Whisper Tames the Lion is the second album by the American band Drivin' n' Cryin', released in 1988.[3][4] "Powerhouse" was released as single.[5] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[6] The album peaked at No. 130 on the Billboard 200.[7] It sold more than 70,000 copies in its first year of release.[8]
Production
Recorded in New York City, the album was produced by Anton Fier.[9] Jeff Sullivan joined the band on drums, although Fier drummed on most of the tracks.[10][11] Frontman Kevn Kinney considered the band's sound to be an amalgamation of styles but described himself as a folk singer.[12] "Check Your Tears at the Door" is narrated by a recently deceased young man.[13]Bernie Worrell played keyboards on "Good Day Every Day".[14] "On a Clear Daze" employed acoustic guitar and mandolin.[15]
Trouser Press wrote that the album "focuses the trio's musical attack while maintaining the polystylistic approach."[11] The Orlando Sentinel noted: "Call it eclecticism, diversity or simply musical schizophrenia, but this album veers from one extreme to the other throughout."[19]The Atlanta Constitution opined that "there are a few overproduced tracks ... and a few glutinous violins ... [but the album] hews mostly to the band's unadorned strengths."[13]
The State concluded that "Catch the Wind" "is the best Byrds song Roger McGuinn never wrote."[20]LA Weekly determined that Whisper Tames the Lion "points new directions in backward-looking alterno-pop."[21]The Morning Call panned "the combination of heavy metal and folk music."[2] The North Bay Nugget determined that the band "bring a respectability to heavy rock that has been missing since the mid-Seventies."[1]
AllMusic wrote that the band was "still inflected with hillbilly/bluegrass roots and edging ever closer toward the hard rock sound they would ultimately embrace."[16]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Drivin' n' Cryin' (Kevn Kinney, Tim Nielsen, and Jeff Sullivan)
^ abMcAnulty, Drew (5 May 1988). "Whisper Tames the Lion". North Bay Nugget. p. 28.
^ abcFisher, Harry (16 Apr 1988). "Records". The Morning Call. p. A75.
^Healy, James (27 Mar 1988). "Whisper Tames the Lion". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 1.
^Abrahams, Andrew (May 30, 1988). "Picks & Pans: Song". People. Vol. 29, no. 21. p. 26.
^Meyer, Stuart (Apr 16, 1988). "New on the Charts". Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 16. p. 30.
^Racine, Marty (19 May 1988). "Anderson Fair is back on track with acoustic, folk music". Weekend Preview. Houston Chronicle. p. 4.
^Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Albums: Includes Every Album that Made the Billboard 200 Chart : 50 Year History of the Rock Era. Record Research Incorporated. p. 313.
^Wirt, John (21 Apr 1989). "Southern Rock Band Riding Wave of College Raves". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. B5.
