Shawn Colvin - A Few Small Repairs (1996)

“A Few Small Repairs” is Shawn Colvin's fourth album. It was released on October 1, 1996.
“A Few Small Repairs”, the proper follow-up to “Fat City”, was recorded on the heels of Shawn Colvin's divorce. At the time of the album's release, she had relocated to Austin, Texas.
And while the album is certainly a response, she avoids the obvious clichés in dealing with the aftermath, revealing instead the complex thought processes and complete range of human emotion, from anger, sadness, confusion, yearning, and disillusionment to resolve and recovery. Colvin has always been a songwriter of note, but with “A Few Small Repairs”, she reaches new heights, painting hauntingly vivid images that address not only relationships but also life in general with great insight. The subject matter predictably gives a generally dark mood to the album, but musically, the results are both diverse and irresistibly catchy. “A Few Small Repairs” marks a reunion with former collaborator/producer John Leventhal, and the two have found a perfect blend between words, music, and tasteful, organic arrangements for Colvin's finest effort to date.
The biggest single off the album was "Sunny Came Home", which was released in 1997. The cover of this album is a painting by Colvin's friend Julie Speed of a three-eyed woman with a lit match which inspired the song.

Track listing

01. "Sunny Came Home"  (Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal)  - 4:24
02. "Get Out of This House"  (Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal)  - 4:15
03. "The Facts About Jimmy"  (Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal)  - 5:22
04. "You and the Mona Lisa"  (Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal)  - 4:05
05. "Trouble"  (Colvin, Leventhal, Tom Littlefield)  - 4:18
06. "I Want It Back"  (Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal)  - 4:55
07. "If I Were Brave"  (Colvin)  - 3:11
08. "Wichita Skyline"  (Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal)  - 3:39
09. "84,000 Different Delusions"  (Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal)  - 4:01
10. "Suicide Alley"  (Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal)  - 5:29
11. "What I Get Paid For"  (Colvin, Neil Finn)  - 3:23
12. "New Thing Now"  (Colvin)  - 3:34
13. "Nothin' on Me"  (Shawn Colvin, John Leventhal)  -  3:56

Credits
Shawn Colvin – guitar, vocals
John Leventhal – electric guitars, acoustic guitars
Michael Rhodes – bass
Shawn Pelton – drums
Producer - John Leventhal

Notes
Genre: Rock, Contemporary Folk
Length: 51:09
Label: Columbia Records

© 1996