Puss 'n' Boots (album)
Encyclopedia
Puss 'N' Boots is the sixth studio album by Crash Test Dummies
, released in 2003. The album began life as a Brad Roberts solo project. While the lyrics were written by Brad Roberts, most of the music was written by Stuart Cameron. Perhaps not coincidentally, this album is, musically-speaking, more conventional, less original. Ellen sang backing vocals and Dan played bass, though much of the music was performed by other musicians.
states that "with their chicken-scratch wah-wah guitars, sexy backup vocals, slinky slow-burning grooves and swirly production flourishes, these cuts are more earthy and soulful than anything the Dummies ever did, not to mention catchier and more accessible than most of Roberts' recent, idiosyncratic output. Still, from the love-'em-and-leave-'em confessions of It's a Shame to the sex-toy metaphor Triple-Master-Blaster to the good-riddance breakup song Bye-Bye Baby, Goodbye, Puss 'N' Boots is clearly anything but your typical G-rated bedtime story.".
Crash Test Dummies
The Crash Test Dummies is a Canadian folk rock/alternative rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, widely known for their 1993 single "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm".The band is most identifiable through Brad Roberts and his distinctive bass-baritone voice...
, released in 2003. The album began life as a Brad Roberts solo project. While the lyrics were written by Brad Roberts, most of the music was written by Stuart Cameron. Perhaps not coincidentally, this album is, musically-speaking, more conventional, less original. Ellen sang backing vocals and Dan played bass, though much of the music was performed by other musicians.
Track listing
- "It's a Shame"
- "Everything Is Better with Me"
- "Triple Master Blaster"
- "I'm the Man (That You Are Not)"
- "Stupid Same"
- "I'll See What I Can Do"
- "Your Gun Won't Fire"
- "Flying Feeling"
- "If Ya Wanna Know"
- "Bye Bye Baby, Goodbye"
- "I Never Try That Hard"
- "Never Bother Looking Back"
- "It'll Never Leave You Alone"
Personnel
- Brad RobertsBrad RobertsBradley Kenneth "Brad" Roberts is the lead singer and guitarist for the Canadian folk-rock band Crash Test Dummies. He sings in the bass-baritone range.-Career:...
, vocals - Ellen ReidEllen ReidEllen Reid provides backing vocals, piano, keyboards and accordion for the Canadian rock band Crash Test Dummies....
, backing vocals - Dan RobertsDan RobertsDan Roberts is the bassist for the Canadian rock band, Crash Test Dummies, and brother of their lead singer, Brad Roberts.-Biography:...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Stuart CameronStuart Cameron (Musician)Stuart Cameron is a guitarist based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is the son of the late John Allan Cameron and is a member of The Heartbroken...
- acoustic and electric guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, lap steelLap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
, Twelve-string guitar, keyboardElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
s, backing vocals on "I'll See What I Can Do", programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
/loopMusic loopIn electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
s on "Your Gun Won't Fire" - Chris Brown - Wurlitzer pianoWurlitzer electric pianoWurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
, MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, ClavinetClavinetA Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
, OrganOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, PianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Ethan Eubanks, drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, loopMusic loopIn electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
s, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Wijnand Jansveld, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on "Triple Master Blaster" - Tina Maddigan, backing vocals on "I'm the Man (That You Are Not)," "Flying Feeling," and "Bye Bye Baby, Goodbye"
- John Allen Cameron, Twelve-string guitar on "Stupid Same"
- Jamie Staub, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
/loopMusic loopIn electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
s on "Your Gun Won't Fire," CongaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
s on "I Never Try That Hard" - New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, City Sounds on "It'll Never Leave You Alone"
Reception
The album received generally mixed reviews. Allmusic writer James Christopher Monger gave the album 3 out of 5 stars and states that "the smoky rhythms and wah-wah guitar that permeate Puss 'n' Boots reflect Roberts' willingness to experience a place -- he currently resides in Harlem -- and to covet and use those experiences in his writing. However, it's the simple, sparse, and honest It'll Never Leave You Alone, a winking look at the pros and cons of chemical indulgence, that leaves the listener with the clearest window into this shape-shifting jester's soul.". In addition, Darryl Sterdan of the Winnipeg SunWinnipeg Sun
The Winnipeg Sun is a daily tabloid-sized newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.It is owned by Sun Media, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media, and shares many characteristics typical of Sun Media tabloids, including an emphasis on local news stories, extensive sports coverage, a Canadian conservatism...
states that "with their chicken-scratch wah-wah guitars, sexy backup vocals, slinky slow-burning grooves and swirly production flourishes, these cuts are more earthy and soulful than anything the Dummies ever did, not to mention catchier and more accessible than most of Roberts' recent, idiosyncratic output. Still, from the love-'em-and-leave-'em confessions of It's a Shame to the sex-toy metaphor Triple-Master-Blaster to the good-riddance breakup song Bye-Bye Baby, Goodbye, Puss 'N' Boots is clearly anything but your typical G-rated bedtime story.".