Whaler (album)
Whaler | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 2, 1994 | |||
Recorded | March – June 1994 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 47:48 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Stephen Lipson | |||
Sophie B. Hawkins chronology | ||||
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Singles from Whaler | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[2] |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Whaler is the second album by American singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins, released in 1994 on Columbia Records. The release was preceded by the single "Right Beside You", which reached No. 56 on the Billboard Chart,[6] but did much better in the UK, where it peaked at No. 13.[7]
The album wasn't as commercially successful as her debut album Tongues and Tails two years earlier; however, the sales picked up after the third single, "As I Lay Me Down", released at the beginning of 1995,[1] went to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Consequently, the album managed to climb to No. 65 on the Billboard Album Chart.
The critical reception was mixed. Paul Evans of Rolling Stone said that the album didn't quite live up to the standard and expectations set by her debut.[5] The LA Times review noted that Hawkins tries to knit "a crazy quilt of styles" trying to combine different influences but the experimentation doesn't pay off and "unravels at the seams", and the only tracks that do work are the mainstream ones, such as the dance-floor-ready opening track “Right Beside You” and the anguished ballad “I Need Nothing Else".[3] Other reviews were more favorable, praising the album's subdued and subtle melodies, which make the album overall more consistent than her debut outing,[1] and describing some tracks as "irresistibly catchy".[8]
Track listing[]
All songs written by Sophie B. Hawkins, except where noted.
- "Right Beside You" (Chertoff, Hawkins, Lerman) – 4:47
- "Did We Not Choose Each Other" – 4:25
- "Don't Don't Tell Me No" – 4:53
- "As I Lay Me Down" – 4:08
- "Swing from Limb to Limb (My Home Is in Your Jungle)" – 4:15
- "True Romance" – 2:23
- "Let Me Love You Up" – 3:26
- "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)" – 5:05
- "I Need Nothing Else" – 4:17
- "Sometimes I See" – 4:40
- "Mr. Tugboat Hello" – 5:30
Personnel[]
- Sophie B. Hawkins – percussion, keyboards, vocals
- Neil Conti – drums
- Luís Jardim – percussion
- Stephen Lipson – bass
- Peter-John Vettese – keyboards
Production[]
- Producer: Steve Lipson
- Engineer: Heff Moraes
- Programming: Sophie B. Hawkins, Steve Lipson
Charts[]
- Album
Year | Chart | Peak position |
---|---|---|
1994 | UK Albums Chart | 46 |
1994 | German Albums Chart | 50 |
1995 | US Billboard 200 | 65 |
1995 | New Zealand Albums Chart | 13 |
1995 | Australian Albums Chart | 31 |
Singles – Billboard (North America)
Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | "Right Beside You" | Billboard Hot 100 | 56 |
Top 40 Mainstream | 24 | ||
1995 | "As I Lay Me Down" | Adult Contemporary | 1 |
Adult Top 40 | 1 | ||
Billboard Hot 100 | 6 | ||
Top 40 Mainstream | 3 | ||
1996 | "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)" | Adult Contemporary | 22 |
Adult Top 40 | 19 | ||
The Billboard Hot 100 | 49 | ||
Top 40 Mainstream | 22 |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Sophie B. Hawkins "Whaler" - AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (August 5, 1994). "Whaler Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Rosenbluth, Jean (July 31, 1994). "A Crazy-Quilt of Styles Unravels at the Seams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Sophie B. Hawkins". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Evans, Paul (August 11, 1994). "Sophie B. Hawkins: Whaler : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ^ "Sophie B. Hawkins". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ "SOPHIE B HAWKINS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (August 5, 1994). "Whaler". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
External links[]
- 1994 albums
- Sophie B. Hawkins albums
- Columbia Records albums
- Albums produced by Stephen Lipson