Birds Flying Away Explained

Birds Flying Away
Type:	Album
Artist:	Mason Jennings
Cover:	MJBirdsFlying.jpg
Released:	January 2000
Genre:	Folk
Length:	39:53
Label:	Mason Jennings Bar/None (reissue)
Producer:	Ed Ackerson, Mason Jennings
Prev Title:	Mason Jennings
Prev Year:	1997
Next Title:	Century Spring
Next Year:	2002

Birds Flying Away is the second album by Mason Jennings.^{[1] [2]} It was released in January 2000 by the label Bar/None.

While writing this album, the drummer Chris Stock left and was replaced.^[3] Jennings had another setback for six months when he contracted mononucleosis, which delayed the release of the album.^[4]

Jennings is compared to Dave Matthews in a New York Times review.^[5] Unlike the debut, the album included several songs with political themes.^[6]

Critical reception

City Pages called Birds Flying Away Jennings's best album, in a 2016 ranking, writing that "his blend of acoustic storytelling, historical themes, and funky instrumentation (there’s an alto-saxophone solo on the politically/historically charged 'Black Panther') makes for a perfect mix."^[7]

Track listing

1. "Confidant" - 3:47
2. "United States Global Empire" - 3:02
3. "Ballad for My One True Love" - 4:32
4. "Black Panther" - 3:58
5. "Dr. King" - 3:24
6. "Stars Shine Quietly" - 3:49
7. "Birds Flying Away" - 3:13
8. "The Mountain" - 4:15
9. "Duluth" - 3:03
10. "Train Leaving Gray" - 2:20
11. "The Light" - 4:23

Personnel

• Mason Jennings - guitar, vocals, producer
• Bob Skoro - bass guitar, vocals, assistant producer
• Edgar Oliveria - drums
• Chris Thompson - alto saxophone
• Dave Gardner - mastering
• Ed Ackerson - producer, engineer
• Tom Garneau - engineer
• Camron Wittig - design, photography

External links

• Discography

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mason Jennings: The Rise Of A Storyteller. NPR.org.
2. Web site: Mason Jennings | Biography & History. AllMusic.
3. Web site: Spins: Mason, metal and banjos . StarTribune . 16 January 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121014011710/http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/11510001.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU . 14 October 2012 .
4. Web site: Mason Jennings - Minnewiki . Minnewiki Public Radio . 16 January 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120306040421/http://minnewiki.publicradio.org/index.php/Mason_Jennings . 6 March 2012 .
5. Web site: POP AND JAZZ GUIDE - Schedule . New York Times. 14 September 2001 . 16 January 2012.
6. Web site: Mason Jennings. Mat. Hall. May 16, 2002. Westword.
7. Web site: Every Mason Jennings album, ranked. Tim. Faklis. City Pages.