Peace, Love & BBQ is an album by the American musician Marcia Ball, released in 2008.[1][2] Ball supported the album with a North American tour.[3]
| Peace, Love & BBQ | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Blues, R&B | |||
| Label | Alligator | |||
| Producer | Stephen Bruton | |||
| Marcia Ball chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart.[4] It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Album".[5]
Production
editThe album was produced by Stephen Bruton.[6] Ball wrote or cowrote eight of the album's songs.[7] Terrance Simien contributed to the album.[8] Tracy Nelson cowrote and duetted on "Where Do You Go?"[9] Dr. John sang on "I'll Never Be Free".[10] "I Wish You Well" is a cover of the Bill Withers song.[9] "Party Town" is about the rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.[11] Ball played accordion on "Miracle in Knoxville", about the death of a preacher during a tent revival.[12][13]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [9] |
| PopMatters | 5/10[14] |
The Times Colonist wrote that Ball "continues to mine the Gulf Coast's rich seam of swampy R&B with this collection of ballads and good-rockin' blues."[10] The Austin Chronicle noted that "the slight gruff of Ball's voice adds character where it lacks versatility and fervor, but her fingers are magic on the 88s and range through styles with ease."[15] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette concluded that, "with all its elegant, perceptive songwriting, rocking music and soulful presentation, the saucy BBQ is a very fine album."[16]
PopMatters determined that "Ball's strong, unapologetic voice disrupts any idea of easy packaging or smooth listening, which means we have to take the words she is belting seriously."[14] AllMusic deemed the album "lots of upbeat party tunes, a few peppy Cajun and Zydeco inflected zingers, some ballads, and a couple of love songs all delivered with Ball's husky, soulful voice and driven by her nimble boogie-woogie piano."[9] The Houston Press opined that "Peace, Love & BBQ finds a Texas favorite in a bit of a creative rut, though most of her faithful fans won't necessarily know the difference."[17]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Party Town" | |
| 2. | "Peace, Love & BBQ" | |
| 3. | "Miracle in Knoxville" | |
| 4. | "Watermelon Town" | |
| 5. | "Down in the Neighborhood" | |
| 6. | "Where Do You Go?" | |
| 7. | "My Heart and Soul" | |
| 8. | "I'll Never Be Free" | |
| 9. | "Married Life" | |
| 10. | "Falling Back in Love with You" | |
| 11. | "Right Back in It" | |
| 12. | "Ride It Out" | |
| 13. | "I Wish You Well" |
References
edit- ^ Spillane, Sean (13 Feb 2008). "Pianist Bell throws Mardi Gras party". Entertainment. Connecticut Post.
- ^ "Marcia Ball Biography by Mark Deming". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ Buckley, Michael (18 Apr 2008). "Music Box". Entertainment. The Capital. p. 4.
- ^ Holsey, Steve (7 May 2008). "Interestingly, the No. 1 album on the national Blues chart...". Michigan Chronicle. No. 34. p. D1.
- ^ "Marcia Ball". Recording Academy. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ Kell, Ellis (March 22, 2008). "Get a big helping of live blues in the Q-C". Dispatch–Argus.
- ^ Rose, Brian (18 Sep 2008). "Blues pianist is ready to pound the ivories here". Accent. Times-News. Burlington. p. 27.
- ^ Levesque, Roger (21 Aug 2008). "Audiences expect a 'kick-butt' show". Edmonton Journal. p. D1.
- ^ a b c d "Peace, Love & BBQ Review by Hal Horowitz". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ a b Blake, Joseph (30 Apr 2008). "Artists prove genre knows no boundaries". Times Colonist. p. C13.
- ^ Hallenbeck, Brent (5 June 2008). "On a high note". The Burlington Free Press. p. D10.
- ^ Kunian, David (May 1, 2008). "Marcia Ball, Peace, Love & BBQ". OffBeat.
- ^ Bream, Jon (12 Dec 2008). "The Big Gigs". Star Tribune. p. E6.
- ^ a b Gumbs, Alexis Pauline (12 May 2008). "Marcia Ball Peace, Love and BBQ". PopMatters. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ Freeman, Doug (April 11, 2008). "Marcia Ball Peace, Love & BBQ". The Austin Chronicle.
- ^ White, Jim (April 8, 2008). "Marcia Ball returns with 'Peace, Love & BBQ'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ Ruggiero, Bob (May 14, 2008). "Marcia Ball: Peace, Love & BBQ". Houston Press.