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Personnel include:
Chely Wright (vocals);
Tom Bukovac (guitar);
Scotty Sanders (steel guitar);
Gordon Mote (keyboards);
Mark Hill (bass instrument);
Steve Brewster (drums);
Vince Gill, Emily West (background vocals).
Recording information: One Way Recording Studios, Nashville, Tennesse.
Album review "It's the Song," the lead-off track from THE METROPOLITAN HOTEL, could very well have served as the album's title, as the record marks not only a return to form for Chely Wright, but a renewed desire to give thoughtful writing priority over slick production and radio-friendly novelty. Filled with sharp lyrical detail and backed by a more relaxed, stripped-down version of Wright's usual pop-fueled sound, many of the songs here are drawn from Wright's personal experiences. "Between a Mother and a Child" uses drum loops as a basis upon which to build a stark examination of the complex familial relationships emerging from a messy divorce. The gentle, mandolin-driven ballad "The Bumper of My S.U.V." is a softer version of Toby Keith-style patriotism, and pulls the neat trick of being simultaneously biting and wistfully melancholy. An album that's at once expertly crafted and deeply personal, THE METROPOLITAN HOTEL ranks among Chely Wright's most accomplished work.
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