Furnace Room Lullaby

by Neko Case & Her Boyfriends

Overview

Neko Case started by playing drums in a Canadian punk-rock band, but now she owes more to Loretta Lynn than to Lydia Lunch. Her big voice echoes classic country stars such as Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton: She can be dramatic and twangy ("Set Out Running") or tender and sweet ("No Need to Cry"), and then kick a song into overdrive ("Mood to Burn Bridges," which could be a Lone Justice outtake). The sharply written songs on Furnace Room Lullaby are sometimes nostalgic, sometimes bitter, but always captivating. "Thrice All American," her ode to Tacoma, Washington, will break your heart, and you'll love her for it.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/06/2007
Label:	Anti
UPC:	0045778691524
catalogNumber:	86915
Rank:	36328

Tracks

1. Set out Running
2. Guided by Wire
3. Porchlight
4. Mood to Burn Bridges
5. No Need to Cry
6. Twist the Knife
7. Thrice All American
8. We've Never Met
9. Whip the Blankets
10. South Tacoma Way
11. Bought and Sold
12. Furnace Room Lullaby

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Neko Case & Her Boyfriends   Primary Artist
Kelly Hogan   Vocals,Background Vocals
Evan Johns   Electric Guitar
Kevin Kane   12-string Guitar
Don Kerr   Guitar,Snare Drums
Carl Newman   Vocals
Joel Trueblood   Drums,Snare Drums
Ron Sexsmith   Acoustic Guitar,Vocals
Darryl Neudorf   Acoustic Guitar
Linda McRae   Accordion
Evan Johns & His H-Bombs   Guitar,Electric Guitar,Steel Guitar,Soloist
Ford Pier   Organ,Piano
Neko Case   Tambourine,Vocals,Vocal Harmony
John Ramberg   Electric Guitar,Background Vocals,Guitar (Baritone)
Scott Betts   Bass,Track Performer
Brian Connelly   Guitar,Electric Guitar,Guitar (Baritone)
Bob Egan   Pedal Steel Guitar,national steel guitar,Lap Steel Guitar
Dallas Good   Guitar
Travis Good   Acoustic Guitar,Fiddle,Mandolin,Electric Guitar,8-string Guitar,Upright Bass,Guitar (Tenor),Guitar (Baritone)
Mike Grier   Vocals
Henri Sangalang   Bass

Technical Credits

Darryl Neudorf   Producer,Engineer
Neko Case   Producer,Art Direction
Randy "Tex" Iwata   Graphic Design
Dale Morningstar   Engineer

Editorial Reviews

It would be easy to call Neko Case alt-country's answer to k.d. lang; after all, they both began their career in Canada (although Case was raised in America), both came into country music through artier pursuits, and both blend trad-style twang with a modernist lyrical perspective. But Case also has a couple more important things in common with lang -- she has a superb voice that's as big as all outdoors, and there's nothing at all ironic about her love for the luxurious sadness of classic country & western. Case fronts a dramatically revamped line-up of Boyfriends on her second solo album, Furnace Room Lullaby, and it's even stronger and more impressive than her fine debut set, The Virginian. Case co-wrote all of the album's 12 songs, and the material strikes a more deeply personal note this time out, from the busted romance of "Set Out Running" and "We've Never Met" to the road-weary and unsentimental nostalgia of "Thrice All American" and "South Tacoma Way" (not many artists could put a lump in your throat at the notion of a Wal-Mart replacing the old downtown, but Case does it here). Case's vocals are superb from front to back, as smooth and fiery as good brandy, and her revolving circle of musicians (including Ron Sexsmith and Kelly Hogan on backing vocals) are subtle and beautifully evocative, balancing sorrow and good times with an easy grace. Dozens of rock artists have wrung cheap laughs from the sound and feel of classic country, but Neko Case understands the honest emotions and working-class poetry Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton brought to their best music, and if her own take on such things is a bit different, Furnace Room Lullaby makes clear how deeply she cares for this music, and confirms her status as one of alt-country's strongest artists.

All Music Guide - Mark Deming