American Babylon is an album by Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers, released in 1995.[2][3] Grushecky supported the album by playing some East Coast and Midwest shows with Bruce Springsteen, his producer.[4][5]
Production
The album was produced by Springsteen, who also cowrote "Homestead" and "Dark and Bloody Ground"; Grushecky and Rick Witkowski also contributed.[clarification needed][6][7][8] It was recorded at Springsteen's Los Angeles home studio over a period of 18 months.[9][10] Springsteen played on the album, and Patti Scialfa sang on "Comin' Down Maria".[11]
The songs Grushecky wrote were less personal than those on his previous album, End of the Century, and more about universal themes and the state of America.[12] The album cover photos were shot by Pamela Springsteen.[13]
Rolling Stone praised Grushecky's "fine line in juke-blues hooks and a spare way with words."[20] The Los Angeles Times wrote that "the Darkness on the Edge of Town aura is inescapable, though Grushecky's limited writing and gravel-gargle voice rarely transcend journeyman status."[17]The Republican concluded that "Grushecky is a cool rockin' daddy in his own right, not a great vocalist, but strong enough to blend upper octave smoothness on 'Chain Smokin'."[19]
The New York Times stated: "For Mr. Grushecky's new songs, the Houserockers have turned into a western auxiliary of the E Street Band. Often, the first verse uses a basic guitar strum and a light drumbeat; the full band kicks in on the second verse, arriving like a rescue team to turn the humdrum into the heroic."[21]Stereo Review thought that "Grushecky's cigarette-rasp voice falls somewhere between that of Southside Johnny and Willy DeVille ... his plainspoken delivery is set off by stark, skeletal arrangements."[22] The Chicago Sun-Times called "No Strings Attached" "Grushecky's best anthem since the glory days of his Iron City Houserockers."[15]
AllMusic wrote that "there are plenty of songs outlining love gone wrong and the struggles of common folk, all delivered in Grushecky's warm, well-worn voice over a barroom mixture of blues-based traditional rock."[14]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Joe Grushecky, except where noted
