American Quilt

American Quilt
A black-and-white photo of Cole with a quilt wrapped around her shoulders
Studio album by
Paula Cole
ReleasedMay 21, 2021 (2021-05-21)
RecordedJanuary 2020
StudiosMiddleville Studios, North Reading, Massachusetts, United States
GenreFolk
Length49:09
Labels
ProducerPaula Cole
Paula Cole chronology
Revolution
(2019)		 American Quilt
(2021)		 Lo
(2024)

American Quilt is a 2021 studio album by American pop and rock singer Paula Cole.

Recording and release

After releasing a collection of jazz ballads in Cole considered a second album of musical standards, but felt that the political climate in the United States warranted new material. She delayed that work until 2021 with American Quilt, focusing on Tin Pan Alley, folk, and Americana roots music, which is the style of music she was raised with. She wanted this album to display more diversity in style and genre than her jazz release and spent time during the COVID-19 pandemic finalizing the album, including doing research on songs and American folk art, such as quilts. Cole expressed that she still desires writing new music, but also wanted to continue exploring Americana after recording American Quilt, including the musical heritage from her father, a polka musician.

Reception

The editors of AllMusic scored American Quilt 3.5 out of five stars, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine noting the challenges of balancing all of the musical influences into one coherent musical statement, summing up that "it's just enough to be fresh yet familiar, the slight left turns indeed drawing attention to commonalities instead of differences".

Track listing

Several editions of American Quilt have been released with slightly varying track listing among the following tracks:

  1. "You Don't Know What Love Is" (Gene De Paul and Don Raye) – 5:58
  2. "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (Johnny Cash) – 2:56
  3. "Wayfaring Stranger" (traditional) – 4:36
  4. "Shenandoah" (traditional) – 7:41
  5. "Black Mountain Blues" (J. C. Johnson) – 5:08
  6. "Good Morning Heartache" (Ervin M. Drake, Dan Fisher, and Irene Higginbotham) – 4:21
  7. "Nobody Knows You (When You're Down and Out)" (Jimmie Cox) – 3:10
  8. "Bye Bye Blackbird" (Mort Dixon and Ray Henderson) – 4:28
  9. "Steal Away" / "Hidden in Plain Sight" (traditional / Paula Cole) – 7:55
  10. "What a Wonderful World" (Bob Thiele and George David Weiss) – 2:55

Personnel

"You Don’t Know What Love Is"

"God’s Gonna Cut You Down"

"Wayfaring Stranger"

"Shenandoah"

"Black Mountain Blues"

"Good Morning Heartache"

"Nobody Knows You (When You’re Down and Out)"

"Bye Bye Blackbird"

"Steal Away" / "Hidden In Plain Sight"

"What a Wonderful World"

Technical personnel

Charts

Chart performance for American Quilt
Chart (2021) Peak
UK Americana Albums (Official Charts)31
UK Jazz & Blues Albums (Official Charts)14

References

  1. 1 2 3 Crone, Madeline (April 1, 2021). "Paula Cole Premieres "Wayfaring Stranger," One Patch From Her Upcoming LP American Quilt". American Songwriter. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  2. ↑ Martoccio, Angie (March 19, 2021). "Paula Cole on New LP 'American Quilt,' What She Learned From Emmylou Harris". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  3. ↑ Chandler, Stacy (May 19, 2021). "Paula Cole Folds History and Music Together for American Quilt". No Depression. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  4. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Paula Cole – American Quilt". AllMusic Guide. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Official Americana Albums Chart on 28/5/2021 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart on 28/5/2021 – Top 30". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 20, 2024.