Arkansas Traveler (album)

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Arkansas Traveler

| type = studio

| artist = Michelle Shocked

| cover = ArkTraveler.jpg

| alt =

| released = April 1992

| recorded =

| studio =

| genre = Americana

| length = 58:47

| label = Mercury

| producer =

| prev_title = Captain Swing

| prev_year = 1989

| next_title = Kind Hearted Woman

| next_year = 1994

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Arkansas Traveler

| type = studio

| single1 = Come a Long Way

| single1date = 1992

}}

}}

Arkansas Traveler is an alternative folk album released by American singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked in 1992. Her fourth album for Mercury Records, the songs focused around the roots of her music. The album included collaborations with several other artists, including Taj Mahal, Alison Krauss, Tony Levin and Norman Blake. Jack Irons plays drums at the beginning of track 6. Uncle Tupelo plays on track 6. The album name may have been derived from the folklore of the Arkansas Traveler.

Reception

Reviewing the album for Rolling Stone, Mark Kemp gave it four stars out of five, calling it "ambitious".{{Citation

| last = Kemp

| first = Mark

| author-link =Mark Kemp

| title = Michelle Shocked : Arkansas Traveler : Music Reviews

| newspaper = Rolling Stone

| pages =

| year =

| date = May 1, 1992| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michelleshocked/albums/album/211972/review/5946002/arkansas_traveler

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071001091128/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michelleshocked/albums/album/211972/review/5946002/arkansas_traveler

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = October 1, 2007

| accessdate =January 6, 2010

}}

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic also gave the album four stars out of five. He also found it an ambitious album, calling Shocked "feisty" and "exuberant". He also noted the album's lack of commercial success.{{Cite web

| last = Ruhlmann

| first = William

| author-link =

| title = Arkansas Traveler > Overview

| work =

| publisher = AllMusic

| date =

| url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r122852|pure_url=yes}}

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate =January 6, 2010 }}

Her desire to have the cover portray her in blackface in tribute to the roots of the music featured on the album drew criticism and led to a change in the cover art.{{cite book|last=Caughie|first=Pamela L.|author-link=Pamela L. Caughie |title=Passing and Pedagogy: The Dynamics of Responsibility|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KrcablMdJVgC&pg=PA54|accessdate=March 24, 2014|year=1999|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=9780252067709|pages=54–}}

Track listing

All tracks composed by Michelle Shocked; except where noted.

  1. "33 RPM Soul" – 4:10
  2. "Come a Long Way" – 4:43
  3. "Secret to a Long Life" – 3:50
  4. "Contest Coming (Cripple Creek)" – 3:35
  5. "Over the Waterfall" – 4:39
  6. "Shaking Hands (Soldier's Joy)" – 3:25
  7. "Jump Jim Crow" – 3:32
  8. "Hold Me Back (Frankie and Johnnie)" – 5:09
  9. "Strawberry Jam" – 4:33
  10. "Prodigal Daughter (Cotton Eyed Joe)" – 6:43
  11. "Blackberry Blossom" – 3:31
  12. "Weaving Way" – 2:57
  13. "Arkansas Traveler" – 4:20
  14. "Woody's Rag" (Woody Guthrie) – 2:51

Personnel

Charts

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Chart performance for Arkansas Traveler

! scope="col"| Chart (1991–1992)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|Australia|33|artist=Michelle Shocked|album=Arkansas Traveler|rowheader=true|access-date=October 8, 2022}}
{{album chart|New Zealand|42|artist=Michelle Shocked|album=Arkansas Traveler|rowheader=true|access-date=October 8, 2022}}
{{album chart|UK2|46|date=19920405|rowheader=true|access-date=October 8, 2022}}

References