No Rain, No Rose Explained

No Rain, No Rose
Type:studio
Artist:John Craigie
Cover:No Rain No Rose John Craigie.jpg
Caption:Cover by Ben Moon
Released:January 27, 2017
Genre:Folk, indie folk, Americana
Length:51:50
Label:Zabriskie Point Records
Producer:John Craigie
Prev Title:Capricorn in Retrograde...just kidding...Live in Portland
Prev Year:2016
Next Title:Scarecrow
Next Year:2018

No Rain, No Rose is the fifth studio album by folk singer-songwriter John Craigie.[1] [2] It was released on January 27, 2017, and recorded in his living room in Portland, Oregon, with the help of other well-known musicians around Portland such as the Shook Twins and Gregory Alan Isakov.[3] [4] This album describes John Craigie's life as a traveling musician and explores the sense of home that he found in Portland after moving from Los Angeles.[5]

The comical banter heard within the tracks demonstrate some of the album's influence from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1972 album Will the Circle be Unbroken.[6] Other influences include The Rolling Stones[7] with the album's folksy cover of "Tumbling Dice".

The title of the album comes from the old Buddhist saying "No mud, no lotus", meaning bad things are necessary in order for good things to happen.[8] John Craigie captures this sentiment throughout the album, and since Portland is the "City of Roses", he symbolizes his hometown as the lotus from the saying, or in other words, one of the 'good things' that has come from hard times.[9]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1Virgin Guitar3:47
2Broken2:55
3Highway Blood4:27
4Rough Johns3:53
5Savannah5:16
6Bucket List Grandmas3:48
7Tumbling Dice5:14
8Michael Collins3:43
9Live with Less3:25
10Light Has Dimmed4:10
11I Am California5:13
12Interlude1:00
13All The Salt4:59

Personnel

Production

References

[10]

Notes and References

  1. News: No Rain, No Rose. 2017-01-08. No Depression. 2018-07-10. en.
  2. Web site: John Craigie discusses No Rain, No Rose, songwriting and more. 15 November 2017.
  3. Web site: Itunes Preview: No Rain, No Rose . www.apple.com/itunes/ . January 27, 2017.
  4. Web site: John Craigie - No Rain, No Rose. Americanrootsuk.com. en. 2018-07-10.
  5. Web site: MotherChurchPew Album Review: No Rain, No Rose . www.motherchurchpew.com . January 27, 2017.
  6. Web site: Exystence Music Blog: John Craigie, No Rain, No Rose . www.exystence.net . February 28, 2017.
  7. Web site: Twangville Music Blog: John Craigie, No Rain, No Rose . www.twangville.com . March 15, 2017.
  8. Web site: MotherChurchPew Album Review: No Rain, No Rose . www.motherchurchpew.com . January 27, 2017.
  9. Web site: Interview: John Craigie dishes on his new album 'No Rain, No Rose'. AXS.
  10. Web site: John Craigie "No Rain, No Rose" Review. Grateful Web. en. 2018-07-10.