Stormy Weather (AT&T album)

Stormy Weather
A white paper insert displaying the album's title and artists in similar fonts.
Live album by various artists
Released May 31, 1998
Recorded April 16, 1998; Wiltern Theatre (Los Angeles, California)
Genre Traditional pop
Length 43:48
Label The Isis Fund
Producer Don Henley

Stormy Weather is a live compilation album by various artists released by The Isis Fund in 1998. The record was produced by Don Henley as part of the Walden Woods Project, which Henley is associated with. It features ten covers of songs, all by different female musicians, and was funded by AT&T and the Thoreau Institute. The CD was issued solely to longtime customers of AT&T and included complimentary and downloadable internet access software. Stormy Weather received three out of a five stars from AllMusic and was received favorably by Frank Tortorici of Sonic.net.

Background

Stormy Weather was released on May 31, 1998, exclusively available to longtime customers of the American multinational telecommunications corporation AT&T.[1] It features music from the traditional pop genre and is paired alongside downloadable computer software for AT&T's internet access service, WorldNet's Personal Network.[2] All of the performances were recorded live at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, California on April 16, 1998, in part by AT&T and the Thoreau Institute.[3] The concert was held to expand the mission of the Walden Woods Project, a nonprofit organization created to help the preservation of Walden Woods in Lincoln, Massachusetts.[4] Rock musician Don Henley organized the event and carried out production on all ten tracks. At the venue, each artist sang two songs, although only one song from each artist appears on the record.[5] It contains pop standards[1] from ten female musicians and opens with an "edginess" version of Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue", performed by Gwen Stefani.[5] Sandra Bernhard sang a rendition of "Is That All There Is?" in an "exaggerated high pitch vocal" with "comic anecdotes".[5] Joni Mitchell performed the album's title track, a cover of Ethel Waters' 1933 single "Stormy Weather".[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]

Due to not being commercially released, Stormy Weather was not widely reviewed by music critics. However, William Ruhlmann from AllMusic awarded the record three out of a five stars, and credited the artists involved for being "familiar with the songs" and "not just going through them for the first time". He also praised Mark Isham's trumpet solos and the covers of "You've Changed", "But Beautiful" and "At Last". However, Ruhlmann had mixed feelings regarding Sheryl Crow and Björk's contributions.[7] Frank Tortorici of Sonic.net enjoyed the performances and found that "hearing Mitchell and Bjork [...] together was hard to beat".[5]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Don Henley.[8]

Stormy Weather – Standard edition[8]
No. TitleWriter(s)Performer(s) Length
1. "Almost Blue"  Elvis CostelloGwen Stefani 3:02
2. "You've Changed"  
Paula Cole 5:27
3. "But Beautiful"  
Shawn Colvin 4:30
4. "Good Guy"  Jude JohnstoneTrisha Yearwood 4:18
5. "Is That All There Is?"  
Sandra Bernhard 4:29
6. "Good Morning Heartache"  
Sheryl Crow 5:18
7. "They Can't Take That Away from Me"  
Natalie Cole 3:17
8. "At Last"  
Stevie Nicks 4:07
9. "Gloomy Sunday"  
Björk 5:33
10. "Stormy Weather"  
Joni Mitchell 3:45
Total length:
 43:48

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[8]

  • Ted Barela – assistant recorder
  • Chuck Berghofer – bass
  • Charlie Bouis – assistant recorder
  • Gloria Boyce – artist coordinator
  • J.D. Brill – house mixer
  • Jim Cox – piano
  • Steve Crandall – lighting
  • Peter Erskine – drums
  • Gary Foster – alto sax
  • Marcy Gensic – orchestra production coordinator
  • David George – set design
  • Adam Haller – assistant engineer
  • Don Henley – production
  • Bob Hurwitz – accountant
  • Mark Isham – trumpet
  • Rob Jacobs – recording
  • Pias Johnson – tenor sax
  • Jeff Jones – librarian
  • Larry Klein – mixing, musical direction
  • Edd Kolakowski - piano technician
  • Vince Mendoza – arranging, conduction
  • Leslie Morris – orchestra manager
  • Peter Morse – lighting director
  • Neal Preston – photography
  • Kevin Royan – lighting
  • Ben Sepeda – lighting
  • Arnold Serame – lighting programming
  • Mike Shipley – mixing
  • Tony Taibi – production manager

References

  1. 1 2 Flick, Larry (April 24, 1998). "Newsline...". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (17): 77. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  2. ↑ "AT& T Presents Stormy Weather". Amazon.com. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  3. ↑ "A Chronology of Appearances". Joni Mitchell. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  4. ↑ "The Walden Woods Project". Walden Woods Project. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Tortorici, Frank (April 17, 1998). "Bjork, Joni Mitchell Reign Over Walden Woods Benefit". Sonic.net. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  6. ↑ Bego, Mark (May 26, 2005). Joni Mitchell. Taylor Trade Publications. p. 347. ISBN 1589792211. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Stormy Weather [AT&T] - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Stormy Weather (CD liner notes). Various artists. AT&T. 1998. M1S24.
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