Recording information: Kramer Studios, Los Angeles, CA (09/2010-10/2010); Labomatic Studios, Paris, France (09/2010-10/2010); One East Recording, New York, NY (09/2010-10/2010); Piety Street Recording, New Orleans, LA (09/2010-10/2010).
Produced by long-term collaborator Hal Willner, Marianne Faithfull's 19th studio album, Horses and High Heels, sees the '60s icon revisit eight classic songs from her heyday on her second consecutive covers-heavy album, following 2009's Easy Come Easy Go. Its 13 tracks include reworkings of the Shangri-Las' "Past, Present and Future," Lesley Duncan's "Love Song," and Dusty Springfield's "Goin' Back," alongside several new compositions ("Why Did We Have to Part," "The Old House") and guest appearances from Lou Reed, Dr. John and MC5's Wayne Kramer. ~ Jon O'Brien
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (p.77) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[H]eavy with lost love and Faithfull's honey-over-gravel voice....Faithfull, like New Orleans itself, proves hard times make for very good music."
Spin (p.72) - "The guitar-heavy result embraces experience without fetishizing it. Singer her own songs, Faithfull sounds more relaxed -- if no merrier -- than she has in years."
Paste (magazine) - "She kicks off HORSES AND HIGH HEELS with the ominous chords and spiritual misgivings of 'The Stations' by the Gutter Twins....It's a perfect showcase for Faithfull's distinctive voice..."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.86) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Elegiac closing ballad 'The Old House could sit on any Bad Seeds album, possessed of a subliminal emotional pull which stays long after the closing swells of its crashing grandeur have subsided."
Uncut (magazine) (p.80) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Marianne's thespian touch works its magic on The Shangri-Las' 'Past Present Future', a turning teen angst into a poignant reflection of age."
