Among the Ghosts

Among the Ghosts
Studio album by Lucero
Released	August 3, 2018 (2018-08-03)
Studio	Phillips Recording
Genre	Alternative country[1] indie rock[2]
Length	40:54
Lucero chronology
All a Man Should Do (2015) Among the Ghosts (2018) When You Found Me (2021)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
American Songwriter	[4]
Paste	7.4/10[5]

Among the Ghosts is the tenth studio album by American country-punk band Lucero. It was released August 3, 2018 under Thirty Tigers.[6][7]

Production

The album was recorded live at Phillips Recording with producer Matt Ross-Spang. American actor Michael Shannon features on "Back to the Night".[6] The track "Loving" features on the 2016 film, Loving

Critical reception

Among the Ghosts was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 77, based on 7 reviews.[3] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 74 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 4 reviews.[1]

Mark Deming of AllMusic said the album "demonstrates how smart and versatile these guys can be; it's a brave and satisfying set that finds beauty and meaning in the valleys on the human experience."[2] Eric Danton from Paste said of the album: "The songs are full of minor-key acoustic guitars, moody electric flourishes and downhearted piano parts, augmented here and there with overdriven, but restrained, riffs."[5]

Accolades

Accolades for Among the Ghosts

Publication	Accolade	Rank
American Songwriter	American Songwriter's Top 25 Albums of the Year	16[8]

Track listing

Among the Ghosts track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Among the Ghosts"	4:06
2.	"Bottom of the Sea"	5:01
3.	"Everything Has Changed"	5:16
4.	"Always Been You"	4:12
5.	"Cover Me"	4:11
6.	"To My Dearest Wife"	3:49
7.	"Long Way Back Home"	4:16
8.	"Loving"	2:58
9.	"Back to the Night" (featuring Michael Shannon)	4:12
10.	"For the Lonely Ones"	2:53

Personnel

Musicians Ben Nichols – vocals, guitar Rick Steff – piano John C. Stubblefield – bass Brian Venable – guitar Roy Berry – drums Eugenio Figueroa – viola Heather Trussell – violin Gaylon Patterson – violin Dara Hankins – cello Jim Spake – saxophone Michael Shannon – vocals

Production Matt Ross-Spang – engineer, mixing, producer Wesley Graham – engineer Jeff Powell – mastering Alex McCollough – mastering Matthew Cole – design

Charts

Chart performance for Among the Ghosts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[9]	9
US Top Folk Albums (Billboard)[10]	2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[11]	18
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard[12]	2

References

1. "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
2. Deming, Mark. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
3. "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
4. Horowitz, Hal (August 1, 2018). "American Songwriter Review". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
5. Danton, Eric (August 7, 2018). "Paste Magazine Review". Paste. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
6. McKenna, Brittney (July 26, 2018). "Lucero's 'Among The Ghosts' Does A Little Musical Demolition". NPR. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
7. Enos, Michael (June 12, 2018). "Lucero Ruminate on 9th Album 'Among the Ghosts': 'It's Important to Keep Those Fires Burning'". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
8. "American Songwriter's Top 25 of 2018". American Songwriter. December 6, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
9. "Alternative Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
10. "Americana/Folk Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
11. "Top Rock Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
12. "Tastemaker Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2020.