Shooting Straight in the Dark

Shooting Straight in the Dark
Studio album by Mary-Chapin Carpenter
Released	October 9, 1990
Genre	Country
Length	42:12
Label	Columbia Nashville/TriStar
Producer	Mary Chapin Carpenter John Jennings
Mary-Chapin Carpenter chronology
State of the Heart (1989)State of the Heart1989 Shooting Straight in the Dark (1990) Come On Come On (1992)Come On Come On1992

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[2]

Shooting Straight in the Dark is Mary Chapin Carpenter's third studio album. It was a #11 Country Album on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Four of its tracks became Billboard Hot Country Songs hits: "You Win Again" at #16, "Right Now" at #15, "Down at the Twist and Shout" at #2, and "Going Out Tonight" at #14. Members of the Cajun band BeauSoleil provide guest instrumentation on "Down at the Twist and Shout". Shawn Colvin provided backing vocals on three of the album's songs.

Track listing

All songs written by Mary Chapin Carpenter; except where indicated

1. "Going Out Tonight" (Carpenter, John Jennings) - 3:16
2. "Right Now" (Al Lewis, Sylvester Bradford) - 2:36
3. "The More Things Change" - 3:56
4. "When She's Gone" - 5:05
5. "Middle Ground" - 3:51
6. "Can't Take Love for Granted" - 4:01
7. "Down at the Twist and Shout" - 3:21
8. "Halley Came to Jackson" - 3:10
9. "What You Didn't Say" - 4:36
10. "You Win Again" - 3:59
11. "The Moon and St. Christopher" - 4:21
    • duet with Shawn Colvin

Personnel

Compiled from liner notes.^[3]

• Peter Bonta – keyboards, piano, acoustic and bass guitars
• Jimmy Breaux – Acadian accordion, Cajun yells
• Mary Chapin Carpenter – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
• Jon Carroll – piano, acoustic guitar
• Shawn Colvin – backing vocals
• Mike Cotter – backing vocals
• Don Dixon – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Michael Doucet – fiddle, Cajun yells
• John Jennings – electric, acoustic and bass guitars, synthesizer, backing vocals, Cajun yells
• Marti Jones – background vocals
• Robbie Magruder – drums
• John McCutcheson – hammer dulcimer
• Mark O'Connor – fiddle
• Dave Palamar – drums
• Herb Pedersen – backing vocals
• Rico Petruccelli – bass guitar
• Matt Rollings – piano
• Vince Santoro – drums
• Billy Ware – percussion, Cajun yells

Production

• Mary Chapin Carpenter, John Jennings - production
• Bob Dawson, Jim DeMain - engineering

Chart performance

References