My Long-Haired Life is an album by the American musician Marti Jones, released in 1996.[2][3] It was released the same year as a live album, Live at Spirit Square, which was recorded in 1990. The albums marked a return from a six-year recording hiatus.[4] My Long-Haired Life's title alludes to Jones's career before motherhood.[5] The album's first single was "It's Not What I Want".[6]

My Long-Haired Life
Studio album by
Released1996
LabelSugar Hill[1]
ProducerDon Dixon
Marti Jones chronology
Live at Spirit Square
(1996)
My Long-Haired Life
(1996)
My Tidy Doily Dream
(2002)

Production

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The album was produced by Don Dixon.[7] Eight of the album's 11 songs are covers; the other three were cowritten by Jones and Dixon.[8] The pair duetted on the cover of Joe Tex's "You Got What It Takes"; "Sleep of the Just" is a cover of the Elvis Costello song.[4][9] Jones played a 1940 000-18 Martin guitar on the album.[10]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [11]
The Austin Chronicle     [12]
Chicago Tribune    [13]
Daily Herald    [9]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide     [14]
The Republican     [5]
The San Diego Union-Tribune    [15]

No Depression called the album "too adult for alternative rock, too pure pop for adult alternative, too smart for Top 40... Banished to eclectic public radio shows forever."[8] The Austin Chronicle wrote that "the real surprise ... is that Jones shines brightest when pouring over her own songs penned with longtime cohort Don Dixon."[12] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch concluded that My Long-Haired Life "is a lean, beautiful record and one of the best of 1996."[16]

The Chicago Tribune stated: "Embracing folk, pop and blue-eyed soul, Jones displays a nimble vocal style and a broad range of influences."[13] The San Diego Union-Tribune praised the "Marti-in-Memphis take" on Otis Redding's "Champagne and Wine".[15] The Charleston Daily Mail thought that "the tunes showcase Jones' smooth, lilting alto and Dixon's ear-pleasing sense of 'what goes where'."[17]

AllMusic called the album "a wonderfully eclectic pool of material."[11]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" 
2."It's Not What I Want" 
3."Life's a Game" 
4."Black Coffee in Bed" 
5."Champagne and Wine" 
6."Sleep of the Just" 
7."Put Me on Top" 
8."You Got What It Takes" 
9."Feather on a Stone" 
10."Silent Partner" 
11."Songs to Aging Children Come" 

References

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  1. ^ Horak, Terri (Jan 11, 1997). "Market expands for indie folk labels". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 2. pp. 3, 15+.
  2. ^ "Marti Jones Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Winters, Pamela Murray (November 3, 2000). "Don Dixon & Marti Jones". Washington City Paper.
  4. ^ a b McGuinness, Jim (15 Nov 1996). "Lost Her Label, Had a Baby, Cut Her Hair". Lifestyle/Previews. The Record. p. 37.
  5. ^ a b O'Hare, Kevin (January 26, 1997). "Marti Jones, 'My Long-Haired Life'". The Republican. p. E6.
  6. ^ Flick, Larry (Nov 2, 1996). "Marti Jones: It's Not What I Want". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 44. p. 78.
  7. ^ Menconi, David (October 6, 1996). "Seemingly more sanguine than either Crow or Rigby is Marti Jones...". The News & Observer. p. G1.
  8. ^ a b "Marti Jones – My Long-Haired Life". No Depression. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  9. ^ a b Kening, Dan (December 20, 1996). "Marti Jones 'My Long Haired Life'". Time Out. Daily Herald. p. 6.
  10. ^ Ayers, Anne (20 June 1996). "Excellence is instrumental". USA Today. p. 4D.
  11. ^ a b "My Long-Haired Life". AllMusic.
  12. ^ a b "Record Reviews". The Austin Chronicle.
  13. ^ a b Dretzka, Gary (17 Jan 1997). "Album reviews: Marti Jones". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 49.
  14. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 613.
  15. ^ a b Toombs, Mikel (May 1, 1997). "My Long-Haired Life Marti Jones". Entertainment. The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. 22.
  16. ^ BeDell, Andrew (December 12, 1996). "Marti Jones Makes the Most of Other's Songs". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 12.
  17. ^ "Music Reviews". Charleston Daily Mail. February 21, 1997. p. 3D.