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Old Enough (album)

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Old Enough
Studio album by
Released1982
StudioMuscle Shoals Sound Studio
GenreBlues, pop, blues rock, R&B
LabelAsylum
ProducerGlenn Frey, Jerry Wexler
Lou Ann Barton chronology
Austin Festival
(1979)
Old Enough
(1982)
Forbidden Tones
(1986)

Old Enough is an album by the American musician Lou Ann Barton, released in 1982.[1][2] It was a commercial disappointment that resulted in personal and music business problems for Barton.[3][4] The album was reissued in 1993 and in 2007.[5][6]

Production

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The album was produced by Glenn Frey and Jerry Wexler.[7] It was Frey's first time producing another musician's work.[8] Old Enough was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, where Barton was backed by the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.[9][10] Jimmie Vaughan played guitar on the album.[11] "It's Raining" was written by Allen Toussaint.[12] "Finger Poppin' Time" is a cover of the Hank Ballard song; "Brand New Lover" is a cover of the Marshall Crenshaw song.[6][7] "The Sudden Stop" is a cover of the song made famous by Percy Sledge.[13]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Robert ChristgauC+[14]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide[15]
Rolling Stone[16]

The New York Times called the album "the freshest, most emotionally compelling pop debut in the last year," stating that "it's difficult to make gritty, soulful albums these days; transistorized recording equipment and advanced computer technology get in the way... But Mr. Wexler and Mr. Frey have been able to get a band sound out of their Muscle Shoals musicians that's full, rich and centered, a sound with a bluesy edge."[8] The Globe and Mail noted the "pure rhythm and blues."[10] The Washington Post wrote that "Barton's style has a smoky nasality appropriate for a blues vocalist, but there's a gutsy quality often lacking in female blues covers."[12] Robert Christgau panned Barton's "tractability," opining that she adopted different personas for her producers.[14]

AllMusic deemed the album "a solid piece of soulful Texas-style blues-rock."[9]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."I'm Old Enough" 
2."Brand New Lover" 
3."It's Raining" 
4."It Ain't Right" 
5."Finger Poppin' Time" 
6."Stop These Teardrops" 
7."The Sudden Stop" 
8."The Doodle Song" 
9."Maybe" 
10."Every Day of the Week" 

References

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  1. ^ Racine, Marty (23 Nov 1986). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 11.
  2. ^ Hoekstra, Dave (7 Aug 1987). "Steppin' Out". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 7.
  3. ^ Derwae, Robert (23 June 1989). "It's been seven years since Texas singer...". The Plain Dealer.
  4. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 37.
  5. ^ McLeese, Don (5 Jan 1993). "Alone Star label fades to 'temporarily retired' status". Austin American-Statesman. p. C5.
  6. ^ a b Moser, Margaret (July 27, 2007). "Lou Ann Barton Old Enough". The Austin Chronicle.
  7. ^ a b McLeese, Don (16 Mar 1993). "Melodious Views". Austin American-Statesman. p. F5.
  8. ^ a b Palmer, Robert (17 Feb 1982). "The Pop Life: A New Singer Beats the Odds, and All Win". The New York Times. p. C17.
  9. ^ a b c "Old Enough Review by Stewart Mason". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  10. ^ a b Niester, Alan (27 Mar 1982). "Old Enough Lou Ann Barton". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
  11. ^ "Lou Ann Barton Biography by Richard Skelly". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  12. ^ a b Browning, Boo (March 5, 1982). "Lou Ann Barton's 'Old Enough'". The Washington Post.
  13. ^ Toombs, Mikel (20 May 1993). "Short Takes". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 27.
  14. ^ a b "Lou Ann Barton". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  15. ^ MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 19.
  16. ^ Kiely, John (6 Apr 1993). "While the album rated four stars in Rolling Stone...". The Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. C6.