Sincere, subdued, and seriously lackluster, Shawn Mullins' 1992 self-release, Better Days, is a promising effort dampened by unremarkable material.
Mullins performs with confidence and emotion, but without a single memorable melody, the singer/songwriter can only struggle with his own creations.
None of Better Days' 12 tracks generate any kind of lyrical spark, as the same old lovelorn, world-weary images and testimonies to artistic temperament clog up the passageways out of tavern-singer obscurity.
Fans of Mullins' fine late-'90s work might enjoy "Just Like Me" and "Locked in My Room," two numbers that barely rise above the other ten slices of soft rock/folk mediocrity.
The only legitimate bright spot is Mullins' strong vocals, which ring with purpose and clarity despite some rather flat production.
To the Atlanta artist's credit, his vocals shine enough to make Better Days a credible outing, but one that only the most devoted fans will be able to appreciate.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BelongShawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 2 | This Time/Last TimeShawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 03:02 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | Same Old ThingAndrew Hyra, Shawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 4 | Locked in My RoomShawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 5 | Sleep AloneShawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 6 | The DreamShawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 26 MB |
| 7 | BuckdanceShawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | Everchanging WorldShawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 31 MB |
| 9 | Just Like MeShawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 19 MB |
| 10 | AppalachianShawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 05:03 | 11 MB | 25 MB |
| 11 | Shed a TearShawn Mullins | Shawn Mullins | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 12 | Casey's Last RideKris Kristofferson | Shawn Mullins | Play | 04:59 | 11 MB | 22 MB |
| 51 mins | 118 MB | |||||
| 51 mins | 294 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon Bush | Accordion |
| 2 | Kristian Bush | Performer, Rainstick, Shaker, Vocals |
| 3 | Hoyt Dooley III | Mastering |
| 4 | Elissa Hadley | Performer, Vocals |
| 5 | Chris Harris | Photography |
| 6 | Davy Henderson | Cover Art Concept, Guitar (Bass), Vocals |
| 7 | Joey Huffman | Organ (Hammond) |
| 8 | Andrew Hyra | Composer, Mandolin, Performer, Vocals |
| 9 | Mickey King | Drums |
| 10 | Kris Kristofferson | Composer |
| 11 | Michelle Malone | Performer, Vocals |
| 12 | Don McCollister | Bass, Engineer, Fretless Bass, Performer, Producer, Synthesizer, Vocals |
| 13 | Travis Aaron McNabb | Assistant Engineer, Assistant Producer, Drums, Drums (Snare), Percussion, Piccolo, Producer |
| 14 | Shawn Mullins | Autoharp, Composer, Concept, Cover Art Concept, Guitar (Acoustic), Juice Harp, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Piano (Electric), Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 15 | David Patterson | Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 16 | Timothy Sullivan | Executive Producer |
| 17 | John M. Yardley | Design, Graphic Design Layout |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |