Fruit of Life explained

Fruit of Life
Type:Album
Artist:Wild Colonials
Cover:Fruit of Life.jpg
Released:1994
Recorded:1993 at Real World Studios, Box, Wiltshire, England and at Sunset Sound Factory, Hollywood, California, U.S.
Genre:Folk rock
Length:56:01
Label:DGC[1]
Producer:Tchad Blake
Next Title:This Can't Be Life
Next Year:1996

Fruit of Life is the debut album by the Wild Colonials, released in 1994.[2] [3] "Spark" was released as a single and was a radio hit.[4] [5] The band supported the album with a North American tour, including shows with Toad the Wet Sprocket and Grant Lee Buffalo.[6] [7]

Production

Recorded partly at Real World Studios, the album was produced by Tchad Blake.[8] [9] Chad Smith and Pete Thomas contributed to the album.[10] [11] Frontwoman Angela McCluskey wrote or cowrote nine of the album's 10 songs.[12] "Dear Mike" is a homage to Mike Scott.[13] "Don't Explain" is a cover of the Billie Holidays song.[14] "Rainbow" borrows from Carmen.

Critical reception

The Los Angeles Times praised McCluskey's "throaty Scotswoman vocals, and a violin-dominated, Celtic-friendly sound that's warm even by coffeehouse standards." The Record wrote that "the restrained musical backdrop—mostly piano, acoustic guitar and occasional horns—serves McCluskey's rich voice perfectly."[15] The Tampa Tribune deemed Fruit of Life "the freshest debut album since last year's Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? by the Cranberries."

The News Tribune stated that "Irish chanteys, American R&B and folk styles are merged with Middle Eastern and even African rhythms."[16] The State advised: "Call it world folk, more compelling than a cowboy junkie, more tantalizing than 10,000 maniacs."[17] The Republican noted that "much of the lyrical content here is dark, and the music ranges from the deeply brooding to undeniably uplifting."

AllMusic called the album "an inventive pastiche of a variety of folk and pop influences."

Track listing

All songs written by various members of the Wild Colonials except for the Billie Holiday cover "Don't Explain".

  1. "Girl" (McCluskey/Shark/Cantelon/Roewe) – 6:28
  2. "Spark" (McCluskey/Shark) – 4:20
  3. "Heaven & Hell" (McCluskey/Roewe) – 5:20
  4. "Philadelphia Story" (McCluskey/Shark/Cantelon) – 4:52
  5. "Mission" (McCluskey/Shark/Cantelon/Roewe/Bernard) – 6:05
  6. "Alice" (McCluskey/Shark/Cantelon/Roewe) – 4:58
  7. "Rainbow" (McCluskey/Shark/Cantelon) – 5:12
  8. "Don't Explain" (Holiday/Herzog) – 6:46
  9. "Victim" (McCluskey/Shark/Cantelon/Roewe) – 5:59
  10. "Dear Mike" (McCluskey/Shark/Cantelon/Roewe) – 6:13

Personnel

With

Production

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wild Colonials Biography, Songs, & Albums. AllMusic.
  2. Picks & pans – Fruit of Life by the Wild Colonials . People . Apr 25, 1994 . 41 . 15 . 23.
  3. Everett . Maria . Now, elegant sounds — Fruit of Life by Wild Colonials . Glamour . Aug 1994 . 92 . 8 . 154.
  4. A 'Wild' Party . Billboard . July 2, 1994 . 106 . 27 . 80.
  5. News: WILD COLONIALS WOO CAFEGOERS WITH PLAYFUL INTIMACY . Wisconsin State Journal . November 3, 1994 . Rhythm . 4.
  6. News: Daley . David . TOAD BLAND AND POLITELY PREDICTABLE . Hartford Courant . 21 Nov 1994 . A4.
  7. News: Outerbridge . Laura . Colonials settle on variety of styles . The Washington Times . May 26, 1994 . M8.
  8. News: Agassi . Tirzah . THE WILD COLONIALS' debut Fruit of Life... . The Jerusalem Post . November 15, 1994 . Arts . 7.
  9. News: Maestri . Cathy . Wild Colonials emerges uncontrived . The Press-Enterprise . June 7, 1994 . C4.
  10. Web site: Red Hot Chili Peppers FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Best-Selling Alternative Band. Dan. Bogosian. May 15, 2020. Rowman & Littlefield. Google Books.
  11. News: Whepley . Brian . SCOTTISH-BORN SINGER GIVES MEANING TO WILD COLONIALS' SONGS . The Wichita Eagle . April 18, 1994 . 6A.
  12. News: Levesque . Roger . WILD COLONIALS: Fruit of Life . Edmonton Journal . 12 June 1994 . E7.
  13. News: Roos . John . Adventures in Music . Los Angeles Times . 9 Dec 1995 . F4.
  14. News: Arp . Dennis . HOT ALBUM . Orange County Register . April 8, 1994 . P46.
  15. News: Weiler . Derek . Fruit of Life . The Record . 28 Apr 1994 . D7.
  16. News: Nelson . Rick . The Crocodile Cafe has a super show... . The News Tribune . 10 June 1994 . F2.
  17. News: Miller . Michael . Wild Colonials, 'Fruit of Life' . The State . April 1, 1994 . D10.

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