Unglamorous is the first major label debut album from country/folk singer Lori McKenna. After three songs written by McKenna appeared on Faith Hill's 2005 album, Fireflies, Warner Bros. Records re-released McKenna's 2004 album Bittertown (her fourth independent release). Unglamorous, however, is the first album of McKenna's recorded specifically for a major label. The album was released August 14, 2007 on StyleSonic Records through Warner Bros. Records.

Hill's husband, Tim McGraw co-produces the album and each of them contributes vocals to one of the tracks. Other notable guest appearances are made by Kelly Willis, Darrell Scott, Bryan Sutton and Buddy Miller.

Songs

All of the songs were written or co-written by McKenna. She describes her songs as a collision of autobiography, observation and a vivid imagination. As a 38-year-old mother of five and married 19 years to the same man, McKenna has a lot of life experience to draw upon.

"I only can write about what I know or conversations I've had with people who have the same type of life that I do," McKenna says in Billboard, "I live in the same town I grew up in. I only have a sixth grade vocabulary, and I only know three chords. This is who I am, and I don't really have time to take a piano class or anything."

The opening cut, "I Know You", makes a reference to poet, D. H. Lawrence.

The first single release from the album was the title track, "Unglamorous".

Reception

Unglamorous was widely reviewed with a generally favorable reception. An analysis of reviews by Metacritic assigned the album a score of 80 out of 100 placing the album just below the top rated albums of 2007., Metacritic Writing for Billboard, critic Ken Tucker suggests the album may be "one of best country albums."

A number of reviews expressed concern that the more slick Nashville production was not the best setting for McKenna's songs, and Rolling Stone describes the sound at times as falling into, "unglamorous midtempo muck." On the whole, however, many writers felt that the production did not ultimately do According to The Boston Globe, "The subtle twang that crept into the smart folk and finely wrought Americana on McKenna's four previous albums has been shined up and sharpened, but the endeavor still feels natural."

Tour

McKenna toured as an opening act for Faith Hill and Tim McGraw on the first five weeks of their Soul2Soul 2007 Tour in June and July 2007 to help promote the album. This 18 show run in the United States and Canada introduced McKenna's music to 260,000 Hill and McGraw fans.Tucker, Ken, "Unglamorous Life", Billboard119:31, 18 August 2007, p.35

McKenna also appeared with Hill on Oprah. She performed on ABC's Good Morning America on the day the album was released and was also featured on Nightline. People and Oprah Winfrey's O: The Oprah Magazine also featured pieces covering McKenna.

McKenna tours with the support of a Boston band (musicians that do not appear on this recording) that includes Mark Erelli, Paul Kochanski, Russell Chudnofsky, and John Sands. She has since toured as an opener for country singer Trisha Yearwood.

Credits

Musicians

* Lori McKenna - vocals and acoustic guitar

* Tom Bukovac - acoutstic & electric guitars

* Dan Dugmore - Dobro, steel guitar

* Stuart Duncan - fiddle, mandolin

* Shannon Forrest - drums

* Byron Gallimore - synthesizer & electric guitar

* Tony Harrell - organ, synthesizer, piano, harmonium, Wurlitzer

* Darrell Scott - acoustic guitar, mandolin

* Bryan Sutton - acoustic guitar, mandolin

* Glenn Worf - bass

*String arrangements on "Your Next Lover", "Falter" & "Leaving This Life" by Kristin Wilkinson

** Kristin Wilkinson - viola

** David Angell - violin

** David Davidson - Violin

** John Catchings - cello

*Background vocals:

** Greg Barnhill - "I Know You", "Unglamorous", "Your Next Lover", "Written Permission" & "Confetti"

** Bekka Bramlett - "Unglamorous"

** Byron Gallimore - "Written Permission"

** Faith Hill - "Falter"

** Tim McGraw - "Drinkin' Problem"

** Buddy Miller - "How to Survive"

** Kelly Willis - "I'm Not Crazy" & "Leaving this Life"

Production

* Produced by Tim McGraw & Byron Gallimore

* Recorded by Julian King at Ocean way, Nashville, Tennessee

* Assistant engineers - David Bryant, PJ French, and Todd Shall

* Additional editing and Pro Tools - Erik Lutkins, Sara Lesher & Jesse Chrisman at Essential Sound, Nashville

* Kelly Willis' background vocals:

**Recorded at Premium Recording

**Engineer Kevin Symanski

* "Confetti" and "I Know You"

** Mixed by Julian King at Ocean Way, Nashville

** Mix assistants - Leslie Richter, David Bryant

*"I'm Not Crazy" and "Drinkin' Problem"

** Mixed by Erik Lutkins at Essential sound, Nashville

**Mix assistant - Sara Lesher

* "Leaving This Life", "Unglamorous", "Your Next Lover", "Falter", "Witness to Your Life", "How to Survive", and "Written Permission"

**Mixed by Byron Gallimore at Essential Sound, Nashville

**Mix assistants - Erik Lutkins, sara Lesher and Jesse Chrisman

*Mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering

Artwork

* Art direction & design - Stephen Walker

* Art production - Aaron Horwitz

* Photography - Andrew Southam, Michael "Mick" Wilson & Nancy Giroux

Management

Management - Brian Avnet, Amos Newman, & Michael Gorffaine

Chart performance

References

Category:Lori McKenna albums

Category:2007 albums

Category:Albums produced by Byron Gallimore

Category:Warner Bros. Records albums

Artist/Band Information

Lori McKenna (born in Massachusetts 22 December 1968 as Lorraine Giroux) is an American folk singer/songwriter. She lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts with her husband and five children.

Early life

McKenna started writing songs as a teenager, and became a professional songwriter at the age of 27, when she was already married and had three children; she began singing at open mike nights in Boston, notably at the Blackthorn Tavern in nearby Easton, and eventually at her own shows. Working with her then manager Gabriel Unger, McKenna released four critically acclaimed independent CDs: Paper Wings and Halos(produced by Seth Connelly), Pieces of Me (produced by Crit Harmon), The Kitchen Tapes (self-produced demos), and Bittertown (produced by Lorne Entress). During this period she recorded for Signature Sounds, won awards from ASCAP and the Boston Music Awards, performed at the Sundance Film Festival, the Newport Folk Festival and played many sold-out venues in the Northeast.

Songwriting and music career

In 2004 McKenna signed a publishing deal with Nashville's Harlan Howard Music after fellow singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier shared McKenna's Bittertown with Melanie Howard. McKenna gained more attention in 2005, when Faith Hill recorded covers of four of McKenna's songs – three of which (including the title track) appeared on Hill's 2005 release Fireflies, the fourth as an exclusive to the iTunes Store.

McKenna parlayed her contribution to Hill's Fireflies into both an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show along with Hill, and a record deal with Warner Brothers Nashville. WB soon re-released McKenna's Bittertown on its label. In 2007, McKenna toured with Hill and Tim McGraw on the Soul2Soul Tour, accompanied by singer-songwriter/instrumentalist Mark Erelli and guitarist Russell Chudnofsky.

In addition to her own albums, McKenna has contributed a cover of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" to the 2005 "High School Reunion" compilation. In 2007, McKenna recorded a cover of Neil Young's "The Needle And The Damage Done" for the American Laundromat Records benefit CD Cinnamon Girl - Women Artists Cover Neil Young For Charity. Also in 2007, McKenna helped write "Most of Me", "Latest Mistake" and "Can't You Just Adore Her?" on Mandy Moore's album Wild Hope. Also of note, Lori McKenna's song "Bible Song" from Bittertown was recorded by country artist Sara Evans on her 'Real Fine Place' album released in 2005. Lori also contributed a song titled "I'm Workin'", recorded by Tim McGraw on his Let It Go album, released in 2007, as well as a song entitled "True Believer", recorded by Jimmy Wayne on his 2008 album, Do You Believe Me Now.

Unglamorous, was released on August 14, 2007, from Warner Bros. Nashville and McGraw and noted Nashville producer Byron Gallimore’s label, Stylesonic Records. The album has released two non-charting singles. McKenna parted ways with Warner Bros. in 2008.

Recently, UMPG Nashville Signs Lori McKenna to an Exclusive, World-Wide Publishing Agreementhttp. Her latest album is called Lorraine and was released on January 25, 2011 under Signature Soundshttp.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References