# Born Under > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Born_Under > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Born_Under.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_Under > Source revision: 1220275030 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Infobox album | name = Born Under | type = studio | artist = [Martin Zellar](/source/Martin_Zellar) | cover = Born Under.jpg | alt = | released = 1995 | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = [Country rock](/source/Country_rock) | length = | label = [Rykodisc](/source/Rykodisc){{cite magazine |last1=Stewart |first1=Alison |title=Reviews |magazine=CMJ New Music Monthly |date=Mar 1995 |issue=19 |page=44}} | producer = Martin Zellar, Steve McKinstry | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = [Martin Zellar and the Hardways](/source/Martin_Zellar_and_the_Hardways) | next_year = 1996 }} '''''Born Under''''' is the debut album by the American musician [Martin Zellar](/source/Martin_Zellar), released in 1995.{{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}}{{cite news |last1=Bream |first1=Jon |title=Martin Zellar's debut solo album... |work=Star Tribune |date=November 25, 1994 |page=4E}} Its first two singles were "Lie to Me" and "Problem Solved".{{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}} The album was rereleased, with bonus tracks, in 2004.{{Cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/martin_zellar-born_under|title=Martin Zellar Born Under|website=Exclaim!}} ==Production== Recorded in [Northfield, Minnesota](/source/Northfield%2C_Minnesota), the album was produced by Zellar and Steve McKinstry.{{cite news |last1=Bream |first1=Jon |title=Shifting Gears |work=Star Tribune |date=22 Jan 1995 |page=1F}}{{cite magazine |title=Album reviews — Born Under by Martin Zellar |magazine=Billboard |date=Feb 11, 1995 |volume=107 |issue=6 |page=62}} [Soul Asylum](/source/Soul_Asylum)'s [Dan Murphy](/source/Dan_Murphy_(musician)) played guitar on "Lie to Me". Many of the songs were inspired by Zellar's wife and son.{{cite news |last1=Walsh |first1=Jim |title=Growing Up in Public |work=St. Paul Pioneer Press |date=January 24, 1995 |page=8B}} The album cover photo was shot in [Grand Forks, North Dakota](/source/Grand_Forks%2C_North_Dakota).{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Carissa |title=Solo Career Hits High Gear |work=Grand Forks Herald |date=January 27, 1995 |page=C6}} ==Critical reception== {{album ratings |rev1 = [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic) |rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/born-under-mw0000122755|title=Born Under|website=AllMusic}} |rev3 = ''[MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide](/source/MusicHound)'' |rev3score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite book |title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |date=1999 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |page=1267}} |rev4 = ''[The Republican](/source/The_Republican_(Springfield%2C_Massachusetts))'' |rev4score = {{rating|2.5|5}}{{cite news |last1=O'Hare |first1=Kevin |title=Martin Zellar, 'Born Under' |work=The Republican |date=January 22, 1995 |page=D8}} |rev5 = ''[The State](/source/The_State_(newspaper))'' |rev5score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Michael |title=Back-to-Basics Fever Is Contagious |work=The State |date=March 17, 1995 |page=D12}} }} ''[Trouser Press](/source/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."{{cite web |title=Martin Zellar |url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/martin-zellar/ |website=Trouser Press |access-date=21 April 2022}} The ''[Chicago Reader](/source/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."{{Cite news|url=http://chicagoreader.com/arts-culture/martin-zellar/|title=Martin Zellar|first=Bill|last=Wyman|date=February 16, 1995|work=Chicago Reader}} ''[The Milwaukee Journal](/source/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."{{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}} ''[Stereo Review](/source/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."{{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}} ''[The Santa Fe New Mexican](/source/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."{{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}} The ''[Los Angeles Times](/source/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."{{cite news |last1=Hilburn |first1=Robert |title=Martin Zellar, 'Born Under' |work=Los Angeles Times |date=26 Feb 1995 |department=Calendar |page=66}} [AllMusic](/source/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." ==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}} {{authority control}} Category:Martin Zellar albums Category:1995 debut albums Category:Rykodisc albums --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Born Under](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_Under) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_Under?action=history)). 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