One Good Reason is the third solo studio album by the English singer-songwriter Paul Carrack, then a member of the rock supergroup Mike + The Mechanics. It was released in November 1987 by Chrysalis Records, five years after his previous studio album, Suburban Voodoo (1982). In the interim between solo albums, Carrack had been a member of Nick Lowe and his Cowboy Outfit, which released two studio albums in 1984 and 1985, and joined Mike + The Mechanics for their 1985 self-titled debut.
| One Good Reason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1987 | |||
| Recorded | late 1986 – March 1987 | |||
| Studio | Comforts Plac (Lingfield, Surrey) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:13 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Producer | Christopher Neil | |||
| Paul Carrack chronology | ||||
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Mike + The Mechanics drummer Peter Van Hooke and songwriter and record producer Christopher Neil also appear on the album, serving in the same roles they did for the Mechanics. The album includes two of Carrack's highest charting solo hits in the US, "Don't Shed a Tear" (which became a Top 10 hit, peaking at No. 9) and "One Good Reason" (which peaked at No. 28).[3]
In addition to "Don't Shed a Tear", three additional singles charted from the album, including a cover of the Jackie DeShannon classic, "When You Walk in the Room". The album's title track, another one of these singles, also cracked the Top 30 on the US chart.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| New Musical Express | 2/10[4] |
Jim Green of Trouser Press was not entirely enthusiastic about the album, writing: "Half of One Good Reason is decent-to-good, and the rest is mediocre-to-poor....it's got more radio-music slickness than Carrack's had in years but at the cost of some identity." Green notes that "It did yield a genuine not-bad pop hit ("Don't Shed a Tear")."[5]
AllMusic's Mike DeGagne retrospectively calls "Don't Shed a Tear" "the album's highlight, bolstered by its subtle, laid-back groove with a stop and start tempo which comes across as unique to a certain extent." But he castigated the rest of the record, saying that "while the songs are well-written lyrically, they're dispensed rather half-heartedly from a musical standpoint" and "It's apparent in tracks like 'Fire With Fire' and 'Give Me a Chance' that Paul Carrack has reached the point of pop pedestrianism."[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Good Reason" |
| 3:19 |
| 2. | "When You Walk in the Room" | Jackie DeShannon | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Button Off My Shirt" | 3:46 | |
| 4. | "Give Me a Chance" | Carrack | 4:51 |
| 5. | "Double It Up" |
| 3:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Don't Shed a Tear" |
| 4:55 |
| 7. | "Fire with Fire" |
| 3:59 |
| 8. | "Here I Am" |
| 4:00 |
| 9. | "Collrane" |
| 4:40 |
| 10. | "(Do I Figure) In Your Life" | Pete Dello | 2:16 |
| Total length: | 39:13 | ||
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[6]
Musicians
- Paul Carrack – lead vocals
- Paul "Wix" Wickens – keyboards
- Tim Renwick – guitars
- Peter Van Hooke – drums
- Frank Ricotti – percussion
- John "Irish" Earle – saxophone (7)
- Jackie Rawe – backing vocals
- Linda Taylor – duet vocals (2)
Production and artwork
- Christopher Neil – producer
- Simon Hurrell – engineer
- Pete Woodroffe – engineer
- Peter Corriston – art direction
- Mark Cozza – design
- Brian Griffin – photography
- Recorded at Comforts Place (Lingfield, Surrey, UK).
- Mixed at The Farm (Surrey, UK).
References
edit- ^ Deggans, Eric (1998). "Paul Carrack/Ace". In Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 200–201.
- ^ a b c DeGagne, Mike. Paul Carrack - One Good Reason (1987) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ Paul Carrack USA chart history, Billboard.com. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
- ^ Weir, Patrick (12 December 1987). "Paul Carrack: One Good Reason". New Musical Express. p. 36.
- ^ Green, Jim. "Paul Carrack's albums". Trouser Press. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ One Good Reason liner notes. Chrysalis Records. 1987.
External links
edit- One Good Reason at Discogs (list of releases)