Sassafrass!

Sassafrass!
Sassafrass!
Studio album by Tami Neilson
Released	1 June 2018
Genre	Country; rockabilly;
Label	Neilson Records; Outside Music;
Producer	Ben Edwards, Tami Neilson
Tami Neilson chronology
Singles from Sassafrass!
	"Stay Outta My Business"; Released: 23 March 2018; "Manitoba Sunrise at Motel 6"; Released: 18 May 2018; "Devil in a Dress"; Released: 4 July 2018;

Sassafrass! is the sixth studio album by Canadian-New Zealand country singer Tami Neilson, released in June 2018.

Production

The album was inspired by Neilson's experiences of becoming a mother, losing her father and turning 40. She felt that the album expressed her "coming into confidence as a woman" and is a celebration of her newly-found freedom.^[2] Because of this, many of the songs on the album focused on gender equality.^[3] Sonically, Neilson was inspired by musicians including Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Big Mama Thornton and Mavis Staples.^[3] The song "Miss Jones" was written as a tribute to Sharon Jones.^[4]

The album's title, Sassafrass!, is a slang term referring to a self-assured person.^[1]

Release and promotion

Three singles were released from the album: "Stay Outta My Business" in March 2018,^[5] "Manitoba Sunrise at Motel 6" in May^[6] and "Devil in a Dress" in July, a month after the album's release.^[7]

Reception

At the 2018 New Zealand Music Awards, Sassafrass! was nominated for the Album of the Year award, and led to Neilson being nominated for the Best Solo Artist award.^[8]

Track listing

*Sassafrass!* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Stay Outta My Business"	J. Neilson T. Neilson	2:56
2.	"Bananas"	J. Neilson T. Neilson	2:32
3.	"Diamond Ring"	T. Neilson	3:12
4.	"A Woman's Pain"	T. Neilson	2:57
5.	"Devil in a Dress"	J. Neilson T. Neilson	3:07
6.	"One Thought of You"	R. Neilson T. Neilson	2:16
7.	"Miss Jones"	T. Neilson	2:30
8.	"Smoking Gun"	J. Neilson T. Neilson	3:42
9.	"Kitty Cat"	T. Neilson	2:03
10.	"Manitoba Sunrise at Motel"	T. Neilson	4:21
11.	"Good Man"	T. Neilson	5:23
Total length:			24:59

Credits and personnel

Brett Adams – guitar
Chris Chetland – mastering
Ashley Church – photography
Anita Clark – strings
Georgie Clifford – backing vocals
Sarena Close – backing vocals
Reuben Derrick – horns
Ben Edwards – co-producer, mixing engineer
Natalee Fisher – hair, make-up
Mike Hall – bass
Nyree Huyser – backing vocals
Dave Khan – strings
Jules Koblun – artwork design
Joe McCallum – drums, percussion
Tami Neilson – acoustic guitar, co-producer, vocals
Cameron Pearce – horns
Josh Petrie – assistant engineer
Gwyn Reynolds – horns
Scott Taitoko – horns
Neil Watson – guitar, pedal steel guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Sassafrass!*
Chart (2018)	Peak position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[9]	6

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *Sassafrass!*
Chart (2018)	Position
New Zealand Artist Albums (RMNZ)^[10]	12

Release history

Release dates and formats for *Sassafrass!*
Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
New Zealand	1 June 2018	CD vinyl digital download streaming	Neilson Records, Southbound	^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b Woronzoff, Elisabeth (31 May 2018). "Tami Neilson Is Woke on 'Sassafrass!'". Pop Matters. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
^ ^a ^b "HOW TAMI NEILSON LEFT CANADA FOR LOVE AND BECAME A SINGING SENSATION IN NEW ZEALAND, THEN THE WORLD". Pop Matters. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
^ ^a ^b Jenkin, Lydia (13 June 2018). "Tami Neilson on Learning From Kitty Wells, Empowering Women and New Album 'Chickaboom!'". Under the Radar. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
^ Sawyer, Bobbie Jean (13 February 2020). "Tami Neilson on Learning From Kitty Wells, Empowering Women and New Album 'Chickaboom!'". Wide Open Country. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
^ Chetwin-Kelly, Bridie (23 March 2018). "Tami Neilson on her new album and being a mother on the road". The Spinoff. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
^ "Tami Neilson Shares Dreamy Single 'Manitoba Sunrise At Motel 6' + Video". Under the Radar. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
^ "Tami Neilson Releases Video for 'Devil in a Dress'". New Zealand Music Commission. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
^ Louw, Charl (16 November 2018). "Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards 2018 Winners Announced". Under the Radar. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
^ "Charts.nz – Tami Neilson – Sassafrass!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
^ "Official Top 20 NZ Albums: End of Year Charts 2018". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[PopM-1] Woronzoff, Elisabeth (31 May 2018). "Tami Neilson Is Woke on 'Sassafrass!'". Pop Matters. Retrieved 11 January 2023.

[PopMatters-2] "HOW TAMI NEILSON LEFT CANADA FOR LOVE AND BECAME A SINGING SENSATION IN NEW ZEALAND, THEN THE WORLD". Pop Matters. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2023.

[UTR-3] Jenkin, Lydia (13 June 2018). "Tami Neilson on Learning From Kitty Wells, Empowering Women and New Album 'Chickaboom!'". Under the Radar. Retrieved 11 January 2023.

[Wide-4] Sawyer, Bobbie Jean (13 February 2020). "Tami Neilson on Learning From Kitty Wells, Empowering Women and New Album 'Chickaboom!'". Wide Open Country. Retrieved 11 January 2023.

[5] Chetwin-Kelly, Bridie (23 March 2018). "Tami Neilson on her new album and being a mother on the road". The Spinoff. Retrieved 11 January 2023.

[6] "Tami Neilson Shares Dreamy Single 'Manitoba Sunrise At Motel 6' + Video". Under the Radar. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2023.

[7] "Tami Neilson Releases Video for 'Devil in a Dress'". New Zealand Music Commission. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2023.

[8] Louw, Charl (16 November 2018). "Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards 2018 Winners Announced". Under the Radar. Retrieved 21 January 2020.

[ac_New_Zealand_Tami_Neilson-9] "Charts.nz – Tami Neilson – Sassafrass!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 January 2023.

[10] "Official Top 20 NZ Albums: End of Year Charts 2018". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 April 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]