.[9][10] He did not like to write about his personal life and also found it more difficult to write about pleasant subjects.[11] The title track is about suburbia; McMurtry wrote it because his band thought he needed a song with a faster tempo.[12] "Where's Johnny" is about a faded high school big man on campus.[13] "Safe Side" describes segregated American neighborhoods.[14] In "Hands Like Rain", an old man remembers how a woman helped him get through a rough period in his life.[15]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Calgary Herald | B+[9] |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Indianapolis Star | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Trouser Press opined that "the songs stand out more as hummable tunes," writing that "it's a compelling assortment of small-town tragedies of lost love, lost youth and lost ideals that exposes unpleasant aspects of an America most people would prefer to deny."[17] The New York Times determined that McMurtry's "characters are detached, stranded without frontiers to strive toward; their lives are cluttered with things they're not sure they need."[13] The Boston Globe stated: "His trump card is resignation, and the Americans he profiles can be characterized as closed-minded. Their world, spiritually and financially mediocre, is unchanging."[18]
The Indianapolis Star noted that "cynics might justly accuse McMurtry of merely painting by numbers in this 10-song follow-up."[14] The Kitchener-Waterloo Record panned "McMurtry's almost directionless voice and often somnolent writing."[19] Rolling Stone concluded that, "with his dusty voice and limited range, McMurtry needs to vary his laconic delivery to ensure that his singing doesn't fade to gray after a half-dozen songs."[20]
AllMusic wrote that "McMurtry offers a deep, personable (if plain) voice and delivery, equally suited to both country and rock."[16]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Where's Johnny" | |
2. | "Vague Directions" | |
3. | "Hands Like Rain" | |
4. | "Safe Side" | |
5. | "Candyland" | |
6. | "Don't Waste Away" | |
7. | "Good Life" | |
8. | "Save Yourself" | |
9. | "Storekeeper" | |
10. | "Dusty Pages" |