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Little Victories (Darden Smith album)

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Little Victories
Studio album by
Darden Smith
Released1993
LabelColumbia
ProducerRichard Gottehrer
Darden Smith chronology
Trouble No More
(1990) 		Little Victories
(1993) 		Deep Fantastic Blue
(1996)

Little Victories is an album by the American musician Darden Smith, released in 1993.[1][2] He supported the album by touring with Shawn Colvin.[3] The title track was released as a single, marketed to adult contemporary radio.[4] Little Victories was Smith's final album for Columbia Records.[5]

Production

[edit]

Recorded in New York City, the album was produced primarily by Richard Gottehrer.[6][7] Smith's goal was to make a record that would receive radio play.[6] He cowrote some of its songs with Boo Hewerdine; Smith considered most of the songs to be autobiographical.[8][9] Rosanne Cash duetted with Smith on "Precious Time".[7] Smith wrote "Place in the Sun" after reading Woody Guthrie's Bound for Glory.[10] "Levee Song" was cowritten by Chip Taylor.[11]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[13]
St. Louis Post-DispatchB+[14]
The Virginian-Pilot[15]

The Toronto Star praised Smith's "superbly crafted lyrics."[16] The Chicago Tribune wrote that "Smith mixes folk, country and panhandle blues in his musical portraits of real people in the real world."[17] The Vancouver Sun opined that "Little Victories puts Smith in a bit more of a cosmopolitan realm than his pop-country past, and it's pretty darn listenable."[18]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted the "great playing and solid songwriting."[14] The Daily Breeze deemed Smith "one of postmodern country's many unsung songwriters," labeling Little Victories "insightful thought-folk."[19] The Rocky Mountain News admired the "easygoing vocal style, consistent songwriting and a world-wise lyrical point of view."[20]

AllMusic wrote that the album "stands among Smith's most mature and ambitious work."[12]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Place in the Sun" 
2."Loving Arms" 
3."Little Victories" 
4."Love Left Town" 
5."Hole in the River" 
6."Dream Intro" 
7."Dream's a Dream" 
8."Precious Time" 
9."Days on End" 
10."Levee Song" 
11."Only One Dream" 

References

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  1. ^ Logan, Neill (11 May 1996). "Darden Smith keeps it personal". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2B.
  2. ^ Gewertz, Daniel (May 1, 1993). "Singer's band tour opens in style". Features. Boston Herald. p. 27.
  3. ^ McLeese, Don (6 May 1993). "Smith's Big Crime: Hard Work". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 5.
  4. ^ "Darden Smith: Little Victories". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 40. Oct 2, 1993. p. 75.
  5. ^ "Darden Smith Biography by Mark Deming". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b Kachtick, Keith (October 1996). "Quick-Change Artist". Texas Monthly. Vol. 24, no. 10. p. 70.
  7. ^ a b "Little Victories by Darden Smith". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 20. May 15, 1993. p. 54.
  8. ^ Austin, John (May 4, 1993). "Folk". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 2D.
  9. ^ Shuster, Fred (May 21, 1993). "Smith's eclectic tastes". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L24.
  10. ^ Spangler, Jerry (May 28, 1993). "Songwriter's 'Little Victories' Is a Big Pleasure for Listeners". Deseret News. p. W3.
  11. ^ Okamoto, David (June 3, 1993). "Positive Outlook – Darden Smith feels good about his music, his label and his life". The Dallas Morning News. p. 5C.
  12. ^ a b "Little Victories Review by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  13. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 619.
  14. ^ a b Pick, Steve (24 Sep 1993). "From ABBA's Hits in Hindi to Unplugged Neil Young". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4EV.
  15. ^ Morrison, Jim (June 11, 1993). "Reviews". Preview. The Virginian-Pilot. p. 18.
  16. ^ Fitzgerald, Judith (8 May 1993). "Darden Smith Little Victories". Toronto Star. p. K10.
  17. ^ Heim, Chris (14 May 1993). "Straddling several different musical borders are Shawn Colvin and Darden Smith...". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. M.
  18. ^ "Darden Smith Little Victories". Vancouver Sun. 29 July 1993. p. C8.
  19. ^ Carroll, Tomm (May 21, 1993). "Colvin brings taste of country to Westwood". Daily Breeze. p. K11.
  20. ^ Rassenfoss, Joe (May 21, 1993). "'Little Victories' Deliver Big Rewards for Darden Smith". Rocky Mountain News. p. 18C.
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