Loose (Victoria Williams album)

Loose
Studio album by Victoria Williams
Released	October 18, 1994
Recorded	American Recording Studios, Woodland Hills, California
Genre	Country rock, folk, alternative rock
Length	60:20
Label	Atlantic Mammoth
Producer	Paul Fox
Victoria Williams chronology
(1990) Loose (1994) (1996)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Sun-Times	[2]
Chicago Tribune	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[4]
Los Angeles Times	[5]
NME	8/10[6]
Q	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[9]
The Village Voice	A−[10]

Loose is the third studio album by American singer/songwriter Victoria Williams, released in 1994.

Her previous album, 1990’s , won some critical praise but completely failed to attract commercial attention, and the collapse of Rough Trade Records left her without a contract until Mammoth Records bought the rights to that album.^[8] Two years afterwards, Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and as a working musician, lacked health insurance or the money to pay her medical fees; however, a large number of musicians who admired the talent she had shown on her Geffen Records albums came in to support her with 1993’s Sweet Relief: A Benefit for Victoria Williams tribute album recording her songs – including two unrecorded by Williams herself.

Loose, in contrast to her first two albums, was recorded with a large crew including some high-profile contributors like R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Sly Stone’s sister and bandmate Rose, husband-to-be Mark Olson and Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner.

Containing a full hour of music, Loose saw Victoria Williams use a greater diversity of styles, notably the spiritual-influenced “You R Loved” and “Get Away”.^[1] Despite widespread critical praise, Loose could not break her commercially, failing to dent the Billboard Top 200, and Williams moved with new husband Olson to Joshua Tree, California.

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Victoria Williams, except where otherwise noted.

Personnel[]

• Scott Babcock – timpani, shaker
• Peter Buck – electric guitar, sitar
• Greg Cohen – acoustic bass, electric guitar
• Paul Fox – chimes, shaker
• The Richard Greene Fourteen – strings
• Lili Haydn – viola
• Don Heffington – drums, percussion
• Rami Jaffee – organ
• Greg Leisz – electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, acoustic guitar, dulcimer
• Gary Louris – backing vocals
• Jean McClain – backing vocals
• Mike Mills – backing vocals
• Mark Olson – vocals, acoustic guitar
• Van Dyke Parks – accordion, arrangements
• Dave Pirner – vocals
• Tim Ray – piano, electric piano
• Tammy Rogers – violin, viola, backing vocals
• Rose Stone – backing vocals
• Geri Stuyak – cello
• Tower of Power Horn Section – horns
• Doug Weisselman – clarinet, bass harmonica, clay flute
• Andrew Williams – acoustic guitar, piano, organ, backing vocals
• David Williams – backing vocals
• Victoria Williams – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, dulcimer

References[]