War and Peace
Studio album by
Syd Straw
Released1996
StudioThe Studio, Springfield, Missouri
LabelCapricorn[1]
ProducerSyd Straw
Syd Straw chronology
Surprise
(1989)		 War and Peace
(1996)		 Pink Velour
(2008)

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]

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
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Chicago Tribune[8]
Robert Christgau(dud)[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

No.TitleLength
1."The Toughest Girl in the World" 
2."Million Miles" 
3."Time Has Done This" 
4."Love, and the Lack of It" 
5."CBGB's" 
6."All Things Change" 
7."Madrid" 
8."Almost as Blue" 
9."Water, Please" 
10."X-Ray" 
11."Howl" 
12."Static" 
13."Black Squirrel" 
14."The Train That Takes You Away" 

References

  1. ↑ Dawn, Randee (Jun 1996). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly (34): 45.
  2. ↑ "Syd Straw Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ Weisbard, Eric (Sep 1996). "Whatever". Spin. 12 (6): 158.
  4. ↑ Sullivan, Jim (24 Mar 1996). "Talking 'bout g-g-generations". The Boston Globe. p. B23.
  5. ↑ Bauder, David (10 May 1996). "Straw's 2nd CD both serious and silly". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Cue. p. 18.
  6. 1 2 Penner, Diana (9 June 1996). "Syd Straw 'War and Peace'". The Indianapolis Star. p. I7.
  7. 1 2 Morris, Chris (Mar 30, 1996). "Capricorn's Straw makes 'War and Peace'". Billboard. 108 (13): 22.
  8. 1 2 Rothschild, David (16 May 1996). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 9C.
  9. 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. pp. 1097–1098.
  10. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 793.
  11. 1 2 DeRogatis, Jim (May 16, 1996). "Syd Straw plays with the skeletons in her closet". Rolling Stone (734): 25.
  12. 1 2 "Syd Straw". Trouser Press. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  13. ↑ McLennan, Scott (4 June 1996). "Syd Straw better than ever". Telegram & Gazette. p. C3.
  14. ↑ DeLuca, Dan (9 Aug 1996). "SYD STRAW". The Philadelphia Inquirer. FEATURES WEEKEND. p. 15.
  15. 1 2 "War and Peace - Syd Straw | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  16. ↑ "Robert Christgau: CG: Syd Straw". www.robertchristgau.com.
  17. ↑ Rosenbluth, Jean (23 June 1996). "POP MUSIC". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 89.
  18. ↑ "Music scene jams to radio confab". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Features. 12 Feb 1996. p. D10.
  19. ↑ Larsen, Dave (17 May 1996). "RECORDINGS ON REVIEW". Dayton Daily News. Go!. p. 19.
  20. ↑ Nash, Alanna (May 1996). "Syd Straw: War and Peace". Stereo Review. 61 (5): 93.
  21. ↑ Catlin, Roger (9 May 1996). "POP/ROCK". Hartford Courant. Calendar. p. 4.
  22. ↑ Daily, Patrick (17 May 1996). "SYD STRAW: GREAT WHEN ANGRY". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8E.
  23. ↑ Pareles, Jon (11 June 1996). "Weepers, Teasers And Hymns". The New York Times. p. C15.
  24. ↑ "Rock writers choose year's top 10 albums". The Ottawa Citizen. 14 Dec 1996. p. H2.
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