Street Party (album)

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Street Party
Studio album by
the Mellow Fellows
Released1990
StudioDr. Caw Recording
GenreR&B, blues
LabelAlligator
ProducerGene Barge, Peter Special
The Mellow Fellows chronology
Live from Chicago! – Bigger Than Life!!
(1987) 		Street Party
(1990)

Street Party is an album by the American band the Mellow Fellows, released in 1990.[1][2] It was the band's first album since the March 1990 death of frontman Big Twist.[3] The Mellow Fellows supported the album with a North American tour.[4] Street Party was a success on radio stations throughout Illinois.[5]

Production[edit]

The album was recorded at Dr. Caw Recording, in Northbrook, Illinois.[6] It was the band's first studio album with early bandmember Martin Allbritton.[7] The Mellow Fellows wrote five of Street Party's songs.[8] The bandmembers strove to play more as an ensemble rather than as a backup band.[9] "Feels Like Rain" is a cover of the John Hiatt song.[10] "We'll Be Friends" is a tribute to Big Twist.[8] "Since I Fell for You" was written by Buddy Johnson. "Don't Turn Your Heater Down" was cowritten by Steve Cropper.[11]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Calgary HeraldB[13]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide[14]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[15]
Record-JournalA[16]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul[17]

The Calgary Herald deemed Street Party "an album solidly anchored in the journeyman work ethic." The Chicago Reader labeled it "a gutty, powerful album that shows a band restless to explore new directions as they retain their patented good-time roots."[10] The Kingston Whig-Standard considered it "a treatment of classic rhythm and blues, the likes of which haven't been heard in a long time."[8]

The Washington Post determined that "Allbritton is a real find—a soul-shouter cum blues-belter who sings with both passion and authority, precisely the combination a lot of these songs demand."[18] The Morning Call deemed the album "hot and brassy, a joyride of '60s-era Chicago R&B."[11] The Record-Journal wrote that "Allbritton's gut-wrenching vocals wail, shriek and generally haul emotion all the hell over the place."[16]

AllMusic called Allbritton "a melismatic and undeniably more powerful vocalist than the finesse-oriented Twist."[12]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."I've Got to Find a Way" 
2."Street Party" 
3."I've Got a Feeling" 
4."Feels Like Rain" 
5."Driving Wheel" 
6."We'll Be Friends" 
7."Don't Turn Your Heater Down" 
8."Since I Fell for You" 
9."Last Night" 
10."Me and My Woman" 
11."Broad Daylight" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Disselkoen, Tim (10 Sep 1990). "Mellow Fellows leave 'em dancing". The Grand Rapids Press. p. C6.
  2. ^ Anderson, John (13 Jan 1991). "'Street Party' The Mellow Fellows". Part II. Newsday. p. 15.
  3. ^ Brown, G. (23 Feb 1991). "Mellow Fellows rally without 'Big Twist'". The Denver Post. p. 4E.
  4. ^ Tianen, Dave (25 Jan 1991). "Mellow Fellows carry big legacy". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 19.
  5. ^ Nordmeyer, Chanda (9 Dec 1990). "Mellow Fellows back on track with new album". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 3.
  6. ^ Caro, Mark (12 Oct 1990). "Mellow Fellows come back with tribute to Big Twist". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. S.
  7. ^ "Mellow Fellows Biography by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Burliuk, Greg (23 Mar 1991). "Street Party The Mellow Fellows". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
  9. ^ Davis, Ken (31 Jan 1991). "Mellow Fellows back with new sound". South Bend Tribune. p. D3.
  10. ^ a b Whiteis, David (March 7, 1991). "Street Party The Mellow Fellows". Music. Chicago Reader.
  11. ^ a b Darragh, Tim (12 Jan 1991). "Records". The Morning Call. p. A58.
  12. ^ a b "Street Party Review by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  13. ^ Wagamese, Richard (2 Dec 1990). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C5.
  14. ^ MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 31.
  15. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. 2006. p. 450.
  16. ^ a b Swift, Orla (13 Jan 1991). "Name notwithstanding, Mellow Fellows can cook". Record-Journal. p. E2.
  17. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 27.
  18. ^ Joyce, Mike (10 May 1991). "Mellow Fellows Party on 'Street'". The Washington Post. p. N18.
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