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Old Flowers

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Old Flowers
Studio album by
Courtney Marie Andrews
ReleasedJuly 24, 2020 (2020-07-24)
StudioSound Space (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length41:08
LabelFat Possum
ProducerAndrew Sarlo
Courtney Marie Andrews chronology
May Your Kindness Remain
(2018) 		Old Flowers
(2020) 		Loose Future
(2022)

Old Flowers is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews. It was released on July 24, 2020, via Fat Possum Records.

For the album, Andrews received a nomination for Best Americana Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Sarah Jarosz's World on the Ground.[1]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10[2]
Metacritic81/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
American Songwriter[5]
Consequence of SoundB[6]
Exclaim!9/10[7]
musicOMH[8]
NME[9]
PopMatters[10]
The Arts Desk[11]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[12]
Under the Radar[13]

Old Flowers was met with generally favorable reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 81, based on 15 reviews.[3] The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? has the critical consensus of the album at a 7.3 out of 10, based on 17 reviews.[2] The aggregator Album of the Year assessed the critical consensus as 76 out of 100, based on 20 reviews.[14]

Dylan Barnabe of Exclaim! praised the album saying, "It is emotional, redemptive and leaves an indelible mark on the listener. Andrews provides a raw, honest and unflinching look in the mirror of a failed relationship and finds herself; it's a story as old as time, but somehow told more achingly beautiful here".[7] Mark Moody of Under The Radar stated, "Andrews' vocals may not have the hard-bitten vernacular of Iris Dement, but in their purity of tone share the same deep level of pathos".[13] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote "In some respects, Old Flowers could be called a shade too successful, since it casts a specific understated spell, but listened to in the right mood or hour of the day, it's a bewitching affair".[4] Writing for NME, Leonie Cooper said "Musing on the break-up of a nine-year-long romantic relationship, simplicity is key to "Old Flowers" innate grace".[9] Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter stated, "Old Flowers conclusively proves that Courtney Marie Andrews has reached a difficult to attain level, showing once again that the timeworn trope of "breaking up is hard to do" can be dreadfully unsettling personally but also creatively rewarding".[5] Annie Black of Consequence of Sound said, "She is mourning and healing all at once here, and while at times it can feel a bit tedious, overall she's delivered one solid collection of songs".[6] Dillon Eastoe of The Line of Best Fit said, "Continuing to imbibe her music with a remarkable pathos that has these new songs greeting the listener like familiar friends by the second spin, Courtney Marie Andrews keeps growing and Old Flowers is the fruit of this blossom".[12]

In a mixed review, Steven Johnson of musicOMH wrote, "Heartache has inspired countless songs and albums over the years and if nothing else Old Flowers shows how humans will continue to turn to music for comfort in times of sadness for many years to come. These songs have clearly provided solace to Andrews and it's likely they'll do the same for others in similar need".[8] The Arts Desk's Liz Thomson stated, "The textures are imaginative, occasional dissonances and sounds you can't immediately identify making the album all the more compelling".[11] PopMatters critic Kevin Kearney said, "When Andrews focuses on her own story, she's an immensely compelling songwriter. It's when she speaks in a general sense about heartache that her powers are weakened".[10]

Accolades

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Accolades for Old Flowers
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Albumism Albumism Selects: The 100 Best Albums of 2020
73
[15]
Good Morning America 50 Best Albums of 2020
37
[16]
Magnet Magnet's Top 25 Albums of 2020
18
[17]
Uncut 75 Best Albums of 2020
14
[18]
WXPN WXPN Best of 2020: Albums —
[19]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Courtney Marie Andrews

No.TitleLength
1."Burlap String"3:57
2."Guilty"3:54
3."If I Told"4:58
4."Together Or Alone"4:01
5."Carnival Dream"4:20
6."Old Flowers"3:48
7."Break the Spell"4:22
8."It Must Be Someone Else's Fault"3:18
9."How You Get Hurt"4:24
10."Ships in the Night"4:02
Total length:41:08

Personnel

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Musicians

Technical

Artwork

  • Sarah Scheisser – design, layout
  • Sam Stenson – photography

Charts

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Chart (2020) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] 12
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 62
UK Americana Albums (OCC)[22] 3
UK Country Albums (OCC)[23] 2
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[24] 3
UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)[25] 13

References

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  1. ^ "Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Americana Album". grammy.com. Recording Academy. 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Old Flowers by Courtney Marie Andrews reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Old Frowers - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Old Flowers - Courtney Marie Andrews | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (July 20, 2020). "Courtney Marie Andrews' 'Breakup Album' Proves Artistically Rewarding". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Black, Annie (July 24, 2020). "Courtney Marie Andrews' Old Flowers Finds Growth in Moving On: Review". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Barnabe, Dylan (July 22, 2020). "Courtney Marie Andrews Transcends the Traditional Breakup Album on 'Old Flowers'". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Johnson, Steven (July 24, 2020). "Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Cooper, Leonie (July 23, 2020). "Courtney Marie Andrews – 'Old Flowers' album review". NME. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Kearney, Kevin (July 21, 2020). "Courtney Marie Andrews Picks Up the Pieces on 'Old Flowers'". PopMatters. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Thomson, Liz (July 23, 2020). "Album: Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers". The Arts Desk. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Eastoe, Dillon (July 22, 2020). "Old Flowers finds Courtney Marie Andrews sombre but all the better for it". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Moody, Mark (July 24, 2020). "Old Flowers". Under The Radar. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  14. ^ "Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers". Album Of The Year. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  15. ^ "ALBUMISM SELECTS: The 100 Best Albums of 2020". Albumism. November 28, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  16. ^ Raible, Allan (December 28, 2020). "50 best albums of 2020, featuring Fiona Apple, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd". Good Morning America. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  17. ^ "Magnet's Top 25 Albums of 2020". Magnet. December 23, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "Uncut's 75 Best Albums of 2020". Album Of The Year. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  19. ^ "WXPN Best of 2020: Albums". WXPN. December 2, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  22. ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  23. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  24. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  25. ^ "Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
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