Chirpin'


Chirpin' is an album by the American musical group the Persuasions, released in 1977. It was rereleased in 1990, following the success of the PBS documentary Spike Lee & Company: Do It a Cappella.

Production

The album was produced by David Dashev. After two albums that contained instrumental accompaniment, Chiripin' was a return to an a capella style, albeit without member Jayotis Washington.

Critical reception

The Richmond Times-Dispatch praised the "rich, gutsy and romantic harmonies," and considered Chirpin' the group's best album.
Greil Marcus, in The Village Voice, wrote of "Willie and Laura Mae Jones": "'That was another place, and another time,' runs the last line of Tony Joe White’s chorus; as the Persuasions sing it, it is full of dignity, close to bitter, and empty of regret. I don’t know that I have heard new black music this strong since the days that followed Sly Stone’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On." He later listed the album as one of the ten best of the 1970s.

Track listing

;Side 1
  1. "Papa Oom Mow Mow" – 2:18
  2. "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" – 3:15
  3. "Moonlight and Music" – 3:00
  4. "Johnny Porter" – 4:34
  5. "Looking for an Echo" – 4:11
;Side 2
  2. "Women and Drinkin'" – 6:53
  3. "Sixty Minute Man" – 2:00
  4. "Win Your Love " – 3:32
  5. "It's Gonna Rain Again" – 2:22
  6. "To Be Loved" – 2:32

Details

  • Produced by David Dashev.
  • Recorded and mixed at The Hit Factory, New York.
  • Engineered by Michael Getlin.
  • Released in 1977 by Elektra.