Persevere

Persevere is the fourth studio album by Scottish folk rock duo The Proclaimers, released in 2001 on their own label Persevere Records, as a comeback album after seven years of low profile. The album's first single featured "There's a Touch", "A Land Fit for Zeros" and "They Really Do" (not included in the album).

Persevere
Studio album by
The Proclaimers
Released22 May 2001
Recorded2000–2001
StudioMastermix Studios, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Genre
Length45:35
Label
  • Persevere Records (UK)
  • Nettwerk (North America)
ProducerChris Kimsey
The Proclaimers chronology
Hit the Highway
(1994)		 Persevere
(2001)		 The Best of The Proclaimers
(2002)
Singles from Persevere
  1. "There's a Touch"
    Released: 2001[2]

Recording

The album was recorded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States at Mastermix Studios,[3][4] their only studio album to be recorded outside of the United Kingdom. Recorded with a studio band featuring drummer Pete Thomas of Elvis Costello's Attractions and Allman Brothers' Chuck Leavell on keyboards,[5][6] the album was produced by Chris Kimsey.[7]

Release

Released on 22 May 2001, Persevere saw distribution on CD through their own Persevere Records in the United Kingdom, and in the United States and Canada through Nettwerk Records.[8]

Content and style

Musical style

Mary Huhn of New York Post described Persevere stylistically as "roots-rock pop", and to feature "harmonies only brothers can create".[1]

Lyrics and themes

The song "Scotland's Story" drew parallels between historical migrations to Scotland and arrivals of more recent immigrants,[9] while "One Too Many" and "Act of Remembrance" paid tribute to the Reids' deceased father.[10]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Rolling Stone[11]Favourable
Riverfront TimesFavourable
GAFFA[12]
Exclaim![10]Favourable

Persevere received some mixed reviews. AllMusic's Jon Azpiri remarked that although the album was "not likely to achieve the kind of success of their previous work", that it had "enough interesting material [...] to prevent [the band] from being placed in the "Where Are They Now?" file",[3] and praised "There's a Touch" and "Land fit for Zeros" for having "the same goofy charm" as the group's biggest hit, "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)".[3]

In 2001, Bill Holdship of Rolling Stone stated that "the new album is quite good, combining folk, soul, country and pop with the Fifties-styled melodic sensibilities of the brothers Reid", observing that the song "One Too Many" would "make The Eagles green with envy".[11]

In Riverfront Times, Steve Pick was praising of the record, commenting that the band "have equaled the musical triumphs of Sunshine on Leith" and deliver "a series of snapshots that reveal the actual experience of life during middle age, when love is more complicated than it seems".[13]

Danish music publication Gaffa commented that Persevere saw the band on "fine form". Entailing "Everybody's A Victim" and "Scotland's Story" to be "excellent songs" and "How Many Times" to be a "little pop gem", reviewer Peter Widmer opined that Persevere was "a fine album" which "should be heard".[12]

Canadian media magazine Exclaim! lauded Persevere "a remarkable comeback album", full of "fresh, catchy, sentimental and charming" songs.[10]

Touring

Persevere's release was celebrated in July 2001 by a day-long concert tour of pubs and bars in Greater Vancouver, Canada, sponsored by Shaftebury Brewing.[14] The promotional tour for Persevere included an arena tour of the United States in August 2001 supporting the Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies,[15][7] and a concert for season ticket holders of soccer team Vancouver Whitecaps on 1 May 2002.[14]

Track listing

All songs written by Craig and Charlie Reid.

  1. "There's a Touch"
  2. "Sweet Little Girls"
  3. "A Land Fit for Zeros"
  4. "How Many Times"
  5. "One Too Many"
  6. "That's When He Told Her"
  7. "Scotland's Story"
  8. "When You're in Love"
  9. "She Arouses Me So"
  10. "Everybody's a Victim"
  11. "Don't Give It to Me"
  12. "Heaven Right Now"
  13. "Slowburner"
  14. "Act of Remembrance"

Chart
Charts (2001) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[16] 10
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 61

References
  1. Huhn, Mary (4 September 2001). "Scot Issue Rolls Out: Twin Bros 'Persevere' and release new album". New York Post. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  2. "The Proclaimers - There's a Touch - Releases". Discogs. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  3. Azpiri, Jon. "Persevere - The Proclaimers - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  4. Lewis, Randy (10 August 2001). "After a Hiatus, the Proclaimers Declare they'll "Persevere"". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  5. Reid, Graham (8 April 2002). "The Proclaimers Interveiwed". elsewhere. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  6. Himes, Geoffrey (7 August 2001). "The Proclaimers "Persevere"". The Washington Post. The Washington Post.
  7. Dangelo, Joe (22 May 2001). "Proclaimers return with "Persevere"". MTV News. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  8. "The Proclaimers - Persevere - Releases". Discogs. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  9. Whitehead, Christopher; Lloyd, Katherine; Eckersley, Susannah; Mason, Rhiannon (2016). Museums, Migration and Identity in Europe: Peoples, Places and Identities (Reprint ed.). Routledge. p. 153. ISBN 9781317092681. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  10. Lejtenyi, Patrick (1 July 2001). "Proclaimers - Persevere". Exclaim!. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  11. Holdship, Bill (2001). "The Proclaimers - Persevere - Music reveiws". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-10-02. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  12. Widmer, Peter (31 October 2001). "The Proclaimers: Persevere". Gaffa. Gaffa.
  13. Pick, Steve (1 August 2001). "Midlife Mettle". Riverfront Times. Riverfront Times. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  14. "Whitecaps score The Proclaimers in ticket promo". Strategy Online. 22 April 2002. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  15. "Scottish duo The Proclaimers back with new Album". Paste Magazine. 2003. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  16. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  17. "Proclaimers | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.


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