A Sailor's Guide to Earth
| A Sailor's Guide to Earth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 15, 2016 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:54 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Sturgill Simpson | |||
| Sturgill Simpson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Sailor's Guide to Earth | ||||
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A Sailor's Guide to Earth is the third studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson. It was announced on March 3, 2016, with the release of the single "Brace for Impact (Live a Little)". The album was released on April 15, 2016,[1] and won Best Country Album at the 59th Grammy Awards; it was also nominated for Album of the Year.[2]
Background[edit]
Prior to the album's announcement, Simpson stated in an interview with GQ that "what's next is already finished... Quite honestly, I need about six months at home with my family."[3] On March 3, 2016, Simpson released "Brace for Impact (Live a Little)" on YouTube and his website; the next day he released the nine-song track list of A Sailor's Guide to Earth.[4] A week later, he published the music video for "Brace for Impact", which was directed by Matt Mahurin and contains the Grim Reaper, a hot rod coffin and sailboats.[5] On March 24, 2016, Simpson released his cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom" along with its music video, also directed by Matt Mahurin. Simpson said, "I wanted to make a very beautiful and pure homage to Kurt [Cobain]."[6] Streaming of the album became available on April 7, 2016, on NPR's official website.[7]
The song "Oh Sarah" was previously recorded by Simpson's former band Sunday Valley and appeared on their only full-length album, To the Wind and On To Heaven, in 2011.
Reception[edit]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.3/10[8] |
| Metacritic | 86/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [11] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[12] |
| The Guardian | [13] |
| The Independent | [14] |
| Mojo | [15] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[16] |
| Rolling Stone | [17] |
| Spin | 7/10[18] |
| Uncut | 9/10[19] |
A Sailor's Guide to Earth received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album has received an average score of 86, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 19 reviews.[9]
The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, selling 52,000 copies (55,000 units when tracks and streams are included) in its first week.[20] The album sold a further 13,400 copies in the second week.[21] The album has sold 217,900 copies in the US as of October 2017.[22]
Following his Grammy win, Simpson saw a 346% increase in streaming on Spotify.[23]
Accolades[edit]
| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 19
|
|
| Rough Trade | Albums of the Year | 2016 | 91
|
|
| Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 26
|
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Sturgill Simpson except "In Bloom", which is written by Kurt Cobain
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)" | 4:53 |
| 2. | "Breakers Roar" | 3:33 |
| 3. | "Keep It Between the Lines" | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Sea Stories" | 3:17 |
| 5. | "In Bloom" (Nirvana cover) | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Brace for Impact (Live a Little)" | 5:49 |
| 7. | "All Around You" | 3:36 |
| 8. | "Oh Sarah" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "Call to Arms" | 5:30 |
| Total length: | 38:54 | |
Personnel[edit]
Musicians
- Sturgill Simpson – vocals (all tracks), acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4–9), 12-string guitar (1, 5), Moog synthesizer (1, 6), horn arrangement (1, 9), background vocals (4, 6)
- Miles Miller – drums (all tracks), background vocals (3, 4, 6)
- Robert Emmett – organ (all tracks); Moog synthesizer (1, 8), Wurlitzer (1, 3), background vocals (3, 6), keyboards (5)
- Dan Dugmore – steel guitar
- Jefferson Steinberg – string arrangement, horn arrangement
- Dave Roe – bass guitar (1–8)
- Laur Joamets – electric guitar (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9), slide guitar (1)
- Jefferson Crow – piano (1, 3–5, 7–9), Wurlitzer (6)
- Garo Yellin – first cello (1, 2, 5, 7, 8)
- Arthur Cook – second cello (1, 2, 5, 7, 8)
- Jonathan Dinklage – violin (1, 2, 5, 7, 8)
- Whitney LaGrange – violin (1, 2, 5, 7, 8)
- Neal Sugarman – tenor saxophone (1, 3, 5, 7, 9)
- Dave Guy – trumpet, flugelhorn (1, 3, 5, 7, 9)
- Ian Hendrickson-Smith – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone (1, 3, 5, 7, 9)
- Clark Gayton – trombone (1, 3, 5, 7, 9)
- Dougie Wilkinson – bagpipes (9)
- Kevin Black – bass guitar (9)
Technical
- Sturgill Simpson – production
- David Ferguson – mixing, engineering, recording
- Gavin Lurssen – mastering
- Sean Sullivan – recording
- Geoff Allan – bagpipe engineering
- Ebonie Smith – engineering assistance
Artwork
- Greg "Gigen's Dad" Burke – art direction, design
- Kilian Eng – cover art, back cover art, ships wheel illustration
- Mark Stutzman – map illustration
- Matthew Meiners – skeletons
Charts[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
References[edit]
- ^ Matthew Strauss. "Sturgill Simpson Announces New Album A Sailor's Guide to Earth, Shares "Brace for Impact (Live a Little)"". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ "59th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees and Winners". The Grammys. December 6, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ Welch, Will (January 7, 2016). "The GQ&A: Sturgill Simpson, Country Music's Psychedelic Warrior-Philosopher". GQ. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ^ Carolyn Menyes (March 4, 2016). "Sturgill Simpson Reveals 'A Sailor's Guide to Earth' Tracklist with Nirvana Cover & Tour Dates". Music Times. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ^ Andrew Leahey (March 10, 2016). "Watch Sturgill Simpson's Surreal 'Brace for Impact' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ^ James Grebey (March 24, 2016). "Listen to Sturgill Simpson's Country Cover of Nirvana's 'In Bloom'". Spin. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
- ^ Ann Powers (April 7, 2016). "First Listen: Sturgill Simpson, 'A Sailor's Guide To Earth'". npr.org. NPR. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
- ^ "A Sailor's Guide To Earth by Sturgill Simpson reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews for A Sailor's Guide to Earth by Sturgill Simpson". Metacritic. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "A Sailor's Guide to Earth – Sturgill Simpson". AllMusic. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Chilton, Martin (May 20, 2016). "Best country music albums of 2016". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Vain, Madison (April 14, 2016). "Sturgill Simpson's A Sailor's Guide to Earth: EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ Hann, Michael (April 14, 2016). "Sturgill Simpson: A Sailor's Guide to Earth review – hard-hitting country soul". The Guardian. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Gill, Andy (April 13, 2016). "Album reviews – Lush, Graham Nash, Sturgill Simpson and Hauschka". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Chick, Stevie (April 11, 2016). "Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor's Guide To Earth". Mojo. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Goble, Corban (April 19, 2016). "Sturgill Simpson: A Sailor's Guide to Earth". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ^ Hermes, Will (April 14, 2016). "A Sailor's Guide to Earth". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Larson, Jeremy D. (April 13, 2016). "Review: Sturgill Simpson Preps a Son of a Sailor on 'A Sailor's Guide to Earth'". Spin. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ Anderson, Jason (May 13, 2016). "Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor's Guide To Earth". Uncut. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (April 24, 2016). "Sturgill Simpson and Santana Debut in Top 10 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (May 5, 2016). "Country Album Chart Report: May 5, 2016". Roughstock.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (October 10, 2017). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: October 9, 2017". Roughstock.
- ^ McAlone, Nathan. "The Grammys' biggest winner was a 77-year-old Memphis legend, according to Spotify and Pandora". Business Insider. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Paste. November 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. November 14, 2016. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2016". Stereogum. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor's Guide to Earth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
- ^ "Sturgill Simpson Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor's Guide to Earth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
- ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 16, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Sturgill Simpson – A Sailor's Guide to Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ 28, 2016/7502/ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "Sturgill Simpson Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ "Sturgill Simpson Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ "Sturgill Simpson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ "Sturgill Simpson Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- ^ "Americana / Folk Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Americana / Folk Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
