{{Infobox album | name = Born Under | type = studio | artist = Martin Zellar | cover = Born Under.jpg | alt = | released = 1995 | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = Country rock<ref name=TS/> | length = | label = Rykodisc<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Stewart |first1=Alison |title=Reviews |magazine=CMJ New Music Monthly |date=Mar 1995 |issue=19 |page=44}}</ref> | producer = Martin Zellar, Steve McKinstry | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = Martin Zellar and the Hardways | next_year = 1996 }} '''''Born Under''''' is the debut album by the American musician Martin Zellar, released in 1995.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rassenfoss |first1=Joe |title=Martin Zellar's Country-Rock Mix Is a Perfect Blend |work=Rocky Mountain News |date=January 20, 1995 |page=22D}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bream |first1=Jon |title=Martin Zellar's debut solo album... |work=Star Tribune |date=November 25, 1994 |page=4E}}</ref> Its first two singles were "Lie to Me" and "Problem Solved".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Kurt R. |title=Zellar Glows on His Own |work=Wisconsin State Journal |date=January 26, 1995 |department=Rhythm |page=15}}</ref> The album was rereleased, with bonus tracks, in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/martin_zellar-born_under|title=Martin Zellar Born Under|website=Exclaim!}}</ref>
==Production== Recorded in Northfield, Minnesota, the album was produced by Zellar and Steve McKinstry.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bream |first1=Jon |title=Shifting Gears |work=Star Tribune |date=22 Jan 1995 |page=1F}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Album reviews — Born Under by Martin Zellar |magazine=Billboard |date=Feb 11, 1995 |volume=107 |issue=6 |page=62}}</ref><ref name=MH/> Soul Asylum's Dan Murphy played guitar on "Lie to Me".<ref name=TP/> Many of the songs were inspired by Zellar's wife and son.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Walsh |first1=Jim |title=Growing Up in Public |work=St. Paul Pioneer Press |date=January 24, 1995 |page=8B}}</ref> The album cover photo was shot in Grand Forks, North Dakota.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Carissa |title=Solo Career Hits High Gear |work=Grand Forks Herald |date=January 27, 1995 |page=C6}}</ref>
==Critical reception== {{album ratings |rev1 = AllMusic |rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-under-mw0000122755|title=Born Under|website=AllMusic}}</ref> |rev3 = ''MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide'' |rev3score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="MH">{{cite book |title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |date=1999 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |page=1267}}</ref> |rev4 = ''The Republican'' |rev4score = {{rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="TR">{{cite news |last1=O'Hare |first1=Kevin |title=Martin Zellar, 'Born Under' |work=The Republican |date=January 22, 1995 |page=D8}}</ref> |rev5 = ''The State'' |rev5score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="TS">{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Michael |title=Back-to-Basics Fever Is Contagious |work=The State |date=March 17, 1995 |page=D12}}</ref> }} ''Trouser Press'' stated that "Zellar has a grit-strewn voice with a mannered catch better suited to the harsh honesty of his lyrics than the placid curves of his melodies."<ref name="TP">{{cite web |title=Martin Zellar |url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/martin-zellar/ |website=Trouser Press |access-date=21 April 2022}}</ref> The ''Chicago Reader'' wrote that the album's "not the sort of recording that's going to perk up your next party, but it is exactly what a lot of people say there isn't much of these days: adult, smart, perceptive, and emotionally genuine rock music."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://chicagoreader.com/arts-culture/martin-zellar/|title=Martin Zellar|first=Bill|last=Wyman|date=February 16, 1995|work=Chicago Reader}}</ref> ''The Milwaukee Journal'' determined that "Zellar's nasal, angular voice is a ragged standout here against all manner of plaintive backing, from lonesome guitar pings and mournful cello drones to swoopy organ fills."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maples |first1=Tina |title=Country-rockers bask in glow of new fans |work=The Milwaukee Journal |date=9 Feb 1995 |page=D7}}</ref>
''Stereo Review'' deemed ''Born Under'' "as moving a piece of confessional pop as you're likely to see these days, a tuneful, lovely-on-the-surface song cycle of reflective country-rock musings that only barely conceal some rather world-class emotional turmoil beneath."<ref name="SR">{{cite magazine |last1=Simels |first1=Steve |title=The confessions of Martin Zellar — Born Under by Martin Zellar |magazine=Stereo Review |date=Apr 1995 |volume=60 |issue=4 |page=79}}</ref> ''The Santa Fe New Mexican'' noted that on some songs Zellar "sings in the voice of a drunken lout, albeit a drunken lout with a conscience that is only slightly weaker than the demons who hold him down."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Terrell |first1=Steve |title=Terrell's Tune-Up |work=The Santa Fe New Mexican |date=27 Jan 1995 |department=Pasatiempo |page=16}}</ref> The ''Los Angeles Times'' declared that Zellar "writes blue-collar tales about hard times and hard lessons that are reminiscent of the eloquence of the Blasters in their prime."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hilburn |first1=Robert |title=Martin Zellar, 'Born Under' |work=Los Angeles Times |date=26 Feb 1995 |department=Calendar |page=66}}</ref>
AllMusic panned Zellar's vocals, but also wrote that "twangy roadhouse rock alternates with unabashed honky-tonk balladry, and real-life working class concerns dominate the lyrics."<ref name="auto"/>
==Track listing== {{Track listing | all_writing = | title1 = Lie to Me | length1 = | title2 = Something's Gotta Happen | length2 = | title3 = East Side Boys | length3 = | title4 = Falling Sky | length4 = | title5 = Problem Solved | length5 = | title6 = Cross My Heart | length6 = | title7 = Lay This Down Gently | length7 = | title8 = Summer Kind of Sad | length8 = | title9 = Force a Smile | length9 = | title10 = Let Go | length10 = }}
==References== {{reflist}}
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Category:Martin Zellar albums Category:1995 debut albums Category:Rykodisc albums