Sweeten the Distance is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Neal Casal, released on November 14, 2011, on Fargo Records.[1] Produced by Thom Monahan, the album is Casal's first since the break-up of The Cardinals in 2009, and features contributions from former bandmate Jon Graboff throughout.
| Sweeten the Distance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 14, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | The Hangar, Sacramento, California; Wacs, Los Angeles; Castaway 7 Studios, Ventura, California; Cozy Shack, Brooklyn | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Fargo Records | |||
| Producer | Thom Monahan | |||
| Neal Casal chronology | ||||
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Background and recording
editSweeten the Distance was recorded over six months at The Hangar, Sacramento with producer Thom Monahan. Regarding the sessions, Casal stated, "It could have gone faster, but Thom and I wanted to take our time and really get everything right. I'm not into making records quickly anymore, I like to work slowly and make sure they're fully realized."[2]
Writing and composition
editThe track, "White Fence Round House", was written following a near-death experience while surfing. Casal noted, "I think that [song] is one of the strongest I've ever written. I wrote it after nearly drowning during a surf session with my friend DJ in San Diego County. It really shook me up and humbled me. I'd been going through some personal turbulence at the time and when I got home, I picked up a guitar and the song poured out of me in ten minutes. It's like I wasn't even writing the song, it just came streaming through. The power of being held in the ocean grabbed my unconscious and rattled that song out of me, it was something of a heavy experience."[3]
Track listing
editAll songs written by Neal Casal.
- "Sweeten the Distance"
- "Bird with No Name"
- "Need Shelter"
- "Let it All Begin"
- "White Fence Round House"
- "So Many Enemies"
- "Feathers for Bakersfield"
- "Time and Trouble"
- "How Quiet it Got"
- "The Gyrls of Wynter"
- "Angel and You're Mine"
Personnel
editMusicians
edit- Neal Casal - vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, piano, wurlitzer, organ, percussion
- Jon Graboff - electric guitar, pedal steel guitar
- Dan Fadel - drums
- Jeff Hill - bass, harmony vocals
- John Ginty - hammond organ
- Rick Menck - percussion
- Thom Monahan - percussion, harmonies (9)
- Amanda Shires - harmonies (7 & 11), strings (7)
- Trevor Beld - harmonies (2, 5 & 8)
- Seth Petterson - harmonies (2, 5 & 8)
- Hannah Cohen - harmonies (1 & 5)
- Andy Cabic - harmonies (5)
Recording personnel
edit- Thom Monahan - producer, engineer, mixing
- JP Hesser - additional recording
- Jeff Hill - additional recording
- JJ Golden - mastering
Artwork
edit- Michael Sportes - artwork
- Andy West - design
- Piper Ferguson - photograph
References
edit- ^ "Sweeten the Distance". Amazon UK. 2011.
- ^ "Interview: Neal Casal - No Depression Americana and Roots Music". www.nodepression.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21.
- ^ "Interview: Neal Casal - No Depression Americana and Roots Music". www.nodepression.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21.