Street Party (album)

Street Party is an album by the American band the Mellow Fellows, released in 1990.[1][2] It was the band's first album since the March 1990 death of frontman Big Twist.[3] The Mellow Fellows supported the album with a North American tour.[4] Street Party was a success on radio stations throughout Illinois.[5]

Street Party
Studio album by
the Mellow Fellows
Released1990
StudioDr. Caw Recording
GenreR&B, blues
LabelAlligator
ProducerGene Barge, Peter Special
The Mellow Fellows chronology
Live from Chicago! – Bigger Than Life!!
(1987)		 Street Party
(1990)

Production

The album was recorded at Dr. Caw Recording, in Northbrook, Illinois.[6] It was the band's first studio album with early bandmember Martin Allbritton.[7] The Mellow Fellows wrote five of Street Party's songs.[8] The bandmembers strove to play more as an ensemble rather than as a backup band.[9] "Feels Like Rain" is a cover of the John Hiatt song.[10] "We'll Be Friends" is a tribute to Big Twist.[8] "Since I Fell for You" was written by Buddy Johnson. "Don't Turn Your Heater Down" was cowritten by Steve Cropper.[11]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Calgary HeraldB[13]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide[14]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[15]
Record-JournalA[16]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul[17]

The Calgary Herald deemed Street Party "an album solidly anchored in the journeyman work ethic." The Chicago Reader labeled it "a gutty, powerful album that shows a band restless to explore new directions as they retain their patented good-time roots."[10] The Kingston Whig-Standard considered it "a treatment of classic rhythm and blues, the likes of which haven't been heard in a long time."[8]

The Washington Post determined that "Allbritton is a real find—a soul-shouter cum blues-belter who sings with both passion and authority, precisely the combination a lot of these songs demand."[18] The Morning Call deemed the album "hot and brassy, a joyride of '60s-era Chicago R&B."[11] The Record-Journal wrote that "Allbritton's gut-wrenching vocals wail, shriek and generally haul emotion all the hell over the place."[16]

AllMusic called Allbritton "a melismatic and undeniably more powerful vocalist than the finesse-oriented Twist."[12]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."I've Got to Find a Way" 
2."Street Party" 
3."I've Got a Feeling" 
4."Feels Like Rain" 
5."Driving Wheel" 
6."We'll Be Friends" 
7."Don't Turn Your Heater Down" 
8."Since I Fell for You" 
9."Last Night" 
10."Me and My Woman" 
11."Broad Daylight" 

References
  1. Disselkoen, Tim (10 Sep 1990). "Mellow Fellows leave 'em dancing". The Grand Rapids Press. p. C6.
  2. Anderson, John (13 Jan 1991). "'Street Party' The Mellow Fellows". Part II. Newsday. p. 15.
  3. Brown, G. (23 Feb 1991). "Mellow Fellows rally without 'Big Twist'". The Denver Post. p. 4E.
  4. Tianen, Dave (25 Jan 1991). "Mellow Fellows carry big legacy". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 19.
  5. Nordmeyer, Chanda (9 Dec 1990). "Mellow Fellows back on track with new album". The Southern Illinoisan. p. 3.
  6. Caro, Mark (12 Oct 1990). "Mellow Fellows come back with tribute to Big Twist". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. S.
  7. "Mellow Fellows Biography by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  8. Burliuk, Greg (23 Mar 1991). "Street Party The Mellow Fellows". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
  9. Davis, Ken (31 Jan 1991). "Mellow Fellows back with new sound". South Bend Tribune. p. D3.
  10. Whiteis, David (March 7, 1991). "Street Party The Mellow Fellows". Music. Chicago Reader.
  11. Darragh, Tim (12 Jan 1991). "Records". The Morning Call. p. A58.
  12. "Street Party Review by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  13. Wagamese, Richard (2 Dec 1990). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C5.
  14. MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 31.
  15. The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. 2006. p. 450.
  16. Swift, Orla (13 Jan 1991). "Name notwithstanding, Mellow Fellows can cook". Record-Journal. p. E2.
  17. Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of R&B and Soul. Virgin. p. 27.
  18. Joyce, Mike (10 May 1991). "Mellow Fellows Party on 'Street'". The Washington Post. p. N18.
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