Cut You
Cut You | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1996 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, alternative folk | |||
Label | Reprise Records[1] | |||
Producer | Penelope Houston, Jeffrey Wood | |||
Penelope Houston chronology | ||||
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Cut You is an album by the American musician Penelope Houston, released in 1996.[2][3] It is a mixture of rerecorded older songs and new songs.[4] Cut You was Houston's major label debut; many of her previous albums had been available only in Germany.[5][6]
Production
Signed to Reprise Records by her old acquaintance Howie Klein, Houston composed six new songs, while adding more instrumentation to her rerecorded older ones.[7] The album was produced by Houston and Jeffrey Wood.[8] Reprise asked Houston to withdraw "Cut You"; she instead made it the title track.[9]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [10] |
Chicago Tribune | [11] |
Los Angeles Times | [12] |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [8] |
No Depression thought that Houston's songs "tend to involve many nameless, spiritually wiped-out characters captured in moments of particular drama ... instead of telling the whole story as a traditional folksinger might, Houston is more of a tour guide."[4] Trouser Press deemed the album "a solid cross-section of her material ... the playing and recording quality are absolutely vibrant and Houston sings as wonderfully as ever."[13] The Chicago Tribune concluded that Houston "goes well beyond empowerment, penning lyrics as smart as they are wicked."[11] The Los Angeles Times wrote that "'Locket' glides along to a Latin-tinged beat while the title track, with its light country twang and darkly comic lyric, evokes a vindictive, post-punk incarnation of Patsy Cline."[12]
Tulsa World stated that "the songs are built around intricate lyrical jabs and worldly insights."[14] The Washington Post determined that "what's most impressive about Cut You is Houston's vivid depictions of women who are attempting to square their reality with sometimes fading desires and dreams."[15] Rolling Stone opined that "Houston ties it together with gossamer vocals and lyrics that invert the accusations of punk."[16] The Boston Globe called the album "mature rock with punk roots, soft songs with sting."[17]
AllMusic wrote that the album "offers proof that Houston helped pioneer the melodic-yet-hard-hitting alternative rock currently mined by such performers as Liz Phair and Aimee Mann."[10]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Secret Sign" | |
2. | "Sweetheart" | |
3. | "Scratch" | |
4. | "Locket" | |
5. | "Fuzzy Throne" | |
6. | "Ride" | |
7. | "Harry Dean" | |
8. | "Waiting Room" | |
9. | "Qualities of Mercy" | |
10. | "Fall Back" | |
11. | "Pull" | |
12. | "Glad I'm a Girl" | |
13. | "White Out" | |
14. | "Cut You" |
References
- ^ "Penelope Houston Cut You". CMJ New Music Monthly. CMJ Network, Inc. April 30, 1996. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Penelope Houston Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ^ "Penelope Houston's Cut You Due In '96". MTV News. Archived from the original on 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ^ a b "Penelope Houston – Cut You". No Depression. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ Semon, Craig S. (2 June 1996). "Penelope Houston looks at breakups, betrayals". Telegram & Gazette. Datebook. p. 8.
- ^ "The Accidental Punk". SF Weekly. February 24, 1999. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Borzillo, Carrie (Mar 2, 1996). "Cutting Through". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 9. p. 18.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 562.
- ^ "THE GREAT AVENGER". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Arts & Entertainment. 24 May 1996. p. 18.
- ^ a b "Cut You - Penelope Houston | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". Archived from the original on 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2021-09-30 – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ a b Webber, Brad (27 June 1996). "Penelope Houston Cut You (Reprise)". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ^ a b Masuo, Sandy (28 Apr 1996). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 66.
- ^ "Penelope Houston". Trouser Press. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Penelope Houston Cut You Reprise". Tulsa World. 3 May 1996. Archived from the original on 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
- ^ "FOUR ANGRY WOMEN". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ Farber, Jim (Apr 4, 1996). "Recording -- Cut You by Penelope Houston". Rolling Stone. No. 731. p. 62.
- ^ Sullivan, Jim (8 Feb 1996). "PENELOPE HOUSTON CUT YOU Reprise/Warner Bros". The Boston Globe. Calendar. p. 30.