Whaler (album)

Whaler
Studio album by
Sophie B. Hawkins
ReleasedAugust 2, 1994
RecordedMarch – June 1994
GenrePop
Length47:48
LabelColumbia
ProducerStephen Lipson
Sophie B. Hawkins chronology
Tongues and Tails
(1992)		 Whaler
(1994)		 Timbre
(1999)
Singles from Whaler
  1. "Right Beside You"
    Released: July 25, 1994
  2. "Don't Don't Tell Me No"
    Released: November 14, 1994
  3. "As I Lay Me Down"
    Released: February 7, 1995
  4. "Did We Not Choose Each Other"
    Released: 1995
  5. "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)"
    Released: 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[1]
Robert Christgau(dud)[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
Knoxville News SentinelStarStar[5]
Los Angeles TimesStarStar[6]
People Magazine(mixed)[7]
Rolling StoneStarStar[8]

Whaler is the second album by American singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins, released in 1994 on Columbia Records. The release was preceded by the single "Right Beside You", which reached No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[9] but did much better in the UK, where it peaked at No. 13.[10]

The album was not as commercially successful as her debut album Tongues and Tails two years earlier; however, the sales picked up after the third single, "As I Lay Me Down", released at the beginning of 1995,[1] went to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Consequently, the album managed to climb to No. 65 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[1]
Robert Christgau(dud)[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar[12]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[13]
Knoxville News SentinelStarStar[14]
Los Angeles TimesStarStar[6]
People Magazine(mixed)[15]
Rolling StoneStarStar[8]

The critical reception was mixed. Paul Evans of Rolling Stone said that the album did not quite live up to the standard and expectations set by her debut.[8] The Los Angeles Times review noted that Hawkins tries to knit "a crazy quilt of styles" trying to combine different influences but the experimentation does not pay off and "unravels at the seams", and the only tracks that do work are the mainstream ones, such as the "dance-floor-friendly" opening track "Right Beside You" and the "anguished" ballad "I Need Nothing Else".[6] Other reviews were more favorable, praising the album's subdued and subtle melodies, which make the album overall more consistent than her debut outing,[1] and describing some tracks as "irresistibly catchy".[16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sophie B. Hawkins, except "Right Beside You," written by Hawkins, Rick Chertoff, and Stewart Lerman.

No.TitleLength
1."Right Beside You"4:47
2."Did We Not Choose Each Other"4:25
3."Don't Don't Tell Me No"4:53
4."As I Lay Me Down"4:08
5."Swing from Limb to Limb (My Home Is in Your Jungle)"4:15
6."True Romance"2:23
7."Let Me Love You Up"3:26
8."Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)"5:05
9."I Need Nothing Else"4:17
10."Sometimes I See"4:40
11."Mr. Tugboat Hello"5:30

Personnel

Musicians

Production

  • Producer: Steve Lipson
  • Engineer: Heff Moraes
  • Programming: Sophie B. Hawkins, Steve Lipson

Charts

Album

Chart (1994–1995) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[17]31
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18]56
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[19] 93
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20]50
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21]13
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22]43
UK Albums (Official Charts)[23]46
US Billboard 200[24]65
US Cash Box Top 100 Pop Albums[25] 60

Singles

Year Single Chart Peak
position
1994 "Right Beside You" Billboard Hot 100 56
Top 40 Mainstream 24
1995 "As I Lay Me Down" Adult Contemporary 1
Adult Top 40 1
Billboard Hot 100 6
Top 40 Mainstream 3
1996 "Only Love (The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty)" Adult Contemporary 22
Adult Top 40 19
The Billboard Hot 100 49
Top 40 Mainstream 22

Sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Germany — 55,000[26]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sophie B. Hawkins "Whaler" - AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Sophie B. Hawkins". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
  4. ↑ Tucker, Ken (August 5, 1994). "Whaler Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  5. ↑ Campbell, Chuck (July 29, 1994). "Hawkins Has Little Bait For 'Whaler'". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  6. 1 2 3 Rosenbluth, Jean (July 31, 1994). "A Crazy-Quilt of Styles Unravels at the Seams". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Whaler". People Magazine. August 15, 1994.
  8. 1 2 3 Evans, Paul (August 11, 1994). "Sophie B. Hawkins: Whaler : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Sophie B. Hawkins". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  10. ↑ "SOPHIE B HAWKINS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  11. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Sophie B. Hawkins". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  12. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
  13. ↑ Tucker, Ken (August 5, 1994). "Whaler Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  14. ↑ Campbell, Chuck (July 29, 1994). "Hawkins Has Little Bait For 'Whaler'". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  15. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Whaler". People Magazine. August 15, 1994.
  16. ↑ Tucker, Ken (August 5, 1994). "Whaler". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Sophie B. Hawkins – Whaler". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sophie B. Hawkins – Whaler" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  19. ↑ "European Top 100 Albums". Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 37. September 10, 1994. p. 16. OCLC 29800226.
  20. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sophie B. Hawkins – Whaler" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Charts.nz – Sophie B. Hawkins – Whaler". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Sophie B. Hawkins – Whaler". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 28/8/1994 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Sophie B Hawkins Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Albums". Cash Box. Vol. 59, no. 10. November 4, 1995. p. 8. ISSN 0008-7289.
  26. ↑ Duffy, Thom (December 24, 1994). "Young U.S. Acts Turn Abroad To Drive Their Careers Home". Billboard. p. 53. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
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