Dolls of Highland is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician Kyle Craft. It was released on April 29, 2016 through Sub Pop record label.
| Dolls of Highland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 29, 2016 | |||
| Length | 44:30 | |||
| Label | Sub Pop | |||
| Producer | Kyle Craft | |||
| Kyle Craft chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
| Paste | 8/10[4] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10[5] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[6] |
| Record Collector | [7] |
| The Skinny | [8] |
Dolls of Highland received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 79, which indicates "generally positive reviews", based on 7 reviews.[1] AllMusic critic Mark Donelson gave the album a positive review, stating: "Taken together, Craft delivers a fun and loose breakup album replete with colorful characters, memorable tunes, and an even more memorable vocal delivery--a noteworthy debut."[2] The Guardian's Dave Simpson described the record as a "brilliant, rollicking debut," which "hurls together Craft’s Dylan-meets-Brett Anderson holler with rollicking ragtime stomp, reminiscent of vintage Cockney Rebel or early Suede."[3] Tiffany Daniels of Paste described Craft as "an unlikely hero of rock music", stating that he’s "created a noteworthy, potentially groundbreaking debut album in Dolls of Highland."[4]
Stuart Berman of Pitchfork praised the album, stating: "Craft’s outsized personality is matched by less flashy, more fundamental skills: vivid, immersive storytelling and sharply focused, fat-free songs that have the lived-in feel of 40-year-old FM-radio favorites."[5] PopMatters' Chris Ingalis described the record as "the sound of a young man returning home to chronicle his small town roots with the use of his ample talents" and "an exhilarating ride from start to finish."[6] David Harvey of Record Collector magazine compared the album to the works of Bowie, Dylan and Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player-era Elton John, writing: "There are touches of My Morning Jacket in the vocals too, but in chief it is the already-mentioned artists who dominate Dolls Of Highland and if you’ve been missing them a lot, then this is an album not to be missed, filled with yearning and melody."[7] Uncut magazine described the album as "a head-turning mix, a sort of pop-art take on Southern gothic, and highly infectious."[9]
Nevertheless, Duncan Harman of The Skinny gave the album a mixed review, stating: "Craft’s nutcracker vocals and lyrical self-exposure never quite as endearing as they threaten to be."[8]
Track listing
editAll songs are written by Kyle Craft.
- "Eye of a Hurricane" — 4:31
- "Balmorhea" — 3:01
- "Berlin" — 4:17
- "Lady of the Ark" — 5:06
- "Gloom Girl" — 4:49
- "Trinidad Beach (Before I Ride)" — 2:10
- "Future Midcity Massacre" — 3:07
- "Black Mary" — 3:36
- "Pentecost" — 4:01
- "Dolls of Highland" — 1:27
- "Jane Beat the Reaper" — 4:23
- "Three Candles" — 4:02
Personnel
editAlbum personnel as adapted from album liner notes:[10]
- Kyle Craft – performer
- Opi Gridwald – trumpet (5)
- Jacob Disedare – drums (7); backing vocals (10)
- John Martin – backing vocals (10)
- Laura Thompson – backing vocals (10)
- Melissa Disedare – backing vocals (10)
- Stevey Hensley – upright bass (12)
- Benjamin Weikel (The Helio Sequence) – mixing
- Brandon Summers (The Helio Sequence) – mixing
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Andrew Toups – photography
- Sasha Barr – art direction
References
edit- ^ a b "Dolls Of Highland by Kyle Craft". Metacritic. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Donelson, Marcy. "Kyle Craft - Dolls of Highland". AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Simpson, Dave (April 28, 2016). "Kyle Craft: Dolls of Highland review – brilliant, rollicking debut". The Guardian. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Daniels, Tiffany (April 29, 2016). "Kyle Craft: Dolls of Highland Review". Paste. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Berman, Stuart (April 25, 2016). "Kyle Craft - Dolls of Highland". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Ingalis, Chris (April 27, 2016). "Kyle Craft - Dolls of Highland". PopMatters. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Harvey, David (June 2016). "Kyle Craft - Dolls of Highland". Record Collector. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Harman, Duncan (April 8, 2016). "Kyle Craft – Dolls of Highland". The Skinny. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ "Kyle Craft - Dolls of Highland". Uncut: 73. July 2016.
- ^ Kyle Craft — Dolls of Highlandalbum liner notes.
External links
edit- Dolls of Highland at Discogs (list of releases)