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World So Bright

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World So Bright
Studio album by
Released1991
StudioChicago Recording Company, Chicago, additional recording at Private Studios in Urbana and Schmitt's house in Champaign
GenrePop, power pop[1]
Length44:58
LabelReprise[2]
ProducerGreg Edward, Adam Schmitt
Adam Schmitt chronology
World So Bright
(1991)
Illiterature
(1993)

World So Bright is the debut album by the American musician Adam Schmitt, released in 1991.[3][4] Schmitt supported the album by opening for the BoDeans on a North American tour.[5]

Production

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Recorded at Chicago Recording Company and in Schmitt's Champaign, Illinois, basement, the album was produced by Greg Edward and Schmitt.[6][7][8] It contains contributions from Lisa Germano, Kenny Aronoff, John Richardson, and Jay Bennett.[9][10] "Scarlet Street" addresses the problem of homelessness in the United States.[11]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Chicago Tribune[13]
The Record[5]
The Republican[14]
The Telegraph[10]

Trouser Press thought that the "well-crafted songs are mega-tuneful guitar-driven gems with hooks galore and lyrics that rise above the prosaic 'boy meets girl/boy loses girl/boy misses girl/boy goes looking for another girl' fodder."[9] The Chicago Tribune determined that "the album's dozen songs resound with the innate humability that informs the best work of Squeeze, XTC and the dB's."[13]

The Palm Beach Post wrote: "A hopeful romantic, [Schmitt] infuses love song after love song with memorable hooks. A tough, heartfelt delivery gives them an added edge."[15] The Republican concluded that "it's pop alright, but the hooks don't hook and the thing don't swing."[14] Rolling Stone called it "more than a promising debut, it's a confident piece of work from a canny singer-songwriter who's going to be around for a good long while."[2]

AllMusic wrote that "things are less impressive when the amps get cranked too high ('River Black'), but fortunately that's not a frequent mistake, and one that's more than redeemed by songs like the wistful, touching ballad 'Elizabeth Einstein'."[12] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide deemed the album "a flawless disc," writing that the title track is a "symmetrical diamond."[16] In 2001, Goldmine labeled World So Bright "a pop manifesto to the max, brimming with catchy tunes delivered in a classic pop style."[17]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Adam Schmitt

No.TitleLength
1."Dead End"3:35
2."World So Bright"3:09
3."Can't Get You on My Mind"3:28
4."River Black"4:04
5."Lost"3:36
6."Garden of Love"4:13
7."My Killer"4:01
8."Remembered Sun"3:37
9."Everything Turned Blue"3:33
10."Elizabeth Einstein"3:48
11."Scarlet Street"3:49
12."At Season's End"4:06

Personnel

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Additional musicians

  • Kenny Aronoff - drums and percussion
  • John Richardson - drums
  • Lisa Germano - violin
  • Jay Bennett - guitar solo on "Can't Get You on My Mind" and "Everything Turned Blue"
  • Donna Delory - additional backing vocals on "River Black" and "Garden of Love"
  • Julie Griffin - additional backing vocals on "River Black"
  • Greg Edward - trumpet and percussion
  • Michael Hill - handclaps on "At Season's End"

Production

  • Adam Schmitt - producing, recording, mixing engineering
  • Greg Edward - producing, recording, mixing
  • Chris Shepard - engineering, mixing assistant
  • Stephen Marcussen - mastering
  • Kim Champagne - art direction, design
  • Annalisa - photography

References

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  1. ^ Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide. Not Lame Recordings. ISBN 978-0-9797714-0-8.
  2. ^ a b Wild, David (July 12, 1991). "Rating the Recordings". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Rolling Stone. p. 4F.
  3. ^ "Adam Schmitt Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  4. ^ Corcoran, Michael (July 21, 1991). "Record File". Show. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 2.
  5. ^ a b Jaeger, Barbara (November 7, 1991). "Adam Schmitt, 'World So Bright'". The Record. p. C1.
  6. ^ Caro, Mark (21 June 1991). "National debuts". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. N.
  7. ^ Smith, Liz (12 Aug 1991). "Yes, summer is more than half over...". News. Newsday. p. 11.
  8. ^ "Album Reviews — World So Bright by Adam Schmitt". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 25. Jun 22, 1991. p. 70.
  9. ^ a b "Adam Schmitt". Trouser Press. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  10. ^ a b Mueller, Paul (Aug 16, 1991). "Adam Schmitt nearly does it all in debut showing much promise". The Telegraph. Macon. p. 5D.
  11. ^ Wolff, Carlo (Feb 6, 1992). "Adam Schmitt World So Bright". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 6.
  12. ^ a b "World So Bright". AllMusic.
  13. ^ a b Kening, Dan (4 July 1991). "Adam Schmitt World So Bright". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  14. ^ a b O'Hare, Kevin (August 11, 1991). "Ethereal to earthy – New discs run gamut". The Republican. p. D10.
  15. ^ Benarde, Scott (August 18, 1991). "Troubadours, Genre Fusion Latest in Pop". The Palm Beach Post. p. 1L.
  16. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 984.
  17. ^ Borack, John M. (Nov 30, 2001). "New Releases". Goldmine. Vol. 27, no. 24. p. 52.