''Birds Flying Away'' is the second album by
Mason Jennings
Mason Jennings is an American folk-pop singer-songwriter.
Biography
Born in Hawaii, Jennings moved with his family to Pittsburgh at an early age. Jennings learned to play guitar at the age of 13, when he began writing songs. Jennings later dro ...
. It was released in January
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
by the label
Bar/None
Bar/None Records is an independent record label based in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Early history
Tom Prendergast started Bar/None in early 1986 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Having previously worked in pirate radio, booking and promoting bands in his n ...
.
While writing this album, the drummer Chris Stock left and was replaced. Jennings had another setback for six months when he contracted mononucleosis, which delayed the release of the album.
Jennings is compared to
Dave Matthews
David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is an American musician and the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB).
Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved frequently between South Africa, ...
in a ''New York Times'' review. Unlike the debut, the album included several songs with political themes.
Critical reception
''
City Pages
''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a ...
'' called ''Birds Flying Away'' Jennings's best album, in a 2016 ranking, writing that "his blend of acoustic storytelling, historical themes, and funky instrumentation (there’s an alto-saxophone solo on the politically/historically charged 'Black Panther') makes for a perfect mix."
The song "Birds Flying Away" was covered by
Streetlight Manifesto
Streetlight Manifesto is an American ska punk band from New Brunswick Township, New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 2002. They released their debut album, ''Everything Goes Numb'', through Victory Records on August 26, 2003. The ban ...
on their album
99 Songs of Revolution: Vol. 1.
Track listing
# "Confidant" - 3:47
# "United States Global Empire" - 3:02
# "Ballad for My One True Love" - 4:32
# "Black Panther" - 3:58
# "Dr. King" - 3:24
# "Stars Shine Quietly" - 3:49
# "Birds Flying Away" - 3:13
# "The Mountain" - 4:15
# "Duluth" - 3:03
# "Train Leaving Gray" - 2:20
# "The Light" - 4:23
Personnel
* Mason Jennings - guitar, vocals, producer
* Bob Skoro - bass guitar, vocals, assistant producer
* Edgar Oliveria - drums
* Chris Thompson - alto saxophone
* Dave Gardner - mastering
*
Ed Ackerson
Edwin C. Ackerson (July 18, 1965 – October 4, 2019) was an American musician and producer from Minneapolis. He produced or engineered dozens of records including works by prominent artists such as The Jayhawks, The Replacements (band), The Repl ...
- producer, engineer
* Tom Garneau - engineer
* Camron Wittig - design, photography
References
External links
Discography
2000 albums
Mason Jennings albums
{{2000s-folk-album-stub