Dig (Boz Scaggs album)

Dig is an album by the American musician Boz Scaggs, released in 2001.[1] It peaked at No. 146 on the Billboard 200.[2] Scaggs promoted the album with a North American tour and an appearance on the television show Ally McBeal.[3][4] A limited edition of the album included a disc containing a 5.1 channel DVD-Audio and Dolby Digital surround sound mix.[5]

Dig
Studio album by
Released2001
StudioATS Studio (Molin, Austria)
  • Acme Recording Studio (Mamaroneck, New York)
  • Meac Studio (San Francisco, California)
Length51:00
LabelVirgin
Producer
Boz Scaggs chronology
My Time: A Boz Scaggs Anthology
(1997)
Dig
(2001)
But Beautiful
(2003)

Production

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Scaggs began working on the album in early 2000 by recording and mailing music to David Paich.[6] Dig was produced by Scaggs, Paich, and Danny Kortchmar.[7] Scaggs employed sound effects and samples on some of its songs.[8] Scaggs was backed by several members of the band Toto.[9] Roy Hargrove played trumpet on some of the tracks.[10] "Vanishing Point" is about two vagrants making their way to Las Vegas.[11] Scaggs raps on "Get on the Natch".[12]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [13]
Orlando Sentinel     [14]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide     [15]

The Guardian wrote that "Dig sounds convincingly 21st century, but at heart it's the latest chapter in Scaggs's long-standing enthusiasm for rhythm and blues."[6] The Independent determined that "Scaggs is the American equivalent of Robert Palmer, an elegant R&B stylist with consummate blues and soul chops, whose career has been occasionally wrong-footed by the vagaries of musical fashion, despite the abiding excellence of his recordings."[7] The Mail on Sunday deemed the album "slow, understated and soulful; a record for Sunday nights and long, solitary drives."[16]

The Observer concluded that "Scaggs is still the blue-eyed soul voice against which others should be measured."[17] The Morning Call opined that "Scaggs's lame, late-'60s urban hipster attitude is the final shovel on Dig's grave, but it provides unintended laughs on tracks such as the lifestyle lesson 'Get on the Natch'."[18] The Orlando Sentinel noted that, "although his voice remains as warm and intoxicating as a shot of whiskey, Scaggs rarely lifts these songs above the level of pleasant, generic diversions."[14]

Track listing

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All lyrics composed by Boz Scaggs; except where indicated

  1. "Payday" (music: David Paich, Boz Scaggs) – 4:43
  2. "Sarah" (music: Danny Kortchmar, Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) – 4:45
  3. "Miss Riddle" (music: Paich, Michael Rodriguez, Scaggs) – 6:27
  4. "I Just Go" (Scaggs) – 4:50
  5. "Get on the Natch" (music: Angelo Bond, General Johnson, Kortchmar, Greg Perry) – 4:50
  6. "Desire" (music: Paich, Greg Phillinganes, Scaggs) – 5:32
  7. "Call That Love" (music: Steve Jordan, Kortchmar, Paich, Scaggs; lyrics: Scaggs, Jack "Applejack" Walroth) – 4:18
  8. "King of El Paso" (Scaggs, Walroth) – 5:16
  9. "You're Not" (music: Kortchmar) – 4:19
  10. "Vanishing Point" (lyrics: Scaggs, Dominique Gioia; music: Paich, Scaggs) – 4:48
  11. "Thanks to You" (music: Paich, Scaggs)– 6:00

Personnel

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  • Boz Scaggs – vocals, guitars (1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11), arrangements
  • John Jessel – keyboard programming
  • David Paich – keyboards (1, 2, 4-11), synthesizers (1-3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11), backing vocals (9), arrangements
  • Michael Rodriguez – synthesizer programming (1, 3, 6), keyboards (3)
  • Greg Phillinganes – acoustic piano (3)
  • Danny Kortchmar – guitars (1-3, 5-11), synthesizer programming (2, 5, 9), arrangements
  • Ray Parker Jr. – guitars (1)
  • Steve Lukather – guitar solo (5), pedal steel guitar (11)
  • Nathan East – bass (4)
  • Steve Jordan – bass (7), drums (7)
  • Robin DiMaggio – drums (1), percussion (4, 11)
  • Joe Bonadio – percussion (2, 6)
  • Roy Hargrove, Jr. – horns (1, 3, 7, 11)
  • Martin Tillman – cello (10)
  • Monet – backing vocals (2, 6-9)

Production

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  • Danny Kortchmar – producer, pre-production recording
  • David Paich – producer
  • Peter Dennenberg – engineer
  • Steve MacMillan – engineer, post-production recording, Pro Tools management
  • Jess Sutcliffe – engineer
  • Bob Levy – additional recording
  • Michael Rodriguez – additional tracking, pre-production recording
  • Pablo Munguia – Pro Tools engineer
  • Elliot Scheiner – mixing at Presence Studios (Weston, Connecticut)
  • Joe Peccerillo – mix assistant
  • Adam Ayan – digital editing
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine)
  • Mary Hogan – production coordinator
  • Mary Fagot – art direction
  • Carol Bobolts – design
  • Ken Schels – photography

References

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  1. ^ Flick, Larry (Aug 11, 2001). "Boz Scaggs Returns". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 32. pp. 1, 83.
  2. ^ "Boz Scaggs". Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  3. ^ Catlin, Roger (20 Sep 2001). "What's New". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 5.
  4. ^ Goldenberg, Lindsay (Aug 30, 2001). "In Brief". Rolling Stone. No. 876. p. 36.
  5. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (11 Sep 2001). "Boz Scaggs, that most elegant of blue-eyed blues and soul singers...". Features. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 45.
  6. ^ a b Sweeting, Adam (27 Aug 2001). "The Boz is Back". The Guardian. p. 2.12.
  7. ^ a b Gill, Andy (7 Sep 2001). "Pop: This Week's Album Releases". Features. The Independent. p. 13.
  8. ^ Morse, Steve (9 Sep 2001). "Scaggs Digs His New Sonic Twists". The Boston Globe. p. L17.
  9. ^ Cohen, Howard (28 Sep 2001). "Quick Spins". Go!. The Record. Bergen County. p. 16.
  10. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (26 Oct 2001). "Boz Scaggs 'Dig"". The Washington Post. p. WW8.
  11. ^ Hunter, James (Oct 11, 2001). "Dig". Rolling Stone. No. 879. p. 92.
  12. ^ Masley, Ed (24 Oct 2001). "Boz Scaggs Rejuvenated by Thinking Differently". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. D1.
  13. ^ AllMusic review
  14. ^ a b Abbott, Jim (28 Sep 2001). "Scaggs Snagged by Trendy Put-Ons". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 11.
  15. ^ (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. p. 719.
  16. ^ "Music Reviews". The Mail on Sunday. 9 Sep 2001. p. 61.
  17. ^ Spencer, Neil (9 Sep 2001). "Music: Pop". Review Pages. The Observer. p. 14.
  18. ^ Righi, Len (15 Sep 2001). "Boz Scaggs: Dig". The Morning Call. p. A42.