# Ghost of a Dog

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Entertainment Weekly | B− |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Ghost of a Dog is the second album by American alternative rock band Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, released in 1990.
In the printed lyrics that accompany the album, each song has a word with a single letter missing. In order, they spell out "ghost of a dog."
The album sold about 500,000 copies. After a tour in support of the album, the band decided to take an indefinite hiatus.

## Production

The album was produced by Tony Berg. Unlike on the debut, where many tracks used session musicians, the New Bohemians play throughout Ghost of a Dog.

## Critical reception

The Los Angeles Times thought that "Brickell and the Bohemians band do a reasonable job of recycling the soothing elements of ‘60s pop-folk, but her own views are so childlike and her images so often pointless that it’s hard to work up any feeling for them." Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Brickell can write lyrically about the difference between the desire for romantic independence and desire itself. But just when she starts to show some grit, she’ll drift toward smiley-faced ditties like 'Oak Cliff Bra' — songs so cloying they make you wonder if Brickell underwent a lobotomy between tracks." The New York Times declared that none of the songs recaptured the charm of the first album's "What I Am". The Chicago Tribune wrote that Brickell's "ability to write wisely about the bad stuff of romance with a marked lack of anger toward the opposite sex makes her unique and-for postmodern romantics-endearing."

## Personnel

The New Bohemians
* Edie Brickell – vocals, acoustic guitar
* Kenny Withrow – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro, slide guitar, backing vocals
* Wes Burt-Martin – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals, string arrangements (9)
* Brad Houser – bass
* Matt Chamberlain – drums
* John Bush – percussion
Additional musicians
* Tony Berg – keyboards, guitars, string arrangements (9)
* Paul Fox – keyboards
* Danny Timms – acoustic piano (1)
* Jo-El Sonnier – accordion (3)
* Paul "Wix" Wickens – keyboards (8)
* David Mansfield – acoustic guitar (8)
* Larry Corbett – cello (9)
* Novi Novog – viola (9)
* Sid Page – violin (9)
* John Lydon – backing vocals (8)

## Production

* Tony Berg – producer, mixing (5, 14)
* Chris Lord-Alge – recording
* Susan Rogers – recording, mixing (7, 12)
* David Thoener – recording
* Ken Jordan – additional recording
* Greg Goldman – assistant engineer
* Mike Reiter – assistant engineer
* Bob Clearmountain – mixing (1–4, 6, 8–11, 13)
* George Marino – mastering
* Robin Sloane – creative director
* Lyn Bradley – design, layout
* Janet Wolsborn – design, layout
* Ann Cutting – photographic tinting
Studios
* Recorded at Bearsville Studios (Bearsville, New York); The Village Recorder and Zeitgeist Studios (Los Angeles, California).
* Mixed at A&M Studios (Hollywood, California).
* Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York).

## Charts

Album – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
| 1990 | The Billboard 200 | 32 |
Singles – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
| 1990 | "Mama Help Me" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 26 |
| 1990 | "Mama Help Me" | Modern Rock Tracks | 17 |