Sunday Morning Music | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1996 | |||
Studio | White Room | |||
Genre | Blues rock | |||
Label | Sub Pop[1] | |||
Producer | Al Sutton, Mike Danner, Phil Durr, Matt O'Brien | |||
Thornetta Davis chronology | ||||
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Sunday Morning Music is the debut album by the American singer Thornetta Davis, released in 1996.[2][3] Davis was the first Black artist signed to Sub Pop, a label initially known for its grunge releases.[4]
The album was produced by Al Sutton, Mike Danner, Phil Durr, and Matt O'Brien.[5] Davis was backed by members of Big Chief, for whom she previously sang.[6] Eddie Harsch played keyboards on Sunday Morning Music.[7]
Inspired by life in her downtown Detroit neighborhood, Davis wrote or cowrote all of the lyrics, aside from "You Haven't Done Nothin'", a cover of the Stevie Wonder song; Big Chief provided the music.[8][9][10]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
Calgary Herald | [12] |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[13] |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [5] |
The Calgary Herald stated: "Going for a bare bones backup of bass, drums and guitar (with occasional keyboards, congas or horns), Davis delivers a raw, riveting blend of funk, R & B, rock, blues and sweet soul music."[12] Entertainment Weekly deemed the album "a knockout compendium of the sounds of her Detroit hometown."[13] The Philadelphia Inquirer determined that it "sounds like '70s Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart—if they let the backup singers take over."[14]
The Gazette wrote: "Crucially, the trad, tried and true musical vocabulary never slips into a lazy replay of '60s/'70s antecedents. Her choice of a Stevie Wonder cover, 'You Haven't Done Nothin'', seals it, placing the music in context without cementing it in cliché."[15] The Toronto Star concluded that "the combination of the band's slightly skewed vision of funk and Davis' straight-up blues delivery makes for an unusual, wide-ranging but completely satisfying album."[16]
AllMusic wrote that "Davis' singing is just wonderful—she's got a rich, warm voice that she doesn't show off with, avoiding pointless vocal high jumps and wails for confident, often soaring delivery."[11] The Chicago Reader called Sunday Morning Music "a harrowing album full of desire and outrage."[17]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Cry" | |
2. | "Helpless" | |
3. | "Try to Remember" | |
4. | "Sunset" | |
5. | "Only One" | |
6. | "You Haven't Done Nothin'" | |
7. | "Box of Memories" | |
8. | "Sunday Morning" | |
9. | "The Deal" | |
10. | "And I Spin" | |
11. | "Come Go with Me" |