| Born Under | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Martin Zellar |
| Cover: | Born Under.jpg |
| Released: | 1995 |
| Genre: | Country rock |
| Label: | Rykodisc[1] |
| Producer: | Martin Zellar, Steve McKinstry |
| Next Title: | Martin Zellar and the Hardways |
| Next Year: | 1996 |
Born Under is the debut album by the American musician Martin Zellar, released in 1995.[2] [3] Its first two singles were "Lie to Me" and "Problem Solved".[4] The album was rereleased, with bonus tracks, in 2004.[5]
Recorded in Northfield, Minnesota, the album was produced by Zellar and Steve McKinstry.[6] [7] Soul Asylum's Dan Murphy played guitar on "Lie to Me". Many of the songs were inspired by Zellar's wife and son.[8] The album cover photo was shot in Grand Forks, North Dakota.[9]
Trouser Press stated that "Zellar has a grit-strewn voice with a mannered catch better suited to the harsh honesty of his lyrics than the placid curves of his melodies."[10] The Chicago Reader wrote that the album's "not the sort of recording that's going to perk up your next party, but it is exactly what a lot of people say there isn't much of these days: adult, smart, perceptive, and emotionally genuine rock music."[11] The Milwaukee Journal determined that "Zellar's nasal, angular voice is a ragged standout here against all manner of plaintive backing, from lonesome guitar pings and mournful cello drones to swoopy organ fills."[12]
Stereo Review deemed Born Under "as moving a piece of confessional pop as you're likely to see these days, a tuneful, lovely-on-the-surface song cycle of reflective country-rock musings that only barely conceal some rather world-class emotional turmoil beneath."[13] The Santa Fe New Mexican noted that on some songs Zellar "sings in the voice of a drunken lout, albeit a drunken lout with a conscience that is only slightly weaker than the demons who hold him down."[14] The Los Angeles Times declared that Zellar "writes blue-collar tales about hard times and hard lessons that are reminiscent of the eloquence of the Blasters in their prime."[15]
AllMusic panned Zellar's vocals, but also wrote that "twangy roadhouse rock alternates with unabashed honky-tonk balladry, and real-life working class concerns dominate the lyrics."