Honey, I'm Homely! is the third studio album by the American ska punk band Dance Hall Crashers. Produced by the band and Stoker, the album was released on September 9, 1997, by MCA Records.

Honey, I'm Homely!
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 9, 1997
Recorded1997
Fantasy Studios
(Berkeley, California)
NRG Studios
(North Hollywood, California)
GenreSka punk, pop punk
Length44:10
LabelMCA
ProducerDance Hall Crashers, Stoker
Dance Hall Crashers chronology
Lockjaw
(1995)
Honey, I'm Homely!
(1997)
Purr
(1999)

Background

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Dance Hall Crashers signed to MCA's new 510 subsidiary in 1995 and released Lockjaw, highlighting the band's increasing direction into a punchier, pop punk style. Prior to recording Honey, I'm Homely!, DHC toured with bands such as Blink-182 and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and a host of Epitaph punk bands.[1]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
NME7/10[3][unreliable source?]

Dave Younk, music critic of the St. Cloud Times, praised Honey, I'm Homely!, calling the album "...intoxicating and marvelously entertaining." Younk called the album's music "a blend of ska and 1960s girl-group harmonies," as further conveyed by the clothing and hairstyles on the album's cover art.[4] The Tampa Tribune's Kevin Walker commended the album, especially highlighting the 2:55 mark of the opening song, "Lost Again," when the vocal duo repeatedly sing "do you?" until the song's conclusion. Walker described Rogers’ and Deniké’s singing as "dominant," comparing them to Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson of the B-52s. He further described the album as "lyrically funny" and "smart, danceable fun."[5]

 
The Dance Hall Crashers perform at The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1998.

Chuck Campbell of The Knoxville News-Sentinel gave the album a positive-to-mixed review, and, like Kevin Walker, also compared the quintet to the B-52s: "...Honey, I'm Homely is a good-time blast worth more than a few listens." Campbell did criticize some of the song tracks, stating "...the lyrics are good-natured if impetuous," and "...the pace is planned like a roller-coaster, with hyper-accelerated thrills spread out among more traditional high-speed fare."[6]

The fifteen-track album was panned by John Prendergast of The Rocket (Seattle, WA), accusing the band of "...(sounding like) No Doubt's rich cousins who got together to make a record out of boredom." He further criticized Rogers and Deniké for singing in repetition: "...hearing them in harmony in the same fifths and thirds over and over makes you want to choke." Prendergast ended his review by referring to the band and its album as unoriginal.[7]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Dance Hall Crashers (Elyse Rogers, Karina Deniké, Jason Hammon, Mikey Weiss and Gavin Hammon)

No.TitleLength
1."Lost Again"3:24
2."Will Tomorrow Ever Come"2:40
3."All Mine"3:22
4."Salted"2:26
5."Next to You"2:58
6."I Want It All"3:18
7."Elvis & Me"2:47
8."Whisky & Gin"3:19
9."Cold Shower"2:27
10."Last Laugh"2:55
11."Mr. Blue"2:40
12."Stand By"2:53
13."The Truth About Me"3:29
14."Big Mouth"2:32
15."Over Again"3:00
Total length:44:10

Personnel

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Information adapted from liner notes.[8]

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1997) Peak
position
Top Heatseekers (Billboard)[10] 22

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Third Ear: Alternative Rock. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 800 pp. First edition, 2000.
  2. ^ Anderson, Rick. "Review: Honey, I'm Homely!". AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  3. ^ "Review: Honey, I'm Homely!". NME. July 14, 1998. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  4. ^ Younk, Dave (October 16, 1997). "Dance Hall Crashers Have a Smash with 'Honey, I'm Homely' Recording". St. Cloud Times. p. 31. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Walker, Kevin (October 31, 1997). "Dance Hall Crashers, Honey, I'm Homely". The Tampa Tribune. p. 87. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Campbell, Chuck (October 31, 1997). "(Tuned In!)Honey, I'm Homely! - Dance Hall Crashers (MCA)". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 75. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Prendergast, John (October 8, 1997). "Dance Hall Crashers - Honey, I'm Homely!". The Rocket. p. 24. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Honey, I'm Homely! (liner notes). Dance Hall Crashers. US: MCA. 1997. MCAD-11676.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "Dance Hall Crashers – Honey, I'm Homely!". discogs.com.
  10. ^ "Honey, I'm Homely! Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
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