| Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation | |
| Type: | Compilation |
| Artist: | Various artists |
| Cover: | SweetReliefII.png |
| Recorded: | 1994–1996 |
| Genre: | Alternative rock |
| Label: | Columbia (Sony Music Entertainment) |
| Producer: | Greg Sowders (Executive producer) |
| Prev Year: | 1993 |
| Next Title: | Sweet Relief III: Pennies From Heaven |
| Next Year: | 2013 |
Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation is a 1996 charity record that featured a variety of alternative rock bands covering songs written by quadriplegic musician Vic Chesnutt. Some of the artists were picked to give the album an international appeal to raise more funds for the Sweet Relief Fund, which assists musicians in need of health care.[1]
The album was a sequel to the 1993 compilation and like the earlier release, proceeds went to the Sweet Relief Fund, while Chesnutt received new and widespread public interest.[2] Chesnutt was selected by Victoria Williams as the focus of the second album because "not only is he an unsung talented singer/songwriter... but he represents the plight of a physically handicapped musician who's still out there working".[1]
The album was preceded at alternative rock radio by the release of "Sponge", as performed by R.E.M., while a live music video of Garbage performing "Kick My Ass" was playlisted by VH1.
Joe Henry told Q, "It turned out quite beautifully, I'm happy to report," he added to Select. "She's quite a good singer if you didn't know. I didn't know."[3]