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Romantic Depressive

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Romantic Depressive
Studio album by
Don Dixon
Released1995
LabelSugar Hill
ProducerMark Williams, Don Dixon
Don Dixon chronology
(If) I'm a Ham, Well You're a Sausage
(1992) 		Romantic Depressive
(1995) 		The Invisible Man
(2000)

Romantic Depressive is an album by the American musician Don Dixon, released in 1995 via Sugar Hill Records.[1][2] The album was part of an attempt by Sugar Hill to expand its roster beyond a traditional acoustic style.[3] Dixon supported the album with a North American tour that included shows opening for Hootie & the Blowfish.[4][5] Romantic Depressive was nominated for a NAIRD Indie Award.[6]

Production

[edit]

Produced by Mark Williams and Dixon, the songs were recorded over a period of four years.[7][1] Dixon pulled from a pool of 30 songs.[8] He played most of the instruments.[9] The first half of the album is about romantic relationships; Dixon considered turning Romantic Depressive into a kind of concept album.[1][10] "Lottery of Lives" is about the military draft.[1] "Good Golly Svengali" is an instrumental.[11] "25,000 Days" was cowritten by Marti Jones, Dixon's wife; Sugar Hill had originally wanted an album of Dixon-Jones duets.[12][13] Bland Simpson played piano on "I Should Know Better".[14]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Charlotte Observer[15]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[16]
USA Today[17]

USA Today praised Dixon's "well-crafted songs and bluesy, Southern-soul rasp."[17] The Santa Fe New Mexican called the album "a tuneful journey through the convolutions of a gently twisted sensibility," writing that "the real genius of these songs is how deceptively simple they seem."[12] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch determined that "Dixon once again fashions a sound that mixes the melodic qualities of Beatles-styled pop, the gritty groove of soul and a bit of country twang."[10] Stereo Review stated that "Dixon's subject matter is evenly divided between doleful reminiscences about love's labors and reflections on himself and the world from the vantage point of midlife."[14] The Charlotte Observer opined that "the songs are too laid-back."[15]

AllMusic noted that "everything here sheds new light on old traditions ... the sound is dense without being muddy, snappy without being shallow."[9] The Star-Gazette listed the album among the 10 best of 1995.[18] In 2008, the Pittsburgh City Paper deemed Romantic Depressive "old-school soul-pop."[19]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Righteous Side of Love" 
2."Giving Up the Ghost" 
3."I Should Know Better" 
4."Angel Angel" 
5."Everytime I Think of Home" 
6."What You Saw" 
7."Peace for the Last Time" 
8."Good Golly Svengali" 
9."25,000 Days" 
10."Lottery of Lives" 
11."Never Slow Down" 

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Menconi, David (Feb 25, 1995). "Don Dixon's sweet return on the growing Sugar Hill". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 8. p. 16.
  2. ^ "Don Dixon Biography by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  3. ^ Menconi, David (26 Mar 1995). "Climbing Sugar Hill". The News & Observer. p. G1.
  4. ^ Porter, Mark (5 May 1995). "Producer Steps Back Out Front". Previews. The Record. Bergen County. p. 12.
  5. ^ Charles, Jeff (2 Aug 1995). "Hootie & the Blowfish hooks sold-out crowd". Houston. Houston Chronicle. p. 1.
  6. ^ "NAIRD's '95 Indie Award nominees". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 19. May 11, 1996. p. 50.
  7. ^ "Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 20. May 20, 1995. p. 52.
  8. ^ Phialas, Mark (24 Mar 1995). "Dixon, Sugar Hill Collaborate Beautifully". Preview. The Herald-Sun. p. 5.
  9. ^ a b c "Romantic Depressive Review by Rick Anderson". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  10. ^ a b Sculley, Alan (3 Aug 1995). "Lovelorn Again". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 12.
  11. ^ Menconi, David (26 Mar 1995). "The Pop and Soul Survive on Don Dixon's New Sugar Hill Album". The News & Observer. p. G1.
  12. ^ a b Prince, David (9 June 1995). "Like Costello, songwriter/ vocalist/ bassist Don Dixon...". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 21.
  13. ^ McGuinness, Jim (15 Nov 1996). "Lost Her Label, Had a Baby, Cut Her Hair". Previews. The Record. Bergen County. p. 37.
  14. ^ a b Puterbaugh, Parke (Jan 1996). "Romantic Depressive by Don Dixon". Stereo Review. Vol. 61, no. 1. p. 101.
  15. ^ a b Tomlinson, Tommy (31 Mar 1995). "Pop". The Charlotte Observer. p. 5F.
  16. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 210.
  17. ^ a b Ayers, Anne (23 May 1995). "Don Dixon, Romantic Depressive". USA Today. p. 8D.
  18. ^ Aloi, Daniel (28 Dec 1995). "Pop Begins to Get Smart Again". Time Out. Star-Gazette. p. 4.
  19. ^ Parker, Chris (June 26, 2008). "Southern pop architect Don Dixon performs at Club Café". Music. Pittsburgh City Paper.
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