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If I Was a River (album)

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If I Was a River
The cover is a black-and-white photo of a hand writing with an inkpen
Studio album by
Willie Nile
ReleasedNovember 11, 2014
GenreFolk rock
Length33:52
LabelRiver House Records
Blue Rose
ProducerStewart Lerman
Willie Nile
Willie Nile chronology
American Ride
(2013) 		If I Was a River
(2014) 		World War Willie
(2016)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Uncut[1]
AllMusic[2]
The Daily VaultB+[3]
ReadJunk[4]
PopMatters[5]
Musikreviews.de[6]
Melodic.net[7]
Soundz Magazine[8]

If I Was a River is the ninth studio album from American singer-songwriter Willie Nile. The all-piano album was released in November 2014 under River House Records.[9] Nile recorded If I Was a River on the same Steinway grand piano that he played the night John Lennon was killed, December 8, 1980. Nile was in Studio "A" at The Record Plant in New York City making Golden Down and John and Yoko were working on Walking on Thin Ice in Studio C that night.[10][11]

Critical reception

[edit]

If I Was a River has been positively received and has had favorable reviews.
Uncut critic Luke Torn wrote: "Intimate, understated gem from New York City's unofficial poet laureate".[1]
Pop Matters writer Steve Horowitz writes "Nile knows we have a river of love within that connects us to others.....
He doesn’t intellectualize it. Instead, Nile gently draws this from us through his music."[5]
Peter Gerstenzang, in The Village Voice, wrote "Nile has a strong command of the keys, embellishing his songs with lovely cord voicings, but never overwhelming you with a flurry of flourishes. One listen and you may find yourself using your sleeve to wipe away the tears."[12]
Freshindependence says If I Was a River will take your breath away and move you to a place that will check your ego at the door and take you back to what matters most in this crazy old world."[13]
Jeffrey Sisk of Pittsburgh in Tune said; "The spellbinding 10-track release features sparse arrangements with Nile accompanying himself on piano, rather than his usual guitar. The results are truly special. I can’t recommend this one highly enough, folks."[14]
Writing in No Depression Harrisonaphotos says "this album ends with two delightful love songs, delivered with gravitas and care way beyond my expectations. "The One You Used to Love" is truly wonderful and his piano playing is very nearly classical. The finale, "Let Me Be the River" brought a tear to my eye the first time I heard it."[15]
Carlo Wolff, in the Cleveland Jewish News, describes "If I Was a River" as the type of music that becomes timeless, is often oracular, regularly poetic, mysterious and personal, and refers to Nile along with Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen as bards and masters of melody and meaning.[16]
James Mann affirms in the December 2014 "Ink19" that If I Was a River "glistens with a quiet power and grace. Masterful"[17]
In The Alternate Root Danny writes: "The album does out Willie Nile though, showing the man behind the curtain has tenderness in his pen as he scribes ten tales of introspection and self-assessment."[18]
Han van Bree of Soundz Magazine declares "If I Was A River is a timeless album that sounds familiar right from the opening track".[8]
Associated Press: "A top-notch album”[19]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."If I Was A River"Nile, F. Lee2:45
2."Lost"Nile4:03
3."Song of a Soldier"Nile, F. Lee2:29
4."Once in a Lullaby"Nile, F. Lee3:31
5."Lullaby Loon"Nile3:04
6."Gloryland"Nile, F. Lee2:37
7."I Can't Do Crazy (Anymore)"Nile, Danny Kortchmar3:41
8."Goin' To St. Louis"Nile2:35
9."The One You Used To Love"Nile3:49
10."Let Me Be The River"Nile, F. Lee3:21
Total length:33:52

Personnel

[edit]
Musicians
  • Willie Nile – piano, vocals
  • Steuart Smith – acoustic and electric guitars, baritone guitar, Elbow, bass, pump organ, Hammond organ, Rhodes, backing vocals
  • David Mansfield – mandolin, acoustic guitar, violin, viola
  • Frankie Lee – backing vocals
Production and additional personnel

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "WILLIE NILE If I Was A River", Luke Torn, UNCUT, March 2015, p. 78.
  2. ^ Deming, Mark. "If I Was a River – Willie Nile". Allmusic.com. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  3. ^ The Daily Vault review
  4. ^ Album Review, ReadJunk.com, Bryan Kremkau, November 26, 2014
  5. ^ a b Horowitz, Steven (January 22, 2015). "Willie Nile: If I Was a River". PopMatters. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  6. ^ König, Jochen (January 30, 2015). "Willie Nile: If I Was A River (Review)". Musikreviews.de. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  7. ^ Wippsson, Johan. "REVIEW Willie Nile – If I Was a River". Melodic.net. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  8. ^ a b van Bree, Han (January 30, 2015). "CD Review: Willie Nile: If I Was a River". Soundz Magazine. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  9. ^ Harr, Dan (November 6, 2014). "Willie Nile to Release Album of Piano-Based songs Nov 11". Music News Nashville. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  10. ^ Wien, Gary (November 2014). "Willie Nile's Journey Continues". New Jersey Stage, Vol. 1 Issue 5, pp. 7–16. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  11. ^ "John Lennon's last autograph on sale". Paul Fraser Collectibles. September 15, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2014.[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ Gerstenzang, Peter (November 11, 2014). "Pun Intended? Inside Willie Nile's New "If I Was a River"". The Village Voice. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  13. ^ "Freshindependence". December 8, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  14. ^ Sisk, Jeffrey (December 5, 2014). "Willie Nile's spectacular 'If I Was a River' shows theres plenty of gas left in the tank". Pittsburgh in Tune. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  15. ^ Harrisonaphotos (December 4, 2014). "The pride of CBGB finds his tender side". No Depression. Archived from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  16. ^ Wolff, Carlo (December 12, 2014). "Sounds for the season". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  17. ^ Mann, James (December 18, 2014). "Music Review". Ink19. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  18. ^ Danny (January 24, 2015). "Willie Nile – If I Was A River". The Alternate Root. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  19. ^ Associated Press (January 7, 2015). "A Look at Some Overlooked Albums of 2014". New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
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