Harlan County (album)
| Harlan County | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpeg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1969[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 29:08 | |||
| Label | Sundown | |||
| Producer | Jim Ford | |||
| Jim Ford chronology | ||||
| ||||
Harlan County is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Jim Ford. It was released on Sundown Records in 1969,[1] and reissued on Light in the Attic Records in 2011.[3] The album received universal acclaim from critics.[3]
Critical reception[edit]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 88/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| PopMatters |   [5] |
| Spin | favorable[2] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Harlan County received an average score of 88, based on 7 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[3]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented that "Harlan County is filled with unassuming, midtempo rockers and ballads, which are either songs about love or driving."[4] He added, "Ford has a pleasant, unremarkable white soul voice that, when combined with the mannered production, tends to undersell the songs, which would have benefited from grittier, committed performances."[4] Andrew Hultkrans of Spin wrote, "A Kentucky-born singer-songwriter once called the 'baddest white man on the planet' by Sly Stone, Jim Ford pioneered a seamless blend of country, soul, and funk on 1969's Harlan County, using a crack studio band that included Elvis guitarist James Burton and Dr. John."[2]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Jim Ford, except where indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Harlan County" | 3:32 | |
| 2. | "I Wanna Make Her Love Me" | 3:10 | |
| 3. | "Changin' Colors" |
| 3:19 |
| 4. | "Dr. Handy" | 2:36 | |
| 5. | "Love on My Brain" | 3:18 | |
| 6. | "Long Road Ahead" | 2:58 | |
| 7. | "Under Construction" | 1:45 | |
| 8. | "Workin' My Way to L.A." |
| 2:47 |
| 9. | "Spoonful" | Willie Dixon | 2:48 |
| 10. | "To Make My Life Beautiful" | Alex Harvey | 2:57 |
| Total length: | 29:08 | ||
Personnel[edit]
Credits adapted from liner notes.
- Jim Ford – arrangement (2, 6–8), production
- Lolly Vegas – arrangement (2, 6–8)
- Gene Page – arrangement (1, 3–5, 9, 10)
- Rick Pekkonen – enginnering
References[edit]
- ^ a b "New Album Releases for August". Billboard. August 2, 1969. p. 55. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
JIM FORD – Harlan County
- ^ a b c Hultkrans, Andrew (July 26, 2011). "Jim Ford, 'Harlan County' (Light in the Attic)". Spin. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Harlan County by Jim Ford". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
- ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Jim Ford – Harlan County". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
- ^ Nelson, Dylan (October 24, 2011). "Jim Ford: Harlan County". PopMatters. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
External links[edit]
- Harlan County at Discogs (list of releases)
