Steady On is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin, released on October 17, 1989, by Columbia Records. In addition to launching Colvin's career the album was positively received by critics and had moderate commercial success.
| Steady On | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 17, 1989 | |||
| Studio | Shelter Island (Shelter Island, New York)[1] | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 44:09 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
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| Shawn Colvin chronology | ||||
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Recording and release
editThe album was recorded in Steve Addabbo's Shelter Island Sound recording studio in Shelter Island, New York.[1] Colvin has explained that the themes on the album include healing from personal life trauma and drug and alcohol addiction.[2]
Colvin recorded acoustic versions of these songs for 2019's Steady On: 30th Anniversary Acoustic Edition.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Q | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [5] |
Steady On won the award for Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 33rd Grammy Awards in February 1991. AllMusic calls the album "a must have for anyone who loves acoustic music created in the grand tradition of Joni Mitchell and James Taylor."[3] Notable guest appearances include Suzanne Vega and Bruce Hornsby.
The album reached 111 on the Billboard 200 in 1989. The title track was released as a single and in 1990 reached 30 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and 23 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.[3]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Shawn Colvin, except where noted otherwise
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Steady On" |
| 4:59 |
| 2. | "Diamond in the Rough" |
| 5:02 |
| 3. | "Shotgun Down the Avalanche" |
| 5:02 |
| 4. | "Stranded" | Colvin | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Another Long One" | Colvin | 3:46 |
| 6. | "Cry Like an Angel" |
| 4:52 |
| 7. | "Something to Believe In" |
| 4:12 |
| 8. | "The Story" |
| 3:59 |
| 9. | "Ricochet in Time" | Colvin | 3:11 |
| 10. | "The Dead of the Night" | Colvin | 5:03 |
Arrangement ideas were contributed by T-Bone Wolk and Phil Galdston on "Diamond in the Rough" and David Sanborn on "Another Long One".
Personnel
edit
|
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Charts
edit| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Billboard 200[6] | 111 |
Release history
edit| date | format | label | catalog # |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD | Columbia | CK-45209 | |
| Columbia | FC 45209 | ||
| CD | Columbia | CO45209 | |
| 1989 | CS | Columbia | FCT-45209 |
| 1995 | CD | Columbia | 45209 |
| 2001 | CD | Sony | 4661422 |
| 2008 | CD | Sbme Special MKTS. | 725020 |
References
edit- ^ a b Barone, Richard (September–October 2017). "Steve Addabbo: Still Tracking in New York City". Tape Op. No. 121. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ Betts, Stephen L. (June 27, 2016). "Steve Earle and Shawn Colvin Talk Joint Album, Rehab Shorthand and Trump". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ a b c McCartney, Kelly. "Steady On – Shawn Colvin". AllMusic. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
- ^ Kane, Peter (July 1990). "Shawn Colvin: Steady On". Q. No. 46.
- ^ Evans, Paul (1992). "Shawn Colvin". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 156. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
- ^ "Shawn Colvin". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
External links
edit- "Rock on the Net: Shawn Colvin", a timeline of Colvin's releases, awards