Moon Hut
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
| Moon Hut | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 9, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | Bloomington, Indiana | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 49:41 | |||
| Label | Dreamworks | |||
| Producer | Paul Mahern | |||
| Kim Fox chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Moon Hut | ||||
| ||||
Moon Hut is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Kim Fox, released in 1997 by DreamWorks Records.[1] It spawned two singles: "I Wanna Be a Witch", and "Sweetest Revenge".[2]
Background[edit]
Fox grew up in the New York City area, later moving to Bloomington, Indiana, where Moon Hut was recorded. All musicians featured on the album were native to Bloomington, with producer Paul Mahern also originating from the city. She told Billboard in 1997, "the combination of music school musos and the locals makes Bloomington a pretty amazing place. You can see great music about every night. And the atmosphere is so relaxed. Living here, I've gained a new respect for music with a real simplicity."[3]
Music and lyrics[edit]
The song "Jen" was written about a longtime friend of Fox, who said in 1998, "Jen, who hates being called Jen (which I do in the song for artistic license), has been a friend of mine since we were three. She is a very sensual, sexual person. She’s an artist and a sculptor and a puppeteer. I wrote this song about her at a time when I was feeling really repressed. I looked at her as being someone who was free with her body and free in expression. At that time, I felt like I wasn't, so it was inspiring for me to break free and learn from her. A lot of people do take it as being either that I’m singing about a woman that I’m very attracted to or that it has more sexual connotations, which is perfectly fine. Why can’t I admire another woman for being sensual and beautiful?".[4]
Release and promotion[edit]
It was originally scheduled to be released by DreamWorks on July 15, 1997,[3] although it would end up being released on September 9, 1997.[5] Fox supported the album by opening for Ben Folds Five in late 1997.[6]
Reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Houston Press | [7] |
| Stereo Review | [8] |
Moon Hut received 4 stars out of 5 from AllMusic's Tom Schulte, who wrote that "Potent lyrics and the bright decoration of glockenspiel, concertina and more makes Moon Hut an unforgettable album."[5] Stereo Review gave the album 3 stars out of 5,[8] and Houston Press's Hobart Rowland gave it 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as "one of the most satisfying debuts of the year".[7] The New York Daily News' Jim Farber named the album one of the overlooked CDs of 1997, writing that "If Fox lacks the bite of Sobule, or the smarts of Rigby, she bests them all in sheer vulnerability. Her self-deprecation couldn't seem more sweet."[9] Robert Christgau, however, was less favorable, giving the album a "neither" rating,[10] indicating that, according to him, it "may impress once or twice with consistent craft or an arresting track or two. Then it won't."[11]
Monica Kendrick of the Chicago Reader gave the album a negative review in October 1997, writing "[it] finds her posing as a whip-smart Morissette-ette and sounding like a second-rate sex kitten. She’s breathy and squeaky as a cracked piccolo, and the unbelievably cloying string-and-piano arrangements must be to hedge her bets with the adult-contemporary crowd. I cannot begin to describe how awful this record is; if the fact that she’s sampled Ituri forest Pygmies for her baby-voiced cover of Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” doesn’t convince you, I am powerless."[12]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Wanna Be a Witch" | 3:21 |
| 2. | "Found a Penny" | 4:12 |
| 3. | "Could Have Been a Saint" | 3:13 |
| 4. | "Bleed a Little, Allison" | 3:46 |
| 5. | "Say Anything" | 4:19 |
| 6. | "Sweetest Revenge" | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Flowers Have O's" | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Cowgirl's Lament" | 4:12 |
| 9. | "Jen" | 3:20 |
| 10. | "I'm Discovered" | 3:26 |
| 11. | "Daredevil" | 5:26 |
| 12. | "Atlantic City" | 7:13 |
| Total length: | 49:41 | |
References[edit]
- ^ Moon Hut - Kim Fox | Releases | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-11-24
- ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1997-07-12). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ a b Billboard, 12 Jul 1997 Retrieved 10 June 2020
- ^ "Bay Area Reporter, Volume 28, Number 27, 2 July 1998". Benro Enterprises, Inc. Jul 2, 1998. Retrieved Jul 16, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c Schulte, Tom. "Kim Fox - Moon Hut". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ Lounges, Tom (26 October 1997). "Singer Kim Fox makes transition from Big Apple". nwitimes.com.
- ^ a b Rowland, Hobart (1997-10-30). "Sound Check". Houston Press.
- ^ a b "Moon Hut Review". Stereo Review. Vol. 63. CBS Magazines. 1998. p. 90.
- ^ Farber, Jim (6 January 1998). "Time to Sing the Praises of some of 1997's Overlooked CDs". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: kim fox". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG 90s: Key to Icons". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
- ^ "Spot Check". 23 October 1997.
