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I've Got Everything

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I've Got Everything
Studio album by
Henry Lee Summer
Released1989
StudioHenry's House of Noise
GenreHeartland rock, roots rock, pop
LabelCBS
ProducerHenry Lee Summer
Henry Lee Summer chronology
Henry Lee Summer
(1988) 		I've Got Everything
(1989) 		Way Past Midnight
(1991)

I've Got Everything is an album by the American musician Henry Lee Summer, released in 1989.[1][2] The first single was "Hey Baby".[3] Summer supported the album by opening for Eddie Money and then the Doobie Brothers on North American tours.[4][5] The album peaked at No. 78 on the Billboard 200.[6] It sold more than 400,000 copies in its first six months of release.[7]

Production

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Produced by Summer, the album was recorded over four and half months at his Broad Ripple Village, Indianapolis, home, which was dubbed Henry's House of Noise; he preferred that the songs be recorded in one take, and would break to play basketball with his band if a song was proving difficult to record.[8][9][7] The album title refers to Summer's attempts to convince his label that he could record a commercial success at his house.[8] He decided to leave in the many recording and musical mistakes.[10] Graham Maby played bass on the album; many of the other musicians, including Lisa Germano, were pulled from John Cougar Mellencamp's regular band.[11] Summer wrote most of the songs while touring in support of his previous album, and was influenced primarily by Otis Redding and Elvis Presley.[12][13] "Don't Leave Me" includes a musical quote from the Beatles' "A Day in the Life".[14] "Treat Her Like a Lady" is a cover of the Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose song, which Summer's label asked him to record.[10] "Louie Louie Louie" is a song meant to accompany a dance Summer invented for "uncoordinated" people.[15] "My Louisa" had been a Summer live staple for four years.[16]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
The Cincinnati Post[18]

The Washington Post opined that "Summer, a passable Top 40 guitarist, fancies himself a soul singer in the Sam & Dave tradition; and while his dedication is admirable ... his new album, I've Got Everything, is not exactly persuasive."[14] The Toronto Star called the album "a deliberately dirty affair" and praised Summer for capturing "the best possible readings of predictable but genuine heartland rock 'n' roll."[19] The Whig-Standard said that "Summer writes eminently capable songs even if ... they're gone out of your mind an hour later."[20]

The Daily Illini advised, "Beware of heinous vocals and inexplicable gospel choruses."[21] The Cincinnati Post praised the "loose, funky rockers".[18] The Commercial Appeal admired the up-tempo tracks, but noted that Summer "lacks the delivery or raw skills" to make the serious songs successful.[22] The Courier Journal opined that "the first side is a marvel–six superbly crafted and well-executed pop songs".[16] The Poughkeepsie Journal labeled the album "vintage heartland rock–ringing guitars, simple beats and chords, and no pretense."[23] The Boston Globe said that Summer "slides easily between his guitar and keyboards on this spirited recording".[24]

AllMusic called I've Got Everything "his best, a two-fisted roots rock smorgasbord without a whiff of pretension... [but] a little too glossy and a smidge too sappy".[17]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Treat Her Like a Lady" 
2."Roll Me" 
3."My Turn Train" 
4."Hey Baby" 
5."My Louisa" 
6."Louie Louie Louie" 
7."Don't Leave Me" 
8."Something Is Missing" 
9."Got No Money" 
10."I've Got Everything" 
11."Close Enough for Me" 
12."What's a Poor Boy to Do" 

References

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  1. ^ Wesley, Ann (June 1997). "Endless Summer". Indianapolis Monthly. Vol. 20, no. 11. p. 86.
  2. ^ Heim, Chris (May 12, 1989). "Breakthrough artists return". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 72.
  3. ^ Davis, Ken (May 21, 1989). "Summer show at Elco to be recorded". The South Bend Tribune. p. C3.
  4. ^ Kim, Jae-Ha (May 19, 1989). "Singing is everything for Summer". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 15.
  5. ^ Holland, Elizabethe (August 25, 1989). "Doobies coming for those who listen to the music". Northwest Florida Daily News. p. D2.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2018). Top Pop Albums 1995–2016. Record Research Inc. p. 1162.
  7. ^ a b "Basketball Hoops, Rock 'n' Roll". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Associated Press. January 17, 1990. p. Y6.
  8. ^ a b Warren, Jill (April 30, 1989). "Summer's got everything on new album". The Indianapolis Star. p. E1.
  9. ^ Rhodes, Dean (September 25, 1989). "Henry Lee Summer appears to have it all". Phoenix Gazette. p. D2.
  10. ^ a b Redmond, Mike (May 19, 1989). "Summer's album breaks mold". The Indianapolis News. p. A13.
  11. ^ The International Who's Who in Popular Music. Taylor & Francis Group. 2002. p. 318.
  12. ^ Roads, Jim (May 11, 1989). "Summer's new album revives soul in rock". Good Times. Richmond Palladium-Item. p. 11.
  13. ^ Berlin, Joey (August 31, 1989). "Music is Henry Lee Summer's drug". Coeur d'Alene Press. Copley News Service. p. A18.
  14. ^ a b Zibart, Eve (May 26, 1989). "Summer of Soul: Not So Hot as Old Times". The Washington Post. p. N27.
  15. ^ Scott, Jane (May 26, 1989). "'Homemade' LP is fine". City Streets. The Plain Dealer. p. 20.
  16. ^ a b Clark, Mike (June 3, 1989). "Reviews". Scene. Courier Journal. p. 10.
  17. ^ a b "I've Got Everything Review by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  18. ^ a b Nager, Larry (May 20, 1989). "Records". The Cincinnati Post. p. 6C.
  19. ^ Potter, Mitch (June 23, 1989). "Summer adds edge to predictable pop formulas". Toronto Star. p. E16.
  20. ^ Burliuk, Greg (June 30, 1989). "Music That Transcends". Magazine. The Whig-Standard. p. 1.
  21. ^ Sonnenberg, Jim (May 12, 1989). "Retro rock weather". The Daily Illini. p. 11.
  22. ^ Wynn, Ron (May 28, 1989). "Three singers in new albums easy on production gimmicks". The Commercial Appeal. p. G2.
  23. ^ Goth, Greg (June 25, 1989). "Henry Lee Summer". Poughkeepsie Journal. p. 1F.
  24. ^ Basch, Martin (November 2, 1989). "Recordings". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 8.
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