The Way I Should
| The Way I Should | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Iris DeMent | ||||
| Released | October 8, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Folk, country | |||
| Length | 50:07 | |||
| Label | Warner | |||
| Producer | Randy Scruggs | |||
| Iris DeMent chronology | ||||
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The Way I Should is the third album released by singer-songwriter Iris DeMent. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.
Guests include guitarist Mark Knopfler and Delbert McClinton, who duets with DeMent on "Trouble".
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | A[2] |
Track listing
All songs by Iris DeMent except as indicated.
- "When My Mornin' Comes Around" – 3:49
- "There's a Wall in Washington" – 5:19
- "Wasteland of the Free" – 5:13
- "I'll Take My Sorrow Straight" (DeMent, Elmer McCall) – 3:24
- "This Kind of Happy" (DeMent, Merle Haggard) – 3:43
- "The Way I Should" – 4:24
- "Letter to Mom" – 3:15
- "Keep Me God" – 3:46
- "Quality Time" – 4:03
- "Walkin' Home" – 5:39
- "Trouble" (DeMent, McCall) – 7:32
Personnel
- Iris DeMent – vocals, guitar, piano
- Mark Knopfler – national guitar (track 6)
- Chuck Leavell – organ, piano, accordion
- Lonnie Mack - electric guitar (track 11)
- Brent Mason - electric guitar solo (track 5)
- Paul Franklin – steel guitar
- John Jennings – guitar, EBow, 6-string bass
- Bekka Bramlett – background vocals (track 3)
- Billy Burnette – background vocals (track 3)
- Melodie Crittenden – background vocals (tracks 6, 9)
- Delbert McClinton – harmonica, vocals (track 11)
- Dave Pomeroy – bass
- Tom Roady – tambourine
- Tammy Rogers – fiddle, mandolin, violin, cello, viola
- Harry Stinson – drums
- Russ Taff – background vocals (track 3)
- Earl Scruggs – banjo (track 9)
- Randy Scruggs – guitar
- Stuart Smith – guitar, slide guitar
Production notes
- Produced by Randy Scruggs
- Engineered and mixed by Chuck Ainlay
- Mastered by Denny Purcell
- Assistant Engineers – Chris Rua and Graham Lewis
- Photography by Debbie Spinelli and Rocky Schenck
- Art direction and design by Stephen Walker and Terry Robertson