Sundown Heaven Town is the thirteenth studio album by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released via Big Machine Records on September 16, 2014.
Content
The album has produced two singles in advance of its release: "Lookin' for That Girl" and "Meanwhile Back at Mama's", the latter of which features backing vocals from McGraw's wife, Faith Hill. These singles peaked at numbers 15 and 2, respectively, on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. "Shotgun Rider" was released as the album's third single and became a Number One hit on the Billboard Country Airplay charts. McGraw previously recorded a different song also entitled "Shotgun Rider" on his 2007 album Let It Go. "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools was released as the album's fourth and final single in 2015 and reached the Top 5.
McGraw produced the album with Byron Gallimore, who has produced all of his albums. In an interview with Country Weekly, McGraw stated that, ""I think it’s a good microcosm of what my 20 or so years in music have been, in a lot of ways. You can certainly hear parts of my career throughout all of these songs, as well as the future and where my music is headed. To me, the title of the album is all about that time where you stop doing what you have to do, and start doing what you want to do."[2]
McGraw revealed the album's cover art and track listing on July 28, 2014. One day later, the album was made available for preorder via Amazon MP3 and the iTunes Store.[3]
Critical reception
Sundown Heaven Town received positive reviews from critics. According to Metacritic, where they assign a weighted average score out of 100 to ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, Sundown Heaven Town received an average of 71, based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4] Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine suggested the music "come[s] on smooth and easy but have the foundation to last."[9] Chuck Dauphin saying for Billboard how "the singer stretches a little more than usual... and takes a few musical chances."[5] On behalf of USA Today, Jerry Shriver commenting how the project contains "many wise nuggets on the vet's solid outing."[8] Glenn Gamboa stating for Newsday how it is an "Eclectic collection of country styles that brings (usually) great results."[6] Writing for Rolling Stone, Will Hermes opined "its hit-or-miss" with this project that's "best when he's feeling your pain."[7] On behalf of The Boston Globe, Sarah Rodman found "a solid effort featuring a few stand-out tracks, slightly better than average radio fare, and some pleasant filler", which is done in "a creditable job of sidestepping any naked pandering to trends, balancing authentic country atmosphere with pop polish."[10]
Track listing
| 1. |
"Overrated" | Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Rivers Rutherford |
3:28 |
| 2. |
"City Lights" | Deric Ruttan, Jonathan Singleton |
4:19 |
| 3. |
"Shotgun Rider" | Marv Green, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges |
3:56 |
| 4. |
"Dust" | Rhett Akins, Rodney Clawson, Ben Hayslip |
3:46 |
| 5. |
"Diamond Rings and Old Barstools" (duet with Catherine Dunn) | Barry Dean, Singleton, Luke Laird, |
3:18 |
| 6. |
"Words Are Medicine" | Tom Douglas, David Hodges, Zac Maloy |
4:32 |
| 7. |
"Sick of Me" | Andrew Dorff, Singleton |
4:05 |
| 8. |
"Meanwhile Back at Mama's" (featuring Faith Hill) | Douglas, Jaren Johnston, Jeffrey Steele |
3:47 |
| 9. |
"Keep On Truckin'" | Blair Daly, Tim McGraw, Brad Warren, Brett Warren |
3:06 |
| 10. |
"Last Turn Home" | Eric Arjes, Ryan Hurd, Maren Morris |
3:56 |
| 11. |
"Portland, Maine" | Abe Stoklasa, Donovan Woods |
3:43 |
| 12. |
"Lookin' for That Girl" | Mark Irwin, James T. Slater, Chris Tompkins |
4:20 |
| 13. |
"Still on the Line" | Bob DiPiero, Jon Nite, Steven McMorran |
3:52 |
| 14. |
"Lincoln Continentals and Cadillacs" (featuring Kid Rock) | Clawson, Laird |
4:20 |
| 15. |
"Kids Today" | Daly, Brad Warren, Brett Warren |
4:12 |
| 16. |
"I'm Feelin' You" | Derek George, Brad Warren, Brett Warren |
3:27 |
| 17. |
"The View" | Eric Frederic, Crista Russo, Joe Spargur |
3:42 |
| 18. |
"Black Jacket" | Daly, Brad Warren, Brett Warren |
4:12 |
Personnel
|
|
- Julian Hallmark – violin
- Tamara Hallmark – violin
- Faith Hill – background vocals on "Meanwhile Back at Mama's"
- Suzie Katayama – string contractor
- Michael Landau – electric guitar
- Timothy Landauer – cello
- Songa Lee – violin
- Dave Levita – electric guitar
- Tim McGraw – lead vocals
- Richard Madenfort – electric guitar
- Luke Maurer – viola
- Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards
|
- Steve Nathan – keyboards
- Alyssa Park – violin
- Steve Richards – cello
- Tereza Stanislov – violin
- Dave Stone – bass guitar
- Bryan Sutton – banjo, acoustic guitar
- Sarah Thornblade – violin
- Ilya Toshinsky – banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin
- Josefina Vergara – violin
- Shalini Vajayan – violin
- Dave Walther – viola
- John Wittenberg – violin
|
Chart performance
The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and at number 3 on the Billboard 200, selling over 71,000 copies.[11] The album has sold 299,000 copies in the US as of September 2015.[12]
The album also debuted at number 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart, with 5,500 copies sold in its first week.[13]
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
| Chart (2014) |
Position |
| US Billboard 200[18] |
128 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[19] |
28 |
Singles
References
- 1 2 "Sundown Heaven Town - Tim McGraw". Allmusic. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.countryweekly.com/news/tim-mcgraw-reveals-track-listing-sundown-heaven-town
- ↑ http://www.musicrow.com/2014/07/tim-mcgraws-sundown-heaven-town-to-release-in-september/
- 1 2 Metacritic. "Critic Reviews for Sundown Heaven Town". CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
- 1 2 Dauphin, Chuck (September 16, 2014). "Tim McGraw, 'Sundown Heaven Town': Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- 1 2 Gamboa, Glenn (September 15, 2014). "'Sundown Heaven Town' review: Tim McGraw shows his versatility". Newsday. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- 1 2 Hermes, Will (September 23, 2014). "Tim McGraw's New Album: Sundown Heaven Town". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
- 1 2 Shriver, Jerry (September 16, 2014). "Listen Up: Tim McGraw, Barbra Streisand and Train". USA Today. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (September 15, 2014). "Sundown Heaven Town - Tim McGraw | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
- ↑ Rodman, Sarah (September 15, 2014). "Tim McGraw, 'Sundown Heaven Town'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
- ↑ Wade Jessen (September 25, 2014). "Tim McGraw's 'Sundown' Shines at No. 1 on Top Country Albums". Billboard.
- ↑ "Upcoming Releases: Hits Daily Double". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
- ↑ http://ajournalofmusicalthings.com/weekly-music-sales-report-analysis-25-september-2014/
- ↑ "Tim McGraw – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Tim McGraw.
- ↑
- ↑ "Tim McGraw – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Tim McGraw.
- ↑ "Tim McGraw – Chart history" Billboard Top Country Albums for Tim McGraw.
- ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums: Year-End top-selling albums across all genres". Billboard.
- ↑ "Top Country Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
|
|---|
| | | | Studio albums | |
|---|
| | Compilations | |
|---|
| | Filmography | |
|---|
| | Tours | |
|---|
| | Related articles | |
|---|
|
[1]