Five Miles from Hope

Five Miles from Hope
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 24, 1995[1]
Length49:22
Label1-800-Prime-CD (US)
Demon (UK)
ProducerGary Burke
Mindy Jostyn chronology
Five Miles from Hope
(1995)
Cedar Lane
(1997)

Five Miles from Hope is the debut studio album from American singer and multi-instrumentalist Mindy Jostyn, released in 1995. "Time, Be On My Side" is a duet with Carly Simon. Garth Hudson plays accordion on "Common Ground" and Donald Fagen plays melodica on "Too Easy".[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
The Record[4]

In a contemporary review, Steven C. Johnson of The Record considered Five Miles from Hope to be an "auspicious debut". He commented: "Jostyn crafts poignant, intelligent songs, and at times, sings them with utter abandon. The songs on this debut reveal just how wide Jostyn's range is and just how many emotions she can plausibly convey in her music."[4] Steve Morse of The Boston Globe felt the album "proves Jostyn to be a skilled songwriter", but felt "her singing isn't quite on par with her instrumental skills".[5]

AllMusic selected Five Miles from Hope as an "album pick", with Richard Meyer describing it as "folk-rock" with a "soul/jazz tinge". He praised Jostyn's "expressive" vocals and the "crisp stadium folk sound", concluding "If you like the best aspects of Melissa Manchester, Pat Benatar or Patty Smyth, this a record worth checking out."[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mindy Jostyn and Jacob Brackman

No.TitleLength
1."All Roads"4:42
2."Time, Be On My Side"3:17
3."Five Miles from Hope"4:23
4."Take It As a Sign"4:15
5."White Magic"3:14
6."Bring Love Back"4:24
7."Ring of Truth"3:17
8."Common Ground"3:24
9."Different Light"5:22
10."So Far from Anywhere"4:05
11."Too Easy"4:25
12."She Cried in Front of Strangers"4:41

Personnel

  • Mindy Jostyn - vocals, violin, harmonica, acoustic guitar
  • Marc Muller - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, pedal steel, mandolin
  • Shane Fontayne - electric guitar
  • Hugh McDonald - bass
  • Gary Burke - drums, Hammer dulcimer

Additional musicians

  • Ben Odom, Theresa Sergick, Rose Odom - backing vocals
  • Carly Simon - vocals (track 2)
  • Garth Hudson - accordion (track 8)
  • Donald Fagen - melodica (track 11)
  • Larry Packer - violin (track 12)
  • Rob Turner - cello (track 12)

Production

  • Gary Burke - producer
  • Paul Antonell - recording

Other

  • Tony Nagelmann - photography
  • Corsillo/Manzone - art direction

References

  1. ^ a b c "Five Miles from Hope - Mindy Jostyn | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  2. ^ "Mindy Jostyn: About "Five Miles from Hope"". mindyjostyn.com. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Muze. p. 711. ISBN 0195313739.
  4. ^ a b Johnson, Steven C. (January 12, 1996). "Recordings & Books: Cochrane takes a road less-traveled". The Record. p. 5.
  5. ^ Morse, Steve (May 31, 1996). "The Music Section: Sound choices". The Boston Globe. p. 61.