Firecracker is the second solo studio album by Lisa Loeb. It was released in 1997 through Geffen Records. Its cover features original artwork by illustrator Mark Miller, who transposed Loeb on to one of his original artworks, "Kitten".[1]
| Firecracker | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 11, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 46:14 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Producer |
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| Lisa Loeb chronology | ||||
| ||||
Composition and production
editLoeb frames Firecracker as "sort of a sequel" to her first album Tails, noting, for example, that the song "Split Second" "evolved musically out of the previous album's 'Taffy'".[1]
The album was produced with Juan Patino, "with an ear for greater 'orchestration'" to reflect the dual influence of classical music and 70s pop on Loeb. She cited two things as particularly influential on the composition of the album: touring with Lyle Lovett and performing at the inaugural Lilith Fair festival.[1]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C[4] |
| Pitchfork | 8.8/10[5] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
| Spin | 5/10[8] |
| Uncut | [9] |
| Wall of Sound | 42/100[10] |
The album was met with mixed reviews upon release. Rolling Stone labeled it a "disappointing" return that felt like "the sound of a songwriter stumbling toward adulthood with a sophomore's two left feet."[11] Entertainment Weekly declared it a, "well-crafted but largely soporific" that "could have benefited from some extra gunpowder."[12] Spin , meanwhile, found it "underwhelming and middlebrow, overproduced and pointlessly moody."[8]
Charts
editThe album was certified Gold in the U.S. and Canada and was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
The first single from the album, "I Do" hit #17 on the U.S. Billboard Charts, her third Top 20 single after "Stay (I Missed You)" and "Do You Sleep?". The single also hit #1 in Canada.
The follow-up single, "Let's Forget About It" hit #71 in the U.S. and #21 in Canada. "Truthfully" was also issued as a single in Japan.
Weekly charts
edit| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] | 182 |
| 1997 | New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14] | 31 |
| 1997 | Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] | 57 |
| 1997 | US Billboard 200[15] | 88 |
| 1997 | Canadian Album Chart[16] | 53 |
| 1997 | Japan Album Chart[17] | 10 |
Use in popular culture
editThe song, "How", was used in the feature films, Twister and Jack Frost.
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Lisa Loeb, except where indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Do" | 3:39 | |
| 2. | "Falling in Love" | 4:05 | |
| 3. | "Truthfully" | 2:58 | |
| 4. | "Let's Forget About It" |
| 2:43 |
| 5. | "How" | 3:49 | |
| 6. | "Furious Rose" | 3:22 | |
| 7. | "Wishing Heart" | 2:52 | |
| 8. | "Dance with the Angels" | 3:38 | |
| 9. | "Jake" | 3:03 | |
| 10. | "This" | 3:28 | |
| 11. | "Split Second" | 2:37 | |
| 12. | "Firecracker" | 5:43 | |
| Total length: | 46:14 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Guessing Game" (European and Japanese releases) | 4:02 |
| 14. | "Eno Ambient #5" (Japanese release) |
References
edit- ^ a b c Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1997.
- ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Firecracker – Lisa Loeb – Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- ^ Webber, Brad (November 21, 1997). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. G43. ProQuest 2277436494.
- ^ "Music Review: 'Firecracker'". Ew.com. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ Whitaker, Lang. "Lisa Loeb: Firecracker: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 6, 2005. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Firecracker". Rolling Stone. No. 774. November 27, 1997. p. 110. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009.
- ^ Randall, Mac (2004). "Lisa Loeb". In Brackett, Nathan (ed.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 493. ISBN 9780743201698.
- ^ a b France, Kim (February 1998). "Reviews". Spin. 14 (2). SPIN Media, LLC: 103.
- ^ Hogan, Peter (March 1998). "Lisa Loeb: Firecracker". Uncut. No. 10. p. 79.
- ^ Himmelsbach, Erik. "Wall of Sound Review: Firecracker". Wall of Sound. Archived from the original on April 14, 2001. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Lisa Loeb: Firecracker : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. February 1, 2009. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
- ^ November 14, Scott Schinder Updated; EST, 1997 at 05:00 AM. "Music Review: 'Firecracker'". EW.com. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2017-01-20". Imgur.com. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
- ^ a b "Lisa Loeb - Firecracker". Charts.nz. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Billboard – Lisa Loeb Charts Lynne Segall Billboard Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. November 24, 1997. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ "Billboard" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com. November 15, 1997. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- Bessman, Jim (October 4, 1997). "Loeb makes noise with 'Firecracker' set on Geffen". Billboard. New York. pp. 18, 24. ISSN 0006-2510.
External links
edit- Firecracker at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- Firecracker at Discogs (list of releases)
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