Croz | ||||
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Studio album by David Crosby | ||||
Released | January 28, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2011–2013 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 47:03 | |||
Label | Blue Castle Records | |||
Producer | Daniel Garcia | |||
David Crosby chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 71/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Drowned in Sound | 6/10 |
The Independent | |
musicOMH | |
The Oakland Press | |
The Observer | |
USA Today |
Croz is the fourth studio album by American musician David Crosby. The album was released on January 28, 2014, by Blue Castle Records. It is Crosby's first studio album in 20 years.
In a November 2013, interview with Rolling Stone, David Crosby spoke about the album, saying: "I wanted to challenge myself. Most guys my age would have done a covers record or duets on old material. This won't be a huge hit. It'll probably sell nineteen copies. I don't think kids are gonna dig it, but I'm not making it for them. I'm making it for me. I have this stuff that I need to get off my chest." He also spoke about why they decided to release the album independently, saying: "We didn't have any money. None. We could have gone and gotten a deal, but everybody in the music business is very leery about the big companies and what kind of lifespan they might have. Most people are doing it on their own, so that's what we did."
In the same interview, he explained that "If She Called" was inspired by a group of prostitutes that he saw near his hotel in Belgium, saying: "It was cold out and they had these skinny legs. They were trying to entice these drunk animals to fuck them. It was so gross, man. So sad. I imagined these girls had come from Kosovo or some place really hideous and they were working their way west, trying to get their way out of the horror show that happened in the middle of Europe. But that's all imaginary. Mostly, I started thinking about where they hide their heart, their soul, their spirit when they're doing it. How do they disassociate? You can be damn sure they do."
He also spoke about what "Set That Baggage Down" was inspired by, saying: "That's a thing you learn in AA. I went there for about fourteen and half years. You have to look at what got you there. You have to look at the mistakes, and I made some horrific ones, and then you have to learn from them, figure out how to not wind up there again. You have to set that baggage down and walk on. If you spend all your life looking over your shoulder at the things you did wrong, you're gonna walk smack into a tree." He also spoke about how he got Mark Knopfler to play guitar on "What's Broken", saying: "That was a huge piece of generosity on Mark's part. We sent him the song and he just fucking killed it. He did me a huge favor and we don't even know each other. He's just brilliant." He went on to explain how he got Wynton Marsalis to play trumpet on "Holding on to Nothing", saying: "He's a consummate musician. "I took a chance and asked him and he just said, 'Yeah, send me the tape.' What he played was just beautiful. He has tone for days."