Lonesome Standard Time

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Lonesome Standard Time
Studio album by
Kathy Mattea
ReleasedSeptember 22, 1992 (1992-09-22)
StudioCreative Recording Inc.
Genre
Length32:44
Label
ProducerBrent Maher
Kathy Mattea chronology
Time Passes By
(1991) 		Lonesome Standard Time
(1992) 		Good News
(1993)
Singles from Lonesome Standard Time
  1. "Lonesome Standard Time"
    Released: September 1992
  2. "Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)"
    Released: January 1993
  3. "Seeds"
    Released: April 1993
  4. "Listen to the Radio"
    Released: August 1993

Lonesome Standard Time is the seventh studio album by American country artist Kathy Mattea. It was released on September 22, 1992, via PolyGram and Mercury Records. It was recorded during a period when she was experiencing vocal challenges. The project featured songs about heartbreak and loss written by various Nashville writers. It received a mixed critical response, but certified gold in the United States. The album spawned four singles. Both the title track and "Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)" reached the American country chart top 20 in 1993.

Background[edit]

Kathy Mattea reached her commercial and career peak by 1992. She had four singles that topped the American country chart won several accolades from the Country Music Association and the Grammy Awards. She was also headlining her own tours.[2][3] In June 1992, Mattea experienced a busted blood vessel on her vocal chords, which caused her to have surgery. She ended up cancelling several engagements but made a full recovery.[4] All the while, she was making her next studio album titled Lonesome Standard Time. "I feel like I was singing at the peak of anything I've ever done . . . . About halfway through the vocals, this happened," she told The Washington Post. Despite the vocal setback, Mattea finished the project.[3]

Recording and content[edit]

Lonesome Standard Time was made at Creative Recording Incorporated, a studio located in Nashville, Tennessee. The album was produced by Brent Maher, who was known for his previous work with The Judds.[3][5] The album's material was described as introspective while having a production that mixed country with Appalachian and bluegrass styles.[3][1][6] Mattea herself described the album as being about "love-lost and inner-soul-searching". She compared its sound to that of her previous album projects.[3] The album included material composed by various musical artists. The sixth track, "Listen to the Radio", was penned by Nanci Griffith. "Amarillo" was co-written by Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris. Another track, "Slow Boat", was co-written by Mattea's husband (and songwriter) Jon Vezner.[3][5] The album's third track, "Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)", was also recorded by Don Williams around the same time. The eighth track, "33, 45, 78", was composed by Washington D.C. native, Steve Key.[7]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Entertainment WeeklyB

Lonesome Standard Time received mixed reviews from critics and journalists. Jack Hurst of The Chicago Tribune praised the album, commenting that it "offers the kind of arresting music the imaginative title would seem to promise".[8] Meanwhile Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly rated the album a "B". Nash found it to be "too reverent and sluggish, and not even the driving bluegrass of the title tune is enough to transcend the album's ultrareflective mood".[6] Brian Mansfield of AllMusic rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars and commented, "Lonesome Standard Time isn't as ambitious as Time Passes By, but it's filled with lovely performances from Mattea's favorite sources: bluegrass ("Lonesome Standard Time"), gospel-influenced country ("Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)") and Nanci Griffith ("Listen to the Radio").[1]

Release, chart performance and singles[edit]

Lonesome Standard Time was released on September 22, 1992, on the PolyGram and Mercury labels. It was originally distributed as a compact disc and as a cassette.[5] In the 2000s and 2010s, it was released digitally for download and streaming purposes.[9] The album first entered the American Billboard Top Country Albums chart on October 24, 1992.[10] It did not climb higher until a 39 percent sales increase in March 1993 brought the album to the number 41 position.[11] It also peaked at the number 182 position on the Billboard 200 chart on October 31, 1992, after seven weeks there.[12] In November 1994, the album certified gold from the Recording Industry Association of America after selling over 500,000 copies. It became her fourth album to receive a certification from the RIAA.[13]

The album spawned a total of four singles between 1992 and 1993. The title track was the first single released and was issued by PolyGram/Mercury in September 1992.[14] By December 1992, the single reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at the number 11 position.[15] On Canada's RPM Country chart, the single reached the number 14 position.[16] It was followed by the release of "Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)" in January 1993.[17] The single also reached the Billboard country top 20, peaking at number 19 in April 1993.[15] On the RPM country chart, it reached number 24 around the same period.[16] It was then followed by the release of "Seeds" in April 1993.[18] The song later peaked at number 50 on the Billboard country chart in June 1993.[15] The final single spawned from the album was "Listen to the Radio" in August 1993.[19] Later that month, the song peaked at number 64 on the Hot Country Songs. It was Mattea's lowest charting single up to that point.[15]

Track listing[edit]

CD and digital versions[5][9]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lonesome Standard Time"
2:50
2."Lonely at the Bottom"
3:14
3."Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)"
4:12
4."Forgive and Forget"Kieran Kane2:52
5."Last Night I Dreamed of Loving You"Hugh Moffat3:31
6."Listen to the Radio"Nanci Griffith2:59
7."Slow Boat"
2:59
8."33, 45, 78 (Record Time)"Steve Key2:57
9."Amarillo"
3:07
10."Seeds"
3:47
Total length:32:44

Personnel[edit]

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Lonesome Standard Time and AllMusic.[5][20]

Musical personnel

Technical personnel

  • Archie Jordan – arranger
  • Mills Logan – engineer, assistant engineer
  • Brent Maher – producer, engineer, mixing
  • Jim McKell – engineer, assistant engineer, mixing
  • Glenn Meadows – mastering

Charts[edit]

Chart (1992–1993) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[21] 182
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[22] 41

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for Lonesome Standard Time
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Release history and formats for Lonesome Standard Time
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Australia September 22, 1992 Compact disc
  • PolyGram
  • Mercury Records
 [24]
North America
  • CD
  • cassette
 [5]
2000s–2010s
  • Music download
  • streaming
 Mercury Records [9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Manfield, Brian. "Lonesome Standard Time: Kathy Mattea: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  2. ^ Huey, Steve. "Kathy Mattea: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Brown, Joe (August 21, 1992). "MATTEA MAKING MOST OF TOUR". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  4. ^ Hurst, Jack (December 25, 1992). "Kathy Mattea Worked Voice Back Into Shape". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Mattea, Kathy (September 22, 1992). "Lonesome Standard Time (Liner Notes and Album Information)". PolyGram/Mercury Records. 314-512 567-4 (Cassette), 314-512 567-2 (CD).
  6. ^ a b Nash, Alanna (1992-10-30). "Lonesome Standard Time". EW.com. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  7. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (August 26, 1992). "MATTEA: HONEY AND HEART". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  8. ^ Hurst, Jack (October 16, 1992). "KATHY MATTEA IS BACK IN VOICE WITH 'LONESOME STANDARD TIME' [originally from the Chicago Tribune]". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "Lonesome Standard Time by Kathy Mattea". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Kathy Mattea chart history (Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  11. ^ "'Women of Country' See Sales Gains". Billboard. May 22, 1993. p. 123. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Kathy Mattea chart history (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Gold & Platinum: Kathy Mattea". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  14. ^ Mattea, Kathy (September 1992). ""Lonesome Standard Time"/"Asking Us to Dance" (CD Single)". PolyGram/Mercury Records. 864 318-7.
  15. ^ a b c d "Kathy Mattea chart history (Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada - Country Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  17. ^ Mattea, Kathy (January 1993). ""Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)"/"Listen to the Radio" (CD Single)". PolyGram/Mercury Records. 864 810-7.
  18. ^ Mattea, Kathy (April 1993). ""Seeds"/"Lonely at the Bottom" (CD Single)". PolyGram/Mercury Records. 862 064-7.
  19. ^ Mattea, Kathy (August 1993). ""Listen to the Radio"/"Slow Boat" (CD Single)". PolyGram/Mercury Records. 862 650-7.
  20. ^ "Lonesome Standard Time: Kathy Mattea: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  21. ^ "Kathy Mattea Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  22. ^ "Kathy Mattea Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  23. ^ "American album certifications – Kathy Mattea – Lonesome Standard Time". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  24. ^ Mattea, Kathy (September 22, 1992). "Lonesome Standard Time (CD Information)". PolyGram/Mercury Records. 512 567-2 (Australia).
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