Small World

by Huey Lewis, Huey Lewis & the News

Overview

Small World was another platinum hit for Huey Lewis & the News, but the album was noticeably weaker than their previous three records. Lewis tries to position himself as a socially conscious rocker -- no less than three tracks have the word "world" in their title -- writing songs about the perilous state of the environment and urging everybody to live together peacefully, since "there ain't no livin' in a perfect world." Such sanctimonious and simple lyrical platitudes would be acceptable if the band had written a set of catchy pop to support them. Instead, the group decided to stretch out, exploring rootsy American music like the zydeco of "Bobo Tempo" and the bluesy "Old Antone's." None of the musical diversions work as well as the bouncy Top Ten hit "Perfect World." However, "Perfect World" is the only song that ranks with the group's best material -- as "Give Me the Keys (And I'll Drive You Crazy)" proves, the News fail to come up with hooks that rival their earlier hits. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/30/2023
Label:	Universal
UPC:	4988031572399
Rank:	40774

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Huey Lewis   Primary Artist,Vocals,Harmonica
Huey Lewis & the News   Primary Artist
Stan Getz   Guest Artist,Sax (Tenor)
Tower of Power   Guest Artist
Bruce Hornsby   Guest Artist,Accordion,Vocals (Background)
Dwight Clark   Vocals (Background)
Sean Hopper   Vocals,Keyboards
Mario Cipollina   Bass
Jim Moran   Vocals (Background)
Stephen "Doc" Kupka   Sax (Baritone)
Lee Thornburg   Trumpet
Ronnie Lott   Vocals (Background)
James Watts Vereeke   Vocals (Background)
Riki Ellison   Vocals (Background)
Jim "Watts" Vereecke   Vocals (Background)
Ralph Arista   Vocals (Background)
Peter Michael   Horn,Percussion
David Fredericks   Vocals (Background)
Jerome Fletcher   Vocals (Background)
Michael Duke   Vocals (Background)
Joe Montana   Vocals (Background)
Steve Grove   Sax (Tenor)
David Tolmie   Vocals (Background)
Bill Gibson   Vocals,Percussion,Drums
Chris Hayes   Guitar,Vocals
Emilio Castillo   Sax (Tenor)
Greg Adams   Trumpet
Johnny Colla   Guitar,Vocals,Saxophone
Joel Jaffe   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Sean Hopper   Composer
Steven Chino Lewis   Composer
John Ciambotti   Composer
Alex Call   Composer
Bob Brown   Executive Producer
G. Palmer   Composer
Huey Lewis   Composer,Producer
Huey Lewis & the News   Producer
Jim "Watts" Vereecke   Assistant Engineer
Roger Ressmeyer   Cover Photo
Greg Adams   Composer,Arranger
Jock McDonald   Photography
Geoffrey Palmer   Composer
Chris Welch   Liner Notes
Tom Size   Assistant Engineer
Michael Rosen   Assistant Engineer
Steve Lewis   Composer
Bill Gibson   Composer
Chris Hayes   Composer
Johnny Colla   Composer
Bob Missbach   Mixing,Engineer