This Land (Gary Clark Jr. album)

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This Land
Studio album by
Gary Clark Jr.
ReleasedFebruary 22, 2019 (2019-02-22)
StudioArlyn Studios[1]
GenreBlues, rock, R&B, hard rock
Length62:15
LabelWarner Bros.
Gary Clark Jr. chronology
The Story of Sonny Boy Slim
(2015) 		This Land
(2019) 		JPEG Raw
(2024)
Singles from This Land
  1. "This Land"
    Released: January 10, 2019
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
Austin Chronicle[4]
Exclaim!9/10[5]
Paste7.5/10[6]
Pitchfork7.9/10[7]
Rolling Stone[8]

This Land is the third studio album by American blues rock musician Gary Clark Jr., and was released on February 22, 2019, by Warner Bros. Records.[9][10] It won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2020, while the title track won Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance.[11]

Background and production[edit]

Apart from "When I'm Gone," which was recorded on a Fender Stratocaster, Clark Jr. used a Gibson SG electric guitar to record This Land.[12]

Promotion[edit]

The album was announced with a video for the lead single "This Land" directed by Austin, Texas-based filmmaker Savanah Leaf.[1] The song and video highlight racism in American society, with Leaf recreating aspects of Clark's childhood as described by the musician to the director, and Clark's response to the policies of President Donald Trump since he was elected in 2016.[1] The track was inspired by "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie, with Clark commenting in an interview with American Songwriter: "It’s one of the first songs we learn, and we sing it together ... It's like the Pledge of Allegiance ... And when you're kids, everybody's together. You don't see differences until you get older, and older people influence you to think about other people a certain way. I just want to get back to singing that song like we were kids again, you know?"[9] Writer Dan Solomon, in Texas Monthly, described "This Land" as "perhaps the first truly great song of Clark's career, a defiant, statement-piece anthem that fits alongside pieces like Childish Gambino's "This is America" and Beyoncé's "Formation" in its vocal addressing of racism in America."[13]

Clark started the album's promotional tour in March 2019.[1][9]

Commercial performance[edit]

This Land debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 with 54,000 album-equivalent units, of which 51,000 were pure album sales. It is his third US top 10 album.[14]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks written by Gary Clark Jr.; track 1 co-written by Woody Guthrie.

No.TitleLength
1."This Land"5:42
2."What About Us"4:30
3."I Got My Eyes on You (Locked & Loaded)"5:11
4."I Walk Alone"3:44
5."Feelin’ Like a Million"3:34
6."Gotta Get Into Something"3:04
7."Got to Get Up"2:37
8."Feed the Babies"4:46
9."Pearl Cadillac"5:05
10."When I'm Gone"3:48
11."The Guitar Man"4:27
12."Low Down Rolling Stone"4:18
13."The Governor"2:21
14."Don't Wait 'til Tomorrow"4:05
15."Dirty Dishes Blues"5:03
Total length:1:02:15
Bonus tracks[9]
No.TitleLength
16."Highway 71"3:31
17."Did Dat"6:42
Total length:1:12:28

Personnel[edit]

  • Gary Clark Jr. – vocals (all tracks), guitar (all tracks), bass (4–7, 16), keyboards (1–11, 16–17), percussion (5–6)

Additional musicians

  • Doyle Bramhall II – lute (17)
  • Mike Elizondo – bass (2, 8–12, 14), synth bass (1–3, 11)
  • Alex Peterson – bass (17)
  • Brannen Temple – drums (1–3, 5, 7–8, 10–11, 13–14, 17)
  • J.J. Johnson – drums (4, 6, 9, 12, 15–16)
  • Jon Deas – keyboards (4, 11, 14, 17), Hammond organ (12)
  • Sheila E. – percussion (4, 8, 10–11, 14, 17)
  • Keyon Harrold – horn (7–8)
  • Gabe Burch – backing vocals (6–7)
  • Scooter Weinbtraub – backing vocals (6)
  • Jacob Sciba – backing vocals (2, 7, 12)
  • Gaston Jouany – backing vocals (2, 6–7)
  • Joseph Holguin – backing vocals (2, 6–7)
  • Branko Presley – backing vocals (6)
  • Katelyn O'Neal – backing vocals (6)
  • Lazaro Zarate – backing vocals (6)
  • Mikayla Mundy – backing vocals (6)
  • Pam Adams – backing vocals (6)

Technical

  • Gabe Burch – engineering
  • Gary Clark Jr. – engineering, production, programming
  • Jacob Sciba – production, mixing, engineering
  • Joseph Angel – production
  • Lab Ox - production
  • Scooter Weintraub – production
  • Mike Elizondo – production
  • Howie Weinberg – mastering
  • Joseph Holguin – engineering
  • Adam Hawkins – engineering

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Patrick Doyle (January 10, 2019). "Gary Clark Jr.'s New Song Is a Scathing Account of Trump-Era Racism". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  2. ^ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  3. ^ Deming, Mark. "This Land - Gary Clark, Jr". AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Spearman, Kahron (March 22, 2019). "Austin Chronicle Review". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  5. ^ Choghri, Brandon (February 27, 2019). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  6. ^ Johnson, Ellen (March 14, 2019). "Paste Magazine Review". Paste. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  7. ^ Thomas Erlewine, Stephen (March 2, 2019). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  8. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (February 22, 2019). "Rolling Stone Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d Caine O'Rear (January 10, 2019). "Gary Clark Jr. Fires Salvo At Trump-Era Racism with "This Land" Video". American Songwriter. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  10. ^ Trey Alston (January 10, 2019). "Gary Clark Jr. Announces New Album THIS LAND, Shares Political Video: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  11. ^ "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Winners List". Grammy.com. November 20, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  12. ^ Bosso, Joe (May 22, 2019). "Gary Clark Jr. Gets Real: The Powerful Story Behind His New Album, 'This Land'". Guitar World. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  13. ^ Dan Solomon (January 10, 2019). "Gary Clark Jr.'s New Music Video, "This Land," Is a Furious, Beautiful Statement". Texas Monthly. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (March 3, 2019). "Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper's 'A Star Is Born' Soundtrack Back at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Post-Oscars". Billboard. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Gary Clark Jr. – This Land". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  16. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Gary Clark Jr. – This Land" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Gary Clark Jr. – This Land" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Gary Clark Jr. – This Land" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  19. ^ "Gary Clark Jr Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  20. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 09.Týden 2019 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  21. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Gary Clark Jr. – This Land" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  22. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 9, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  23. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Gary Clark Jr. – This Land" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  24. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2019. 13. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 10: del 1.3.2019 al 7.3.2019" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  27. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Gary Clark Jr. – This Land". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  28. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  29. ^ "Gary Clark Jr. Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  30. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
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