Parlor James
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Parlor James was a short-lived American
alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...
duo active in the 1990s. The group's members were
Amy Allison Amy Allison is an American country music artist and the daughter of jazz-blues musician Mose Allison. She became interested in country music as a kid growing up on Long Island, and first began making music as the lead singer of ''Amy Allison and t ...
and
Lone Justice Lone Justice was an American country rock band formed in 1982 by guitarist Ryan Hedgecock and singer Maria McKee in Los Angeles. The band released two albums, '' Lone Justice'' in 1985 and '' Shelter'' the following year, before disbanding in ...
's Ryan Hedgecock, who first met each other at a
Mercury Lounge The Mercury Lounge is a live music venue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Like its brother venue The Bowery Ballroom, The Mercury Lounge is celebrated as an iconic indie venue due to its acoustics, its fostering and even la ...
songwriter's night. Allison came up with the name "Parlor James" on a whim, after spontaneously encountering the words in a dream. Originally formed in 1994, they released their debut EP, ''Dreadful Sorry'', on
Discovery Records Discovery Records was a United States–based record company and label known for its recordings of jazz music. Discovery was founded in 1948 by jazz fan and promoter Albert Marx; it was headquartered in Hollywood, California. The record label wou ...
in 1996. It was produced by
Malcolm Burn Malcolm Burn (born October 4, 1960) is a Canadian-born music producer, recording engineer and musician. Emmylou Harris's '' Red Dirt Girl'', produced by Burn, won Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 2001 Grammys. Biography Born in Cornwall, Onta ...
, primarily on home recording equipment. Their full-length debut, ''Old Dreams'', was released on
Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gotteh ...
in 1998. It was also produced by Burn. By 2001, it was considered very unlikely that the duo would release any more music.


Reviews

In a favorable review of ''Dreadful Sorry'' in '' No Depression'', Rob Bleetstein wrote that "Parlor James displays all the promise and passion Lone Justice lost after their first album, and the prospect of great musical growth is there for the taking." The ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
''s Greg Dretzka gave ''Dreadful Sorry'' 3 out of 4 stars, writing that Parlor James' "...strange blend of vocal styles should interest the same folks who found
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...
' format-bending "
Wrecking Ball A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a Crane (machine), crane, that is used for Demolition, demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1940s and 1950s. Several wrecking companies claim to have inve ...
" to their liking." In his review of ''Old Dreams'', Bill Friskics-Warren wrote that "When judiciously applied, the dots and loops on ''Old Dreams'' enable Parlor James to breathe new life into the mountain ballad tradition. And yet...the duo's close harmony singing, the thing that brought them together in the first place, is ultimately what makes their collaboration work." Greg Jerrett gave ''Old Dreams'' 4 out of 5 stars, comparing the album to "a big old stew made out of influences from every conceivable source in modern music", adding, "...if you want something which represents the last few years of the millennium, "Old Dreams" will fit the bill, just you wait and see."


Discography

* ''Dreadful Sorry'' (Discovery, 1996) * ''Old Dreams'' (Sire, 1998)


References

{{US-country-band-stub Musical groups established in 1994 American alternative country groups Sire Records artists Discovery Records artists Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups from New York City Musical duos from New York (state)