Only with Laughter Can You Win
| Only with Laughter Can You Win | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 23, 2003 | |||
| Genre | Alternative | |||
| Length | 39:03 | |||
| Label | Sub Pop | |||
| Producer | Rosie Thomas, Eric Fisher, Martin Feveyear | |||
| Rosie Thomas chronology | ||||
| ||||
Only with Laughter Can You Win is the second album by American singer-songwriter Rosie Thomas, released on September 23, 2003 by Sub Pop.[1]
The album's title is taken from the lyric of Joni Mitchell's "Roses Blue".[2] "All My Life" was used in the television series Alias.[3] "Let Myself Fall", recorded in St. John's Church, Detroit, features a duet with Thomas's mother and her father, brothers and sister also feature on "I Play Music".[4][5][6] The album also features Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) on "Red Rover".[6]
"I Play Music", "Red Rover", and "Sell all my Things" were included as sample music on Windows XP Media Center Edition in 2005.[citation needed]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| The Boston Herald | favorable[8] |
| Christianity Today | Positive[2] |
| Pitchfork Media | 5.4/10[9] |
| Pittsburgh City Paper | favorable[4] |
| PopMatters | favorable[10] |
| Punknews.org | [11] |
The album received favorable reviews from PopMatters, the Pittsburgh City Paper, The Boston Herald, and Christianity Today.[2][4][8][10] AllMusic gave the album a three star rating.[7] Pitchfork Media gave it 5.4 out of 10, with Amanda Petrusich describing it as "a solidly crafted, fully realized work" but "a heartbreakingly predictable singer/songwriter collection".[9] The Stranger called it "a gorgeously understated indie-folk album that demonstrates how entwined Thomas' life and music are".[12]
Track listing
All songs written by Rosie Thomas.
- "Let Myself Fall" – 1:52
- "I Play Music" – 3:38
- "Red Rover" – 3:20
- "Sell All My Things" – 3:54
- "Crazy" – 2:35
- "One More Day" – 4:15
- "All My Life" – 3:19
- "You and Me" – 2:04
- "Tell Me How" – 3:52
- "Gradually" – 5:05
- "Dialogue" – 5:02
References
- ^ "Just Out", Billboard, October 2003, p. 65. Retrieved January 22, 2014
- ^ a b c Breimeier, Russ (January 1, 2003). "Only With Laughter Can You Win". Christianity Today. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ Stafford, Nicki & Burnett, Robyn (2004) Uncovering Alias: An Unofficial Guide, ECW Press, ISBN 978-1550226539, p. 333
- ^ a b c "Rosie Thomas; Only with Laughter Can You Win", Pittsburgh City Paper, January 14. 2004. Retrieved January 22, 2014 – via HighBeam (subscription required)
- ^ "Rosie Thomas; It's a Family Affair", Pittsburgh City Paper, September 28, 2005. Retrieved January 22, 2014 – via HighBeam (subscription required)
- ^ a b Cowen, Andrew (2004) "Culture: Different Folk with Different Strokes", Birmingham Post, May 13, 2004. Retrieved January 22, 2014 – via HighBeam (subscription required)
- ^ a b Johnson, Zac "Only With Laughter Can You Win Review", Allmusic. Retrieved January 22, 2014
- ^ a b Katz, Larry (2003) "Pearl diving; Searching for 2003's neglected CD treasures", The Boston Herald, December 31, 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2014 – via HighBeam (subscription required)
- ^ a b Petrusich, Amanda. "Rosie Thomas - Only With Laughter Can You Win". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ a b Su, Peter (January 20, 2004). "Rosie Thomas - Only With Laughter Can You Win". PopMatters. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
- ^ "Rosie Thomas - Only With Laughter Can You Win". Punknews.org. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
- ^ "Drunk By Noon; Roots & Americana", The Stranger, December 17, 2003. Retrieved January 22, 2014 – via HighBeam (subscription required)
