Lisa Loeb - The Way It Really Is

The fluke smash hit of Lisa Loeb's debut single, "Stay (I Missed You)," in 1994 was a blessing since it gave her a career, but a curse since it defined her career. For many, she was just a one-hit wonder, and it took her a long time to shake that stigma as she kept cutting records and cultivating a cult audience. She lost her major-label deal in the process, but majors weren't suited for her anyway since it forced her to work on a scale that was too large for the modest music she made. In 2004, a decade after "Stay," she had signed to Rounder's Zoe subsidiary, a better fit for her warm, low-key folk-pop and ballads, as The Way It Really Is, her first album for the label, proves. Quite simply, it's the best, most cohesive record she's made, a clean, crisp collection of well-crafted, gentle tunes that slowly, surely work into the subconscious. Loeb co-produced the album with her husband Dweezil Zappa, and they never overdress the songs, nor do they rely on Spartan, all-acoustic arrangements; they let the music breathe, sometimes adding layers of guitars and keyboards, sometimes keeping it to just her and another instrument or two. The Way It Really Is is still a quiet, modest album, but that's its appeal -- by being sounding so modest, Loeb's skills as a songwriter stand out, as do her charms as a singer. It's a sweet, ingratiating album, the first that she's made to truly deliver on the promise of "Stay," the one that offers definitive proof that Loeb is more than a one-hit wonder. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Bill Merryfield Art Direction Bob Clearmountain Mixing Bob Ludwig Mastering Brant Biles Engineer, Audio Engineer Chad Fischer Cello, Keyboards, Drums, Producer, Percussion, Stomping, Piano, Audio Production Chris Fudurich Audio Engineer, Engineer Dave Bassett Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Producer, Engineer, Percussion, Vocals (Background), Audio Engineer, Keyboards Dayna Pink Stylist Dweezil Zappa Soloist, Audio Production, Guitar (Electric) Emily Saliers Vocals (Background) Helen Jeffers Make-Up James Murray Engineer Jason Falkner Wurlitzer, Vocals (Background), Guitar (Electric), Vocal Harmony Jeff Rothschild Mixing, Engineer Jimmy Harry Programming, Keyboards, Audio Production, Producer, Guitar Joe Travers Drums John Shanks Audio Production, Bass, Guitar (Bass), Vocal Harmony, Producer, Keyboards, Mixing, Guitar, Vocals (Background) Jonathan Krop Web Design Kevin Harp Mixing Assistant Larry Goldings Piano Lindy Robbins Vocal Producer, Vocal Arrangement Lisa Loeb Vocal Harmony, Audio Production, Guitar (Acoustic), Producer, Vocals, Piano Maia Sharp Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background), Engineer Mark Meadows Guitar (Bass) Mark Valentine Engineer Matt Laug Drums Michael Sherwood Piano (Grand) Neil Couser Assistant Engineer Philip Loeb Engineer Ronny Crawford Percussion, Drums Shelly Peiken Vocal Harmony, Vocals (Background) Stacey Lauers Stylistic Advisor