Charmer (Aimee Mann album)

Charmer is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released by SuperEgo Records in the UK on September 17, 2012, and in the US on September 18.[1]

Charmer
Studio album by
Aimee Mann
ReleasedSeptember 17, 2012
RecordedStampede Origin, Los Angeles
Genre
Length38:02
LabelSuperEgo
ProducerPaul Bryan
Aimee Mann chronology
@#%&*! Smilers
(2008)		 Charmer
(2012)		 Mental Illness
(2017)
Singles from Charmer
  1. "Charmer"
    Released: June 25, 2012
  2. "Labrador"
    Released: September 18, 2012
  3. "Soon Enough"
    Released: November 8, 2012

The album was produced by Mann's bassist, Paul Bryan, and features a guest appearance by The Shins frontman James Mercer, who duets with Mann on the track "Living a Lie." It debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 33.

Laura Linney and John Hodgman star in the music video for the first single, "Charmer."[2]

The video for the second single, "Labrador," is a shot-for-shot remake of the video for "Voices Carry," the 1985 hit of Mann's former band, 'Til Tuesday, with the exception of Town Hall replacing Carnegie Hall.[3]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(73/100)[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
American Songwriter[6]
Blurt[7]
Consequence of Sound[8]
musicOMH[9]
No Ripcord[10]
PopMatters[1]
Rolling Stone[11]
Under the Radar[4]
Uncut(8/10)[4]

Charmer so far has a score of 73 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".[4] Jody Rosen, in Rolling Stone magazine, criticized its lyrics and production concluding "[T]here's little new here, and even less charm".[11] Allmusic, however, was more positive, citing its hooks as "spiky and precise", and concluding that it was "an immediate, engaging pop record".[5]

Other reviews are positive: Filter gave the album a score of 84% and stated that "Thirty years in, Mann continues to charm, a hidden glint in her eye."[12] Mojo gave the album four stars out of five and called it "an Americana and power-pop confection with piano and tasteful guitars swaddled in the choicest vintage tones."[4] The Independent gave it a favorable review and called it "Another sweet viper's bite of post-Freudian dyspepsia from the singersongwriter who loves to mistrust."[13] Paste gave it a score of 7.8 out of ten and stated: "The simple fact that Aimee Mann continues writing songs around these distressing observations and putting them out on such achingly beautiful records seems proof that-despite all the twisted, cutting truths she's spied under the lens of her artistic microscope—she still somehow clings to the sable cloud's silver flash."[14] The A.V. Club gave it a B and said that Mann "is able to match her ideas to music with real kick."[15]

Other reviews are average or mixed: Q gave the album three stars out of five and called Mann "good and snarky".[4] The New York Times gave it an average review and said it "represents a sunny term for [Mann], at least in relative terms."[16] The Boston Globe, however, gave it a mixed review and stated: "Too many tracks flirt with flat inconsequentiality, and too often the lyrics slip by without the sting of Mann's normally incisive wordsmithery."[17]

Track listing

All songs written by Aimee Mann, except where noted.

  1. "Charmer" – 3:25
  2. "Disappeared" – 3:24
  3. "Labrador" – 3:49
  4. "Crazytown" – 3:21
  5. "Soon Enough" (Mann, Tim Heidecker) – 3:59
  6. "Living a Lie" (featuring James Mercer) (Mann, Paul Bryan) – 3:26
  7. "Slip and Roll" – 4:12
  8. "Gumby" – 2:53
  9. "Gamma Ray" – 3:00
  10. "Barfly" – 4:00
  11. "Red Flag Diver" – 2:29
  12. "Brother's Keeper" (Bonus Track) – 4:06[lower-alpha 1]
  13. "Mea Culpa" (Bonus Track) – 2:29[lower-alpha 2]
  14. "Swanee River" (Bonus Track)  - 4:08[lower-alpha 3][18]

Personnel
  • Aimee Mann – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
  • James Mercer – vocals on "Living a Lie"
  • J. J. Johnson – drums
  • Jay Bellerose – percussion
  • Chris Bruce – electric guitar
  • Paul Bryan – bass, Mellotron, background vocals
  • Jebin Bruni – piano, keyboards
  • Jamie Edwards – electric guitar, piano, keyboards, tubular bells

Notes
  1. Available on both the Australian and Japanese versions of Charmer, in the Australian iTunes store, or released as the A side on a 7" vinyl as a bonus for those who preordered Charmer on vinyl at select record stores
  2. Available on the Australian version of Charmer, in the Australian iTunes store, and released as the B side on a 7" vinyl as a bonus for those who preordered Charmer on vinyl at select record stores
  3. Alluded to in at least one interview with Aimee Mann, though this song does not appear in any typical version of the album.

References
  1. Horowitz, Steve (September 19, 2012). "Aimee Mann: Charmers". PopMatters. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  2. Aimee Mann gets a Laura Linney robot double in her new video for "Charmer". The A.V. Club (August 16, 2012). Retrieved on September 24, 2012.
  3. Aimee Mann remakes "Voices Carry" with help from Ted Leo, Jon Hamm, Tom Scharpling, and Jon Wurster. The A.V. Club (September 18, 2012). Retrieved on September 19, 2012.
  4. "Critic Reviews for Charmer". Metacritic. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  5. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Charmer – Aimee Mann". Allmusic. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  6. Wojtas, Michael (August 30, 2012). "Aimee Mann: Charmer". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  7. Pick, Steve (October 1, 2012). "Aimee Mann – Charmer". Blurt. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  8. Grant, Sarah H. (September 24, 2012). "Album Review: Aimee Mann – Charmer". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  9. Wright, Mic (September 17, 2012). "Aimee Mann – Charmer". musicOMH. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  10. McKenna, James (October 15, 2012). "Aimee Mann: Charmer". No Ripcord. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  11. Rosen, Jody (October 11, 2012). "Charmer Aimee Mann". Rolling Stone (1167). p. 68. Posted in "Charmer". Rolling Stone. September 21, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  12. Pollock, Adam (September 19, 2012). "Reviews – Aimee Mann (Charmer)". Filter. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  13. Coleman, Nick (September 16, 2012). "Album: Aimee Mann, Charmer (Super Ego/Proper)". The Independent. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  14. Labate, Steve (September 19, 2012). "Aimee Mann: Charmer :: Music :: Reviews". Paste. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  15. Murray, Noel (September 18, 2012). "Aimee Mann: Charmer". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  16. Chinen, Nate (September 17, 2012). "Aimee Mann: "Charmer"". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  17. Hirsh, Marc (September 18, 2012). "Aimee Mann, 'Charmer'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  18. Grandjean, Pat (January 20, 2012). "Q & A: Aimee Mann". Connecticut Magazine. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
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