This album blew me away, you can feel the raw emotion and when I realized he made this album for his son it meant so much more. The musical package goes from the emotion-rich sounds of the country, the swinging of the soul and funk to his expressions of pain and sorrow in the blues. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2016 CD release of A Sailor's Guide To Earth on Discogs. Uncut. Top Lyrics of 2009. See how this album was rated and reviewed by the users of AoTY.org. On A Sailor's Guide to Earth Sturgill Simpson sends several postcards with life wisdom's to his son. Instead of counting turtles and finding a voice in classic country—Simpson himself smirks at the notion that he is a modern Waylon Jennings, because he doesn't listen to Waylon Jennings' music, though the connection is by no means inaccurate—Simpson is doing something far more difficult. “A Sailor’s Guide” confirms that Simpson isn’t content to stand in the same place for very long. Sturgill Simpson: A Sailor’s Guide to Earth review – hard-hitting country soul 4 / 5 stars 4 out of 5 stars. As singer, songwriter, producer and bandleader, Simpson juggled his own destiny on A Sailor’s Guide to Earth without dropping the baby. Good record even if E. Swartz disagrees. For those who declare themselves "country haters", this is one of those albums that challenges them. After his last album it is a bold statement musically. At the time, I thought it was interesting but it wasn't until today that I … II (1972-1976) [Box Set], Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace, Music title data, credits, and images provided by, Movie title data, credits, and poster art provided by, Hello, my son I had been interested in this album ever since a friend shared the cover of In Bloom with me. This isn't the album you may have thought you wanted from Sturgill, but instead he gave you something you didn't know you wanted. The result is A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, as sharp of a turn from Metamodern Sounds In Country Music as humanly possible. A Sailor's Guide to Earth goes one step further: it's an old-fashioned concept album, one that tells a story -- it's a letter to his newborn son, telling him how to become a man -- and is dressed in garish art suited to the side of a Chevy van. I had been interested in this album ever since a friend shared the cover of In Bloom with me. Top Lyrics of 2011. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for A Sailor's Guide to Earth at Amazon.com. I wish this was the type of country we heard on the radio. It’s the soundtrack to this new chapter in my life, and if it’s the last album that I ever fall head-over-heels for, I think I’m okay with that. User reviews & ratings for the album A Sailor's Guide to Earth by Sturgill Simpson. "A Sailor's Guide..." is one of the best albums of the last ten years. His earlier records communicate a weariness, dedicated to the journey to whatever's at the end of that long white line, even if it's sorrow. A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is an astoundingly well-realized, consistently surprising, and mostly brilliant genre-bending experiment that’s as bound to piss off everyone hoping for Honky Tonk Heroes Part 2 as it is to delight those with a broader set of expectations. Denser, more ambitious, and more authentic than the stereotypical "bro-country" that has pervaded radio. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. For those who declare themselves "country haters", this is one of those albums that challenges them. Pitchfork is the most trusted voice in music. Overall, the album is strikingly intimate. Denser, more ambitious, and more authentic than the stereotypical "bro-country" that has pervaded radio stations for upwards of 30 years. The musical package goes from the, On A Sailor's Guide to Earth Sturgill Simpson sends several postcards with life wisdom's to his son. Label: Atlantic - 7567-86666-9 • Format: CD … A Sailors Guide To Earth **** out of ***** When Metasounds in Country Music was released in 2014 Sturgill Simpson rose to prominence on the story that he reinvigorated a bloated and lax Nashville country music scene with weird psychedelic elements and a voice everyone compared to Merle Haggard . This work comes closer and is deserving of the praise it receives. @michaelahann Sturgill Simpson's Defense for Sophisticated Country. Full Review in Dutch: https://www.platendraaier.nl/albumrecensies/sturgill-simpson-a-sailors-guide-to-earth/. But you'll always be my first It's a damn good thing too, because if he did, it's doubtful A Sailor's Guide To Earth would exist. A Sailor’s Guide to Earth is Sturgill’s long-awaited response to cautious spectators with the simplest of answers: Wherever the hell I want, thank you very much! 10/10, There really isn't anything like this album. Wish I'd done this ten years ago 8/10. Shop A Sailor's Guide to Earth [Bonus CD] [LP] VINYL at Best Buy. Lyrics. I adore this. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album has received an average score of 86, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 19 reviews. Another reviewer stated "genre-less", and I could not agree more. I bought the latest CD (not the mp3 download but the case with cover art and everything) of Sturgill Simpson's latest album, A Sailor's Guide to Earth. The album is love letter to the artist's son about love, growing up, and trying to do right by others but still enjoying the ride. "Breakers Roar", the cover of Nirvana's "In Blood", and "Oh Sarah" are high spots of the album if you are looking for the emotional touching side of Simpson's music, while "Sea Stories" and "Keep It Between the Lines" rock and roll liken the sea they openly proclaim to be set in. Simpson’s craft is the hallmark of A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, an epistolary album lovingly addressed to his 2-year-old son. While Simpson could have easily milked a few records out of that glum sound and guaranteed industry adulations for decades, A Sailor's Guide to Earth represents a startling change in tone and presents a wealth of rewards for every creative risk. At the climax of side A, Simpson tosses in a countrypolitan Nirvana cover; one of the LP's more jarring moments occurs when Simpson sings “Sell the kids for food" on an album addressed to his son. 19 What's this? Ahmet Ertegun would be proud. Music Review: 'A Sailor's Guide To Earth,' Sturgill Simpson Will Hermes reviews the most heartening record he's heard this year. Simpson shouts on "Sea Stories," like he's fondly remembering an old Cadillac—while taking a completely different journey. 7/10. Critic Reviews Metamodern became the subject of trendpieces, where critics and fans alike willingly read into the drugs-and-darkness subtext that Simpson has himself been reluctant to endorse. A Sailor’s Guide isn’t a country album, though country remains a presence on it. Simpson returns genre-bending as ever. I can imagine someday playing a few of these songs to my children. The moods on A Sailor's Guide to Earth are brighter than on Metamodern, and the instrumentation on songs like “Keep It Between the Lines"—much of it provided by Sharon Jones… (Simpson produced the record himself, deciding to spend his Atlantic Records budget chasing his instincts to their logical extreme). 9/10. Wonderfully put together, this. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The overarching aesthetics are a throwback to the golden age of vinyl but Simpson is too smart to succumb to mere revivalism: he seeks to expand, not retract. A Sailor's Guide to Earth takes a trip somewhere entirely different and life-affirming. But what's most striking is how it completely redefines Simpson's own career, and sets him on his own unique path. Ahmet Ertegun would … To watch Simpson stretch (and succeed) is thrilling. Sturgill Simpson sails his own route and let his discoveries and experiences come to life in the most beautiful postcards that you can wish for as a son. Review: Sturgill Simpson, ‘A Sailor’s Guide To Earth’ ... On A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, he uses a highly disruptive yet also utterly conventional life event — the birth of his first son — to frame a song cycle about order and insubordination, the longing to fit in and the persistent urge to break away. But how could I know 8/10. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee. - Afforded creative freedom many felt would be stifled, Simpson’s latest musical offspring is a love letter we can all cherish. Allaying any fears of kowtowing to corporate bosses, Simpson sidesteps any stricture imposed by moneyed suits and rote song forms with A Sailor's Guide to Earth, the conceit of which is a … © 2020 METACRITIC, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. (It's loosely based on a letter his grandfather wrote his grandmother). Album Review: If like many, you’ve given up on modern country music, which these days sounds more like 80s AOR bands Foreigner and Loverboy than outlaw country icons Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and the like. How could I. But A Sailor's Guide to Earth is such a rearrangement of Simpson's sonic universe that any previous categorization now seems out of date. Includes Album Cover, Release Year, and User Reviews. referencing A Sailor's Guide To Earth, LP, Album, 180 + CD, Album, 551380-1, 551380-2 Love his album and the music. There really isn't anything like this album. This takes country to another level. I adore this album for what it stands for, his departure from being the next outlaw country darling. It was a total shock and agree with others, however, sounds a little overcooked and higher on the loudness. Another success for Sturgill Simpson and for creative musicians everywhere. Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpDYfkymaSE Singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson comes through with the classiest country album I've heard in a while. I’m not sure if our readers know this, but my wife and I happen to have five young children (I think I’ve mentioned before how our life is descending into Little-House-On-The-Prairie-Madness). 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