Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Stand Still, Look Pretty

 
Album Review: Stand Still, Look Pretty
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Albums

Stand Still, Look Pretty

Buy Now

Similar Albums:

Did I Shave My Legs for This?, Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors, Show Me How, Breathe, All Country Dance, Perfectly Clear, Fly, Flicka [Original Soundtrack], Southern Star, No Fences, Martina
  • Artist: The Wreckers
  • Rating: StarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: May 23, 2006
  • Type: Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Country

Review

Sometime between the release of her second album Hotel Paper in 2003 and the birth of her first child in 2005, Michelle Branch decided that she was tired of following the adult alternative career path that she'd been pursuing since her 2001 debut Spirit Room. She made no bones about her frustration, memorably posting on her website in late 2005 that she was "tired of sucking ***** to get my music heard" in the course of an inspired rant in which she vented her frustration at the music biz and everything that surrounded it. It was a ballsy move, but it did accomplish its desired effect of loosening the log-jam that stalled her career, particularly her plans to release a duet album with her friend and collaborator Jessica Harp under the name the Wreckers. Branch received resistance from her label, not just because she wanted to trade in her solo career for life in a group, but because the Wreckers were a country duo, and the shift in sound was as risky as the decision to be part of a band. At least it must have seemed that way on paper, but in practice, the duo's debut Stand Still, Look Pretty doesn't seem like a radical departure from Branch's solo albums. Sure, there are fiddles, acoustic guitars, and twangy Telecasters instead of layers of synths, but the album is pitched halfway between Sheryl Crow and the Dixie Chicks, spiked with enough mainstream country-pop sheen to have it fit comfortably next to Miranda Lambert on the airwaves, but not enough to change the overall feeling that this record is a rootsy AAA record at its heart -- not far from Crow and the Dixie Chicks. It's a subtle change from Branch's previous work, but it does pay off significant dividends in a number of ways. First off all, Branch sounds at ease as part of a duo, and this truly is an equal partnership; in fact, Harp bears more songwriting credits than Branch does here, including two cuts that are hers alone ("Tennessee" and "Cigarettes"). Second, the clean-but-natural production is better suited to Branch's strengths than the stilted glossy sound of Hotel Paper, letting her songs stand on their own merits. And if she sounded a little tentative and fuzzy on her sophomore solo effort, she sounds focused here, thanks in large part to working with Harp, who helps draw out the earnest likeability that made Spirit Room appealing. It also helps that the Wreckers, in true country fashion, also cut a few professionally written tunes, such as the glittering opening cut "Leave the Pieces," that help keep this cohesive and entertaining. Not that there isn't a stumble or two along the way -- the anti-fame ruminations of the title track is too navel-gazing for country both in its topic and its moody dirge -- but the great majority of Stand Still, Look Pretty is tuneful, tastefully rootsy, and quite engaging country-pop. Based on this enjoyable album, if Branch decides to ditch her solo career to devote herself full-time to the Wreckers, it'd be a smart decision. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Leave the Pieces (Lyrics) Bill Austin, Jennifer Hanson The Wreckers (3:30)
Way Back Home (Lyrics) Michelle Branch, Jessica Harp The Wreckers (3:18)
The Good Kind Jessica Harp, Michelle Branch The Wreckers (3:46)
Tennessee (Lyrics) Jessica Harp The Wreckers (4:21)
My, Oh My (Lyrics) Wayne Kirkpatrick, Jessica Harp, Michelle Branch, Josh Leo The Wreckers (3:31)
Stand Still, Look Pretty (Lyrics) Michelle Branch, Jessica Harp The Wreckers (2:46)
Cigarettes (Lyrics) Jessica Harp The Wreckers (3:19)
Hard to Love You (Lyrics) Michelle Branch, John Leventhal The Wreckers (3:52)
Lay Me Down (Lyrics) Jessica Harp, Greg Wells, Michelle Branch The Wreckers (3:35)
One More Girl Patty Griffin The Wreckers (5:18)
Rain (Lyrics) Michelle Branch The Wreckers (4:06)
Crazy People (Lyrics) Michelle Branch, Jessica Harp The Wreckers (3:09)
Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Wikipedia: Stand Still, Look Pretty
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Stand Still, Look Pretty
Studio album by The Wreckers
Released May 23, 2006 (U.S.)
Recorded October 18, 2004 – July 28, 2005
Genre Country
Length 44:37
Label Maverick
Producer John Leventhal, Rick Depoli, John Shanks, Michelle Branch, Paul Worley
Professional reviews
Singles from Stand Still, Look Pretty
  1. "Leave the Pieces"
    Released: February 7, 2006
  2. "My, Oh My"
    Released: September 2006
  3. "Tennessee"
    Released: March 2007

Stand Still, Look Pretty is the debut album by the duo The Wreckers, a country pop duo consisting of Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp. It was released in the United States on May 23, 2006 (see 2006 in music) and has been released in other countries.

The album debuted at number fourteen on the U.S. Billboard 200 with 44,000 copies sold in its first week.[1] In September 2006, the RIAA certified Stand Still, Look Pretty Gold for shipments to retailers of 500,000 copies.[2] The album sold 851,000 copies in the U.S. up to March 2009.[3]

The first single, "Leave the Pieces", peaked at number thirty-four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot Country Songs chart.[4] In December 2006, The Wreckers were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the song.[5] The second single, "My, Oh My", reached number eighty-seven on the Hot 100 and the Top Ten on the Hot Country Songs chart. The third and final single, "Tennessee", reached #33 on the Hot Country Songs chart.[4] Another track, "The Good Kind", was featured on the teen soap opera One Tree Hill in early 2005, after which it appeared at number fifteen on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[6]

Track listing

  1. "Leave the Pieces" (Billy Austin, Jennifer Hanson) – 3:31
  2. "Way Back Home" (Michelle Branch, Jessica Harp) – 3:18
  3. "The Good Kind" (Branch, Harp) – 3:45
  4. "Tennessee" (Harp) – 4:21
  5. "My, Oh My" (Branch, Harp, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Josh Leo) – 3:30
  6. "Stand Still, Look Pretty" (Branch, Harp) – 2:46
  7. "Cigarettes" (Harp) – 3:18
  8. "Hard to Love You" (Branch, John Leventhal) – 3:52
  9. "Lay Me Down" (Branch, Harp, Greg Wells) – 3:35
  10. "One More Girl" (Patty Griffin) – 5:18
  11. "Rain" (Branch) – 4:05
  12. "Crazy People" (Branch, Harp) – 3:09
  13. "Leave the Pieces" (pop edit) 1
  14. "Tennessee" (live) 2

1 Track 13 on the Australian edition.

2 On bonus version with DVD.

DVD includes:

  1. Making of the "Leave the Pieces" music video
  2. "Leave the Pieces" music video

Wal-Mart/Digital Edition

This edition consists of an interview with Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp regarding each song and the story behind it.

  1. "The Wreckers Interview Intro
  2. "The Wreckers Interview Track 1
  3. "Leave The Pieces"
  4. "The Wreckers Interview Track 2
  5. "Way Back Home"
  6. "The Wreckers Interview Track 3
  7. "The Good Kind"
  8. "The Wreckers Interview Track 4"
  9. "Tennesee"
  10. "The Wreckers Interview Track 5"
  11. "My, Oh My"
  12. "The Wreckers Interview Track 6"
  13. "Stand Still Look Pretty"
  14. "The Wreckers Interview Track 7"
  15. "Cigarettes"
  16. "The Wreckers Interview Track 8"
  17. "Hard To Love You"
  18. "The Wreckers Interview Track 9"
  19. "Lay Me Down"
  20. "The Wreckers Interview Track 10"
  21. "Hard To Love You"
  22. "The Wreckers Interview Track 11"
  23. "Rain"
  24. "The Wreckers Interview Track 12"
  25. "Crazy People"
  26. "The Wreckers Interview Track 13"
  27. "The Wreckers Interview Track 14"

Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
Billboard 200 (U.S.) 14
Top Country Albums (U.S.) 4
Top Country Albums (UK) 1

References

  1. ^ Hasty, Kate. "Dixie Chicks' 'Long Way' Nests In At No. 1". Billboard. May 31, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  2. ^ "Gold and Platinum - Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  3. ^ Trust, Gary (2009-03-13). "Ask Billboard: Pink, Katy Perry". Billboard (magazine). http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/thisday/ask-billboard-pink-katy-perry-1003951420.story. Retrieved 2009-03-19. 
  4. ^ a b "The Wreckers - Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
  5. ^ "FOX Facts: Complete List of Grammy Award Nominations". Associated Press. December 7, 2006. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  6. ^ "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles - The Good Kind". Billboard. March 5, 2005. Retrieved October 25, 2007.
v • d • e
The Wreckers
Michelle Branch · Jessica Harp
Albums
Stand Still, Look Pretty (2006) · Way Back Home: Live at New York City (2007)
Singles
"The Good Kind" · "I'm Feeling You" · "Leave the Pieces" · "My, Oh My" · "Tennessee"
Michelle Branch
Albums
Broken Bracelet (2000) · The Spirit Room (2001) · Hotel Paper (2003) · Everything Comes and Goes (2010)
Singles
"Everywhere" · "All You Wanted" · "The Game of Love" · "Goodbye to You" · "Are You Happy Now?" · "Breathe" · "'Til I Get Over You" · "I'm Feeling You" · "Sooner or Later"
Jessica Harp
Albums
A Woman Needs (2010)
Singles
Related topics

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Stand Still, Look Pretty".  Read more