John Hiatt Albums (20)
What The Critics Say
John Hiatt's Same Old Man opens with the song "Old Days," in which he tells tales of life on the road sharing stages with several aging legends of the blues, and given the grainy drawl of his vocal on the track, one can be forgiven for thinking Hiatt has begun to turn into one of the grizzled old men he's singing about. But most of the tunes on Hiatt's 18th studio album find him in considerably stronger and more nimble voice, even though the blessings and trials of maturity are a recurring theme in these 11 songs. Hiatt produced and recorded Same Old Man at his home studio, with Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars sitting in on guitar and mandolin while Patrick O'Hearn and Kenneth Blevins handled bass and drums, and while these sessions are dominated by a laid-back vibe informed by country blues, Hiatt sounds sharp and engaged on each track. While the songwriting is up to Hiatt's usual standards (which is to say it's quite good), as an album this is a more cohesive and emotionally effective set than he's offered since 1990's Stolen Moments. If "Cherry Red" is keyed to midlife nostalgia, his memories of cars, girls, and the Kingsmen are just flinty enough to avoid sounding sugary, and the culinary memories of "Our Time" convey a sense of opportunity lost with greater skill than most tunesmiths could bring to this material. And even on the less revelatory songs about love, Hiatt sings about the nuts and bolts of human relationships with the emotional gravity of someone who has learned plenty over the course of 56 years, and he writes and sings with the conviction of a true believer. More than a quarter century after breaking through as an "Angry Young Man," John Hiatt is neither these days, but Same Old Man shows he's learned a lot since then, and you can hear the lessons shining through in this music. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'Live from Austin TX'
Release Date 11/1/2005
Tracks 14
Label New West
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What The Critics Say
John Hiatt was touring behind his self-described "midlife crisis album," 1993's Perfectly Good Guitar -- on which he teamed up with a raucous (and noticeably younger) rock & roll band for backup -- when he appeared on PBS' venerable music series Austin City Limits to tape a set with his young guns in tow. Live from Austin, TX documents the full 74-minute show Hiatt and his band played that night, with Hiatt and School of Fish guitarist Michael Ward giving the tunes plenty of six-string firepower, and drummer Michael Urbano and bassist Davey Faragher holding down the backbeat with lots of muscle. While Hiatt the vocalist has always been something of an acquired taste, here he gives the songs as much blues-charged bellow as he can offer, and the truth of the matter is he sounds like he's having a great time. He also seems willing to stretch out the songs as far as they want to go, and one might argue that "Your Dad Did," "Something Wild," and "Thing Called Love" didn't need to be stretched out to six minutes and change each. But Hiatt the songwriter has always commanded attention as one of the best tunesmiths America has to offer, and here he delivers 14 good to exceptional songs with plenty of heart, soul, and sweat. If this disc is pretty atypical for Hiatt these days (not to mention that this tour was already documented on the album Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan?), it's still good fun for fans and proves the man knows how to rock out when he's of a mind. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
John Hiatt has often wavered back and forth between his instincts as a rocker and a more measured singer/songwriter bent, and after the rowdy guitar-fueled blues-rock of 2003's Beneath This Gruff Exterior, it should come as no great surprise that Hiatt toned things down a bit for his next album, 2005's Master of Disaster. Produced by Jim Dickinson, with his sons Luther Dickinson and Cody Dickinson (from the North Mississippi Allstars) on guitar and drums, Master of Disaster is rooted in loosely tight Memphis groove, but while Hiatt sounds soulful as all get out (as per usual) on this set, the lingering mood is often downbeat and introspective. The title cut is a stinging meditation on the role of addiction in a musician's life, "Love's Not Where We Left It" and "Ain't Never Goin' Back" are as lean and unsentimental as songs about love can get, and even his ode to the wonders of the Ford Thunderbird finds room for some pithy recollections about one man's bitter relationship with his father. Still, Hiatt does find some room for comic relief in his meditation on cold weather, "Wintertime Blues," he has fun with his crotchety old man tale "Old School," and the raspy grain that has worked its way into his voice suits both the singer and his songs just fine, giving the performances a welcome warmth and humanity. Master of Disaster packs too much good and greasy East Memphis vibe to qualify as "mellow," even when Hiatt is searching the depths of his soul, and his material strikes a comfortable balance between his more confessional work and his impulsive rock & roll, allowing him to have it both ways for a change. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'Beneath This Gruff Exterior'
Release Date 5/6/2003
Tracks 12
Label New West
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What The Critics Say
While Beneath This Gruff Exterior is credited to John Hiatt & the Goners, a more appropriate designation might be "John Hiatt and Sonny Landreth" -- hotshot guitarist Landreth, who has held down a longtime on-and-off tenure in Hiatt's road band, spreads his licks over every nook and cranny of this album, so much so that his guitar spends about as much time in the spotlight as Mr. Hiatt himself. With the guitars turned up and Hiatt willing to push the growl of his voice to the limit, Beneath This Gruff Exterior finds Hiatt in stripped-down and rockin' form, much more so than on the albums which immediately preceded it. The production (by Don Smith with Hiatt and the band) is simple and straightforward, sounding loose and live, with Hiatt willing to let a few minor vocal glitches slip into the final mix. In short, this is a John Hiatt rock & roll album, which means his more serious songs are put on hold and stuff like "How Bad's the Coffee" and "Almost Fed Up With the Blues" find their way onto disc. But as has long been the case, Hiatt's lighter stuff still packs more emotional heft than most songwriters you could mention (especially on "Missing Pieces" and "The Most Unoriginal Sin"), and if his voice sounds as if it's starting to fray a tiny bit, he can still belt it out pretty convincingly for a guy who's been making records since 1974. The vast majority of Hiatt's albums fall into one of two categories -- brilliant and real good. Beneath This Gruff Exterior falls into the latter file, which means it isn't a revelation like Two Bit Monsters or Bring the Family, but it's got good songs sang by a great songwriter, and played by a rockin' little band with a real fine guitarist up front, and if that's not what you're looking for, you're probably not much on Hiatt anyway. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'The Tiki Bar Is Open'
Release Date 9/10/2001
Tracks 11
Label Sanctuary
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What The Critics Say
On a creative roll after 2000's acoustic Crossing Muddy Waters, John Hiatt returned rejuvenated as well as electric. Old backing band the Goners returned for his 17th -- and best -- album in the 13 years that have passed since the same outfit accompanied him on 1988's classic Slow Turning. Unlike its intentionally cheesy tongue-in-cheek title, Tiki Bar is a keenly constructed collection of heartfelt, bluesy tunes that rock -- and often rock hard -- with tremendous soul. Subtle use of drum loops and the occasional overdub enhances, but doesn't update, Hiatt's roots approach. Like the Band, whose "The Weight" he evokes on "Hangin' Round Here," these songs seemingly spring from a bottomless well of melodies and hooks, all energized by his raw, throaty vocals. The famed Goners guitarist, Louisiana's Sonny Landreth, positively burns throughout, especially on slide, and the group consistently coalesces like Crazy Horse on a hot night. They follow their eclectic leader through waltzy ballads, folksy love songs, mid-tempo burners, and even an unusual album-closing ten-minute psychedelic romp, "Farther Stars," that takes the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" to the Middle Eastern swamps. Far from winding down in his fifties, John Hiatt released the most inspired work of his life. Not quite as magical as his high-water mark, Bring the Family, this is still a superbly crafted disc whose songs quickly sink in and stay lodged in your brain. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
'Crossing Muddy Waters'
Release Date 9/26/2000
Tracks 11
Label Vanguard
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What The Critics Say
John Hiatt's 16th effort is a marked departure from his work of the previous 25 years, and a vast improvement over 1997's disappointing Little Head. Hiatt retrenched and recorded his first drummer-less, predominantly acoustic record for Vanguard. It's a sympathetic match and a smart move, since the company has a long, rich history working in the unplugged medium before it became trendy. The result is the most natural and relaxed John Hiatt album in years, and a welcome addition to his extensive catalog. With just a duo of acoustic multi-instrumentalists, Davey Faragher and David Immergluck (both longtime associates), Hiatt pulls out some of the most earnest, down-to-earth songs of his career. He sings like a man rejuvenated, totally at ease with his surroundings, and plays with the laid-back, homespun honesty that has infused his best work. Although some comical lyrical touches remain, the majority of the album is a sober reflection on lost love ("What Do We Do Now," the title track) and the resulting psychological scars. Hiatt's voice has never sounded better; its coarse edges sometimes straining for high notes works perfectly with this craggy, unpolished music. The mandolin is the most distinctive instrument here, and its brittle, trebly, crisp tone gives the disc an underlying tension, especially on the ballads that comprise the majority of the album. Heart-rending, sincere, stripped down yet multi-faceted, John Hiatt has taken a step forward by taking a small step back. Although not quite in a class with career highlights like Bring the Family or Slow Turning, Crossing Muddy Waters is a subtle treat and an album whose watercolor brush strokes paint a vibrant picture of stirring delicacy. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Walk On is a classic "road" album in the sense that its songs largely seem written to or about people who are not present, either because the singer is away from them, he is singing about the past, or they are dead. John Hiatt exploits the resulting feelings of longing, anger, and mourning inherent in that premise, sometimes, as in "I Can't Wait," singing about wanting to be back home, sometimes, as in the odd love song "Ethylene," wishing for a departed lover, sometimes, as in "Dust Down a Country Road," reflecting as in a dream on the past. He employs rustic nature imagery, but frequently for ominous effects rather than gentle ones, and he is supported by spare, guitar-dominated backup that is alternately soothing and disturbing. Hiatt's label debut for Capitol (though they didn't do much to promote it), Walk On is not among Hiatt's more consistent or more accessible works, but he remains a highly imaginative and craftsmanlike writer who can startle you. The raucous "Shredding the Document" is among the half-dozen best songs of the year, if not the decade. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan?'
Release Date 11/22/1994
Tracks 15
Label A&M
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
John Hiatt's first live album was recorded during a 1994 winter-spring tour of the U.S. (the title is a joke) and finds the singer/songwriter backed by the Guilty Dogs, a guitar-bass-drums trio. He doesn't need any more ammunition than that, not when he's got a set of 15 songs drawn from his last four critically acclaimed albums, including "Thing Called Love" and "Tennessee Plates." Hiatt gives his songs a rougher treatment than some of those who have covered them, his throaty voice giving even love songs like "Angel Eyes" an unsentimental force. In the absence of an A&M best-of, Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan? makes a good sampler of his work, 1987-1993. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For all of his ability to rock out, John Hiatt's records usually have more of a soul and/or country feel to them, which makes 1993's Perfectly Good Guitar something of an anomaly: This is the most consistently rock & roll-oriented album of Hiatt's career. Produced by Matt Wallace (Replacements, Faith No More), who gives a Neil Young-style guitar crunch to most of the songs, Perfectly Good Guitar was a record almost tailor-made for the then-nascent AAA (adult album alternative) demographic. Unfortunately, Hiatt seems to borrow not only Young's guitar sound, but also his sloppy, inconsistent songwriting for this album. The title track is one of Hiatt's all-time best, using smashed guitars as a perfectly realized metaphor for abusive relationships and setting the impressive lyrics to the catchiest chorus of his entire career. But while the tender "Buffalo River Home" and "Blue Telescope" are equally fine, much of the rest of the record sounds hurried and unfocused. "The Wreck of the Barbie Ferrari" sadly fails to live up to its title, and the closing "Loving a Hurricane" takes the Neil Young comparisons right to the edge of outright plagiarism. John Hiatt has released far worse albums than Perfectly Good Guitar, but given how terrific about a third of the songs are, this album's one of his more frustrating efforts. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
