Middlescence

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Amy Rigby has a purpose. It's in her voice, her words, and her wardrobe. She gives voice to post-punk women who've spent years fretting about remaining hip only to find they're now more concerned with their expanding hips. The sequel to Rigby's eye-opening Diary of a Mod Housewife picks up where that 1996 collection left off. Rigby may be a couple of years wiser, but she remains alternately defiant and pliant in the face of advancing age. "Hearts and flowers have their place / On tablecloths and bits of lace," she scoffs one moment, only to fret, "I'm no hot chick / I'm hoping I'll wake up and won't care" the next. When she's not pondering midlife dating and motherhood ("Gee it's real nice to kiss you on the mouth / But this doesn't feel right / Could you sleep on the couch?"), she's reflecting on bygone revelry ("Summertime in '83 / The last time I took LSD"). Former Cars guitarist Elliot Easton is back in the producer's seat and the power pop/thrift-store country fusion he patched together on the earlier record is, if anything, more cohesive this time around. Rigby tails off here with the line "They say middle age is the beginning of life / I don't know if I buy that." Judging by this album and its predecessor, it may at least usher in better career days for one mod housewife. --Steven Stolder

Spin
Rigby lends her buttery-yet-tart voice to songs about facing loneliness even when you're part of a couple, about caring for kids, about just getting by--in other words, all the themes of classic country music, but with none of the smug, lip-glossed grandiloquence so much of modern Nashville falls prey to.

Middlescence

Middlescence,Amy Rigby,Koch Records,Adult Alternative,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop,Singer/Songwriter

Middlescence

Middlescence
Middlescence
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • GREAT ALBUM!!!
  • Staring down her Fear
  • A brilliant sophomore effort...
  • Not classic, but not bad
  • A major disappointment after "Diary Of A Mod Housewife"
 Middlescence
Amy Rigby
Manufacturer: Koch Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. The Sugar Tree
  2. Diary of a Mod Housewife
  3. Til the Wheels Fall Off
  4. Little Fugitive
  5. 18 Again Anthology

ASIN: B00000AFQ8
Release Date: 1998-09-15

Tracks:

  1. All I Want
  2. The Summer Of My Wasted Youth
  3. Raising The Bar
  4. What I Need
  5. Calling Professor Longhair
  6. Dirty Bridge
  7. Ivory Tower
  8. 20th Anniversary
  9. For New Times' Sake
  10. Laboratory Of Love
  11. As Is
  12. Invisible
  13. Bonus Track 1

Amazon.com

Amy Rigby has a purpose. It's in her voice, her words, and her wardrobe. She gives voice to post-punk women who've spent years fretting about remaining hip only to find they're now more concerned with their expanding hips. The sequel to Rigby's eye-opening Diary of a Mod Housewife picks up where that 1996 collection left off. Rigby may be a couple of years wiser, but she remains alternately defiant and pliant in the face of advancing age. "Hearts and flowers have their place / On tablecloths and bits of lace," she scoffs one moment, only to fret, "I'm no hot chick / I'm hoping I'll wake up and won't care" the next. When she's not pondering midlife dating and motherhood ("Gee it's real nice to kiss you on the mouth / But this doesn't feel right / Could you sleep on the couch?"), she's reflecting on bygone revelry ("Summertime in '83 / The last time I took LSD"). Former Cars guitarist Elliot Easton is back in the producer's seat and the power pop/thrift-store country fusion he patched together on the earlier record is, if anything, more cohesive this time around. Rigby tails off here with the line "They say middle age is the beginning of life / I don't know if I buy that." Judging by this album and its predecessor, it may at least usher in better career days for one mod housewife. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars GREAT ALBUM!!!.......2002-04-01

I don't disagree with the other reviews of "Middlescence," but I think it's even better than "Diary of a Mod Housewife." This
is country rock that REALLY rocks when she wants to, but also
gets the country themes too. And there are even some jazz
(or New Orleans Dr. Longhair anyway) touches & a couple folkier moments. I think it's one of the best rock AND/OR country albums of the '90s. "The Sugar Tree" is great too-- but it's a bit
more country. This one's a touch more varied IMO.

5 out of 5 stars Staring down her Fear.......2000-09-02

Getting ready for the release of the new album by Amy Rigby. Heard she moved to Nashville. I used to live in her neighborhood in Brooklyn, so I'm curious to hear what effect the move will have had on her music. I was familiar with the first rate material on Diary of a Mod Housewife, and I find this album to be even better. Give it a second chance. Amy spends a great deal of time reflecting on the past. When she does look forward, it seems like there is a lot of dread on her horizon. I think the songs serve as a snapshot of a life awaiting transcendence. I hope she's found it, but even if she hasn't, I bet the new album is going to be way more interesting than 99% of the crap that is currently out there.

5 out of 5 stars A brilliant sophomore effort..........1999-12-28

I was worried that Amy Rigby's sophomore effort would not live up to expectations created by the tremendous "Diary of a Mod Housewife". I worried needlessly. This disc is bright, diverse, and entertaining as hell. Do not miss the 13th (hidden) cut, "Tonight I'm Gonna Give the Drummer Some".

4 out of 5 stars Not classic, but not bad.......1999-10-07

This album is not an instant classic like "Diary of a Mod Housewife," but give it a few spins and I bet you'll love it almost as much. Just proves she's human like the rest of us. Forget her less than visionary though anything but cliched take on middle-aged romance, its her take on class that floats this southern boy's bass boat.

2 out of 5 stars A major disappointment after "Diary Of A Mod Housewife".......1999-06-16

I had eagerly anticipated Amy's followup to the wonderful "Diary Of A Mod Housewife", but this is bitterly disappointing. On that first record, she balanced bohemianism and single motherhood with humor and passion. This time out, it comes across as whining. Hey, Amy, we're all getting older, and guess what? It's not so bad. Get over it! Even more disturbing, the stylistic wandering of the music suggests that she doesn't have the confidence in the songs to put them across without some production crutch. I liked the simple production style of "Diary" because it let her heartfelt songs speak for themselves. Get a new producer, Amy, and please try to find something new to say for the next one.

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