music.wikisort.org - Composition

War and Peace is the second album by the American musician Syd Straw, released in 1996.[2][3] Straw had been without a record label for four years prior to signing with Capricorn Records.[4] The album title jokingly refers to War and Peace's almost 60-minute running time.[5][6]

War and Peace
Studio album by Syd Straw
Released	1996
Studio	The Studio, Springfield, Missouri
Label	Capricorn[1]
Producer	Syd Straw
Syd Straw chronology
Surprise (1989) War and Peace (1996) Pink Velour (2008)

The first single was "Love, and the Lack of It".[7]

Production

The album was produced by Straw.[8][9] She recorded it, in two weeks, in Springfield, Missouri, where she was backed by the cult band the Skeletons.[7][10] The sessions were paid for by Straw's manager boyfriend.[11]

Many of the songs are about Straw's divorce and past relationships.[11] "Million Miles" was cowritten with Johnette Napolitano.[12] "Static" was originally an instrumental track, composed by Jeff Tweedy.[13] "Almost as Blue" is dedicated to Kurt Cobain.[14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]
Chicago Tribune	[8]
Robert Christgau	[16]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[10]
The Indianapolis Star	[6]
Los Angeles Times	[17]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[9]

Trouser Press wrote that "Straw's vocals are tremendous throughout, and the album has a tougher tone musically than the overly glossy Surprise."[12] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution deemed the album "a resilient cycle of country-rock songs about hopes, longings and the memories of complicated relationships."[18] The Dayton Daily News concluded that "her infectious roots rock melodies are surprisingly upbeat, given the subject matter, and her rich voice—capable of fierce passion or a soft country lilt—is simply beyond compare."[19]

Stereo Review determined that "it's her intelligent lyrics and soaring choruses that make War and Peace a standout—the way she plays the victim/victor personas off each other."[20] The Hartford Courant praised the Skeletons, writing that "Straw has just the right twang and snap to back her solid, affecting songs."[21] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch labeled the album "a fair-to-middlin' collection of pop dirges and country-rock tunes on which her voice veers from adequate to lovely."[22] The New York Times stated that "songs settle in between country rock and folk rock, with well-turned melodies and steady-strummed guitars ... Singing about heartache, Ms. Straw cuts self-pity with determined resilience."[23]

AllMusic called the album "a jangly-guitar, singer/songwriter folk-rock feast and a glimpse into an apparently tortured soul."[15] The Waterloo Region Record listed it as the second best album of 1996.[24]

Track listing

References

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