Number 1 with a Bullet explained
- 1 With a Bullet
|
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Ray Stevens |
| Cover: | raybullet.jpg |
| Released: | June 18, 1991 |
| Genre: | Country, novelty |
| Label: | Capitol/Curb |
| Producer: | Ray Stevens |
| Prev Title: | Greatest Hits |
| Prev Year: | 1991 |
| Next Title: | Ahab the Arab |
| Next Year: | 1992 |
- 1 with a Bullet is the twenty-eighth studio album of American country and comedy singer Ray Stevens. It was released in June 1991. The album includes the singles "Working for the Japanese" and "Power Tools", which respectively reached numbers 62 and 72 on the Hot Country Songs charts.[1] The album also includes a re-recording of "The Pirate Song," which was originally recorded for his 1986 album I Have Returned.[2]
Critical reception
Dennis Miller of the Elmira, New York Star-Gazette gave the album a mostly positive review, writing that "Stevens is at his madcap best when he aims his satirical bullets at the contemporary." He considered "Teenage Mutant Kung Fu Chickens", "Workin' for the Japanese", and "You Gotta Have a Hat" among the best in this regard. He also thought that "The Pirate Song" was the best due to Stevens' portrayal of the two characters in the song.[3] Giving it 3 out of 4 stars, Jack Hurst of Tribune Media called the album "just another Stevens album, meaning that its varied and imaginative music backs the occasional lame line along with lots of others that are howlingly funny."[4]
Personnel
Compiled from liner notes.[5]
Musicians
- Ray Stevens – vocals, acoustic piano, synthesizers
- Gary Prim – keyboards
- Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitars, banjo, mandolin
- Steve Gibson – electric guitars, bass guitar
- Stuart Keathley – bass guitar
- Tommy Wells – drums
- Wendy Johnson – backing vocals
- Jana King – backing vocals
- Lisa Silver – backing vocals
Production
- Ray Stevens – producer, arrangements
- Stuart Keathley – recording engineer
- Glenn Meadows – mastering
- Simon Levy – design
- Slick Lawson – photography
- Recorded at Ray Stevens Studio (Nashville, Tennessee).
- Mastered at Masterfonics (Nashville, Tennessee).
Chart performance
Album
| Chart (1991) | Peak
position |
|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Comedy Albums | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 60 | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions |
|---|
| US Country |
|---|
| 1991 | "Working for the Japanese" | 62 |
| 1991 | "Power Tools" | 72 |
|
Notes and References
- Book: Whitburn, Joel. Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. 2008. 402–403. 978-0-89820-177-2.
- Web site: I Have Returned. Allmusic. 21 September 2011.
- News: Stevens gives us much-needed lightness . Star-Gazette . July 18, 1991 . March 26, 2021 . Dennis Miller . 4.
- News: Country . The Spokesman Review . June 30, 1991 . March 26, 2021 . Jack Hurst . 9.
- 1 with a Bullet
. Ray Stevens . 1991 . CD booklet . Curb Records . 95914.
