1. Fill Me Up
2. These Four Walls
3. Tuff Kid
4. Summer Dress
5. Cinnamon Road
6. Venetian Blue
7. The Bird
8. I'm Gone
9. Let It Slide
10. Even Here We Are - Shawn Colvin, Westerberg, Paul
11. So Good to See You
12. That Don't Worry Me Now
13. Words - Shawn Colvin, Gibb, Barry
Amazon.com
Shawn Colvin's fans are a dedicated and patient lot. They've had to be, to have waited five years for this new release and nearly six for the one before it. But she rewards the faithful with gems every time, and These Four Walls is no exception. Despite a label change to the more musically adventurous Nonesuch, after having been associated with Columbia since 1989, this is a typically low-key yet beautifully constructed set. Colvin again works with producer/songwriter John Leventhal, her musical collaborator for the past quarter-century, and that long-standing partnership pays off with 11 superbly crafted originals. Colvin's breathy voice conveys the emotion, yearning, sadness, and even the occasional joy and hope behind the melodies. As producer, Leventhal colors these songs with subtle textures, adding organ, brushed drums, and layered electric and acoustic guitars to bolster but never overwhelm the songs or Colvin's delicate yet defined vocals. It's a clean but never-slick sound, with enough edge and dynamics to reflect the nuances in the lyrics. Covers of the obscure Paul Westerberg track "Even Here We Are" and the Bee Gees' "Words"--the latter sounding like a demo, with just acoustic guitar, spare bass, and sparse piano--illuminate additional details in her approach. They round out one of Colvin's finest, most honest, and poignant collections. It's an album worth the extended wait. --Hal Horowitz Recommended Shawn Colvin 
Polaroids: A Greatest Hits Collection | 
Fat City | 
A Few Small Repairs |
Album Description
This is Shawn Colvin's first album since 2001's A Whole New You. On These Four Walls, Colvin displays an easy-going sophistication and an appealingly grown-up spin on both her own evocative songs and the smartly-chosen covers she interprets.
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These Four Walls
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2006-09-12)
- Publisher: Nonesuch
- Label: Nonesuch
- Studio: Nonesuch
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 38 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #4763
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Fills you up 2008-04-21
Comment: Shawn Colvin has always been a rather charming artist of smart sentiments and pleasant arrangements - it leads to lovely, not especially challenging songs, and a general feeling of goodwill towards Colvin. I'm a fan, I suppose, but I'd never think of her as one of the great "artists" of her time. I suppose that's still the case after These Four Walls, but I did find myself compelled to buy it, and, a good year and a half after purchasing it, it strikes me that I still listen to the songs regularly, and that there's not a clunker in the bunch. "Fill Me Up" begins the set with charming guitar and a vulnerable, winning melody, and "These Four Walls" capitalizes on it with rather lovely anxiety. Throughout the records, though, Colvin seems to be on a songwriting roll, and songs surprise you with ways they creep up in your memory - "That Don't Worry Me Now" with its sweet, soulful satisfaction, "Ventian Blue" with its rainy-day malaise, "Let It Slide" with its old-person-feeling-young kick. I can't say that the album as a whole adds up to anything more than a good collection of songs, but I suppose that's plenty to ask from an album anyway, and on "Summer Dress" I'm reminded of all of the great musical moments Colvin's career has given us over the years - and I'm very much given another.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Not even close! 2008-04-15
Comment: Not even close to "Cover Girl" or "Steady On". The songs on this album all sound the same. And this album is all studio work. Shawn is best when she's performing all by herself, or when she has a small band behind her.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Her best yet 2007-10-13
Comment: I have nearly all of her work and this is my favorite by far. If you're a fan, you will not be disappointed with this one!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: It's folk music. Ok? 2007-08-23
Comment: If you are a Shawn Colvin fan this is a must have CD. The first track, Fill Me Up, has a tempo reminicent of Sunny came home. I like the dark feel to the title track and Summer Dress. Cinnamon Road is another song that is well done.
Shawn's music just feels right to me. She has a folk rock style with a little edge. If you have Born in the USA stuck back in your collection somewhere pull it out and listen to My Hometown. Shawn's songs are like that. They are about life and the truth. She tells it like it is,(Let it slide, Tuff kid). The whole album takes me back to some of the good artists of the 70's. She does a good cover of the Bee Gees Words. Other songs remind me of artists like Carole King, James Taylor, and even Bob Seeger. If you like folk and want to sit back, have a beer, and listen to what a great artist has to say you wont be disappointed. If you like Brittney or Shania and want your music sugar coated keep looking...
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Worth the wait 2007-07-25
Comment: As a fan of Shawn's music since I first listened to Sunny Came Home, I was hesitant to buy this one as I wasn't sure if it would live up to my expectations. Then I heard the title track "These Four Walls" and bought it immediately. Shawn delivers 11 original songs and two covers - "Words" picked up from the Bee Gees and "Even Here We Are" from Paul Westerberg. The album is low-key yet haunting and beautiful, and one you'll listen to a lot once you get into it.
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These Four Walls
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