A Few Small Repairs
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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A Few Small Repairs
- Artist: Shawn Colvin
- Rating:
- Release Date: October 01, 1996
- Total Time: 51:09
- Type: Lyrics are included with the album
- Genre: Rock
Review
A Few Small Repairs, the proper follow-up to Fat City, was recorded on the heels of Shawn Colvin's divorce. And while the album is certainly a response, she avoids the obvious clichés in dealing with the aftermath, revealing instead the complex thought processes and complete range of human emotion, from anger, sadness, confusion, yearning, and disillusionment to resolve and recovery. Colvin has always been a songwriter of note, but with A Few Small Repairs, she reaches new heights, painting hauntingly vivid images that address not only relationships but also life in general with great insight. The subject matter predictably gives a generally dark mood to the album, but musically, the results are both diverse and irresistibly catchy. A Few Small Repairs marks a reunion with former collaborator/producer John Leventhal, and the two have found a perfect blend between words, music, and tasteful, organic arrangements for Colvin's finest effort to date. ~ Chris Woodstra, Rovi| A Few Small Fish (Album by Michele Womble) | |
| A Few Songs for Christmas (2007 Album by Trace Bundy) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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A Few Small Repairs
| A Few Small Repairs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover to the standard edition of the album |
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| Studio album by Shawn Colvin | ||||
| Released | October 1, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Rock, Contemporary Folk | |||
| Length | 51:09 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | John Leventhal | |||
| Shawn Colvin chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
(UK re-issue)
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| Singles from A Few Small Repairs | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[1] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [2] |
A Few Small Repairs is Shawn Colvin's fourth album. It was released on October 1, 1996.[3]
A Few Small Repairs is a concept album about divorce, as Shawn Colvin's marriage was ending. At the time of the album's release, she had relocated to Austin, Texas.[4] The biggest single off the album was "Sunny Came Home", which was released in 1997. The cover of this album is a picture of a three-eyed woman with a lit match, presumably Sunny. The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 7[5], and topped the Adult Contemporary[6], Adult Top 40[7], and Top 40 Adult Recurrents[8] charts the same year.
Another notable song off the album was "Nothin' On Me", which peaked at number 24 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart.[9] The song was also used on Suddenly Susan as its theme song from 1997 to 2000.[10] Colvin appeared on the show in the second season episode Ready ... aim ... Fong!.[11] She performed the song on the show.
Grammy success came to Colvin two years after the release of A Few Small Repairs. In the 1997 Grammy Awards, she was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award for "Get Out of This House" and Best Pop Album for A Few Small Repairs.[12] At the next year's Grammy Awards, Colvin was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Sunny Came Home". She won both awards (Leventhal also won Song of the Year).[13] As Colvin started her speech after winning Song of the Year, rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard stormed the stage protesting his loss of an award that same night, saying, "...I don't know how you all see it, but when it comes to the children, Wu-Tang is for the children..." leading him to be escorted off stage.[14] Colvin continued speaking, remarking, "I'm really confused now!"[15]
Overall, A Few Small Repairs made it to number 39 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.[16] The painting on the album's cover is by Julie Speed, one of Colvin's friends.[17]
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Contents
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Track listing
All songs written and composed by Shawn Colvin and John Leventhal, except where noted[18].
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sunny Came Home" | 4:24 | |
| 2. | "Get Out of This House" | 4:15 | |
| 3. | "The Facts About Jimmy" | 5:22 | |
| 4. | "You and the Mona Lisa" | 4:05 | |
| 5. | "Trouble" (Colvin, Leventhal, Tom Littlefield) | 4:18 | |
| 6. | "I Want It Back" | 4:55 | |
| 7. | "If I Were Brave" (Colvin) | 3:11 | |
| 8. | "Wichita Skyline" | 3:39 | |
| 9. | "84,000 Different Delusions" | 4:01 | |
| 10. | "Suicide Alley" | 5:29 | |
| 11. | "What I Get Paid For" (Colvin, Neil Finn) (only on Sunny Came Home single) | 3:23 | |
| 12. | "New Thing Now" (Colvin) | 3:34 | |
| 13. | "Nothin' On Me" | 3:56 |
Personnel
- Shawn Colvin – guitar, vocals
- John Leventhal – electric guitars, acoustic guitars
- Michael Rhodes – bass
- Shawn Pelton – drums
References
- ^ Cannon, Bob (October 25, 1996). "Music Review: A Few Small Repairs". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/review/music/0,6115,294681_4. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ Hochman, Steve (1996-12-06). "ALBUM REVIEWS / POP; Shawn Colvin, "A Few Small Repairs," Columbia. (** 1/2)" (Newspaper). Los Angeles Times. p. 4.
- ^ "A Few Small Repairs". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r240884. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ "Lebanon Opera House presents Shawn Colvin". Lebanon Opera House. http://www.lebanonoperahouse.org/events/event_detail.asp?id=270.[dead link]
- ^ Billboard (1997-07-26). "The Billboard Hot 100 Sunny Came Home". Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3027477&cdi=7208115&cid=07%2F26%2F1997. Retrieved 2009-02-07.[dead link]
- ^ Billboard (1997-08-09). "Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Sunny Came Home". Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=341&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Adult+Contemporary+Tracks&ci=3027708&cdi=7215660&cid=08%2F09%2F1997. Retrieved 2009-02-07\.[dead link]
- ^ Billboard (1997-06-28). "Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Sunny Came Home". Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=343&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Adult+Top+40+Tracks&ci=3027106&cdi=7194410&cid=06%2F28%2F1997. Retrieved 2009-02-07.[dead link]
- ^ Billboard (1997-12-27). "Hot Adult Top 40 Recurrents Sunny Came Home". Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=380&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Adult+Top+40+Recurrents&ci=3029044&cdi=7262042&cid=12%2F27%2F1997. Retrieved 2009-02-07\.[dead link]
- ^ Billboard (1998-05-02). "The Billboard Hot 100 Sunny Came Home". Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=343&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Adult+Top+40+Tracks&ci=3030321&cdi=7307563&cid=05%2F02%2F1998. Retrieved 2009-02-07\.[dead link]
- ^ "IMDB: Full Cast and Crew for Suddenly Susan". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115376/fullcredits. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ "Suddenly Susan: Ready ... aim ... Fong!". TV.com. http://www.tv.com/suddenly-susan/ready-...-aim-...-fong!/episode/37947/summary.html. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ "Rock On The Net: 39th Annual Grammy Awards - 1997". Rock On The Net. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1997/grammys.htm. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ "Rock On The Net: 40th Annual Grammy Awards - 1998". Rock On The Net. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1998/grammys.htm. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ "Wu-Tang's O.D.B. Bumrushes Grammy Podium". MTV News. Archived from the original on 2002-10-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20021024232139/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1429493/02251998/ghostface_killah.jhtml.[dead link]
- ^ Lyndsey Parker. "40th Annual Grammy Award Lowdown". Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12051617. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ Billboard (1996-10-19). "The Billboard 200 A Few Small Repairs". Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=305&cfgn=Albums&cfn=The+Billboard+200&ci=3024740&cdi=7109164&cid=10%2F19%2F1996. Retrieved 2009-02-07.[dead link]
- ^ "Sunny Came Home by Shawn Colvin". SongFacts.com. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3442. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
- ^ A Few Small Repairs (CD). Columbia Records. 1996. CK 67119.
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