The Preacher's Wife (soundtrack)

The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album
Soundtrack album by Whitney Houston
Released	November 26, 1996
Recorded	January – February 1996
Genre	Gospel, soul, R&B[1]
Length	62:20
Label	Arista
Producer	Whitney Houston (also executive), Mervyn Warren, Ricky Minor, Steve Lipson, Babyface, David Foster
Whitney Houston chronology
The Bodyguard (1992) The Preacher's Wife (1996) My Love Is Your Love (1998)
Singles from The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album
"I Believe In You And Me" Released: December 10, 1996 "Step by Step" Released: 24 February 1997 "My Heart Is Calling" Released: June 10, 1997
Alternative cover

The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album is the soundtrack to the 1996 film of the same name and features songs performed by Whitney Houston, who also stars in the film. It is the best-selling gospel album of all time, and has sold an estimated 6 million copies worldwide.^[2]

The lead single, "I Believe in You and Me" (a cover of The Four Tops classic), became a top five hit in the U.S.^[3] and was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards, as well as for Best R&B Album.^[4]

"Step by Step" was another hit single, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "My Heart Is Calling" became the soundtrack's final release.

"Lay Aside Every Weight", covered and performed by Georgia Mass Choir and Whitney Houston, appears in the film but not on the motion picture soundtrack for unknown reasons.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[5]
The New York Times	(Positive)[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]

Commercial performance

Released on November 26, 1996, The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on the issue dated December 14, 1996, selling 90,500 units in the first week.^[8] On its second week, the album jumped to number four on the chart with the Greatest Gainer mark, and the following week reached number three, which was the album's peak position.^[9][10] The album also debuted at number eight on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, and in three weeks later, peaked at the number one and remained there for two weeks, becoming her fourth number one album on the chart.^[11][12] It stayed for a total of 38 weeks, 49 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and the Top R&B Albums chart respectively.^[11][13]

In addition, The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack was more successful on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart than on any other chart. The album debuted straight at number one on the chart and spent 26 consecutive weeks at the top from December 14, 1996 to June 7, 1997. It remained on the chart for 117 weeks.^[14][15] Eventually the album became number one gospel album on the 1997 Billboard Top Gospel Albums year-end chart and also "Best-selling gospel recording" by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) in 1996-1997.^[16][17] It was certified 3× Platinum for shipping 3 million copies in the United States alone by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 30, 1998.^[18] According to the Nielsen SoundScan, as of 2012, the gospel album has sold 2,627,000 copies in the United States alone. It has sold over 6 million copies Worldwide.^[2]

Music critics saw a more emotionally engaged side of Houston, particularly with the soundtrack’s gospel offerings. “For the first time in her 12-year recording career, Houston sounds genuinely moved by her material. Early on she stumbles through the Annie Lennox-penned "Step By Step," but the presence of the Georgia Mass Choir on six subsequent tracks melts her frosty reserve,” People magazine wrote.^[19]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"I Believe in You and Me" (film version)	David Wolfert, Sandy Linzer	Mervyn Warren, Whitney Houston	4:03
2.	"Step by Step"	Annie Lennox	Stephen Lipson	4:12
3.	"Joy" (with the Georgia Mass Choir)	Kirk Franklin	Mervyn Warren, Whitney Houston	3:16
4.	"Hold On, Help Is on the Way" (with the Georgia Mass Choir)	Rev. Kenneth Paden	Mervyn Warren, Whitney Houston	3:09
5.	"I Go to the Rock" (with the Georgia Mass Choir)	Dottie Rambo	Mervyn Warren, Whitney Houston	4:05
6.	"I Love the Lord" (with the Georgia Mass Choir)	Richard Smallwood	Mervyn Warren, Whitney Houston	4:57
7.	"Somebody Bigger Than You and I" (Featuring Bobby Brown, Faith Evans, Johnny Gill, Monica and Ralph Tresvant)	Johnny Lange, Hy Heath, Sonny Burke	Whitney Houston, Rickey Minor	4:42
8.	"You Were Loved"	Diane Warren	Babyface	4:13
9.	"My Heart Is Calling"	Babyface	Babyface	4:15
10.	"I Believe in You and Me" (single version)	David Wolfert, Sandy Linzer	David Foster	3:55
11.	"Step by Step" (Remix)	Annie Lennox	Remixed by Teddy Riley	4:34
12.	"Who Would Imagine a King"	Mervyn Warren, Hallerin Hilton Hill	Mervyn Warren, Whitney Houston	3:31
13.	"He's All Over Me" (with Shirley Caesar and the Georgia Mass Choir)	Alvin Darling	Mervyn Warren, Whitney Houston	3:53
14.	"The Lord Is My Shepherd" (performed by Cissy Houston with Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir)	Traditional	Mervyn Warren, Whitney Houston	4:24
15.	"Joy to the World" (with the Georgia Mass Choir)	Traditional	Mervyn Warren, Whitney Houston	4:41

Charts and certifications

Chart positions Chart Peak position Australian Albums Chart[20] 34 Austrian Albums Chart[21] 8 Belgian Albums Chart (Vl)[22] 34 Belgian Albums Chart (Wa)[23] 45 Dutch Albums Chart[24] 17 French Albums Chart[25] 28 German Albums Chart[26] 9 Norwegian Albums Chart[27] 39 Japanese Albums Chart[28] 14 Spanish Albums Chart[29] 21 Swedish Albums Chart[30] 16 Swiss Albums Chart[31] 11 U.S. Billboard 200[32] 3 U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[33] 1 U.S. Billboard Top Gospel Albums[15] 1 Chart (2012) Peak position U.S. Billboard 200 80 U.S. Top Pop Catalog Albums (Billboard) 9

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position Swedish Albums Chart[34] 78 Certifications Region Provider Certification (sales thresholds) Sales/shipments Canada CRIA Platinum[35] 100,000+ Europe IFPI Platinum[36] 1,000,000+ Italy FIMI Gold[37] 50,000+ Japan RIAJ Platinum 250,000 Spain AFYVE Gold[29] 50,000 Sweden IFPI Gold[38] 50,000 Switzerland IFPI Gold[39] 25,000 United Kingdom BPI Silver[40] 60,000 United States RIAA 3× Platinum[41] 3,112,000[42]/ 3,000,000 Worldwide 8,000,000[2][43]

Singles chart positions

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		US Hot 100 [44]	US R&B [45]	US AC [46]	US Dance [47]	CAN	UK [48]	AUS [49]	AUT [50]	BEL		FIN [51]	FRA [52]	GER [53]	IRL [54]	NED [55]	NZ [56]	SWE [57]	SWI [58]
										FL [59]	WA [60]
1996	"I Believe in You and Me"	4	4	2	―	39	16	70	―	―	―	―	―	98	―	74	―	46	―
1997	"Step by Step"	15	29	―	3	9	13	12	6	13	12	11	30	8	14	13	46	15	15
	"My Heart Is Calling"	77	35	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1997	Hans Zimmer for The Preacher's Wife	Best Original Musical or Comedy Score[61]	Nominated

American Music Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1998	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Favorite Soundtrack[62]	Nominated

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1997	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Favorite Female, R&B[63]	Won
1998	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Favorite Soundtrack[64]	Nominated

Essence Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1997	Whitney Houston (herself)	The Triumphant Spirit Award[65][66]	Won

GMA (Gospel Music Association) Dove Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1997	Special Award	Outstanding Mainstream Contribution to Gospel Music[67]	Won
1998	"I Go to the Rock"	Traditional Gospel Song of the Year (with Dottie Rambo)[68][69]	Won

Grammy Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1998	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Best R&B Album[70]	Nominated
	"I Believe in You and Me"	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance[70]	Nominated

NAACP Image Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1997	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Outstanding Gospel Artist (with Georgia Mass Choir)[71][72][73]	Won
		Outstanding Album[71][72][73]	Won

The NARM Best Seller Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1997	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Best-selling Gospel Recording[17]	Won

People's Choice Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1998	Whitney Houston (herself)	Favorite Female Musical Performer (tied with Reba McEntire)[74][75]	Won

Soul Train Music Awards

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1998	Special Award	The 1998 Quincy Jones Award — for Outstanding Career Achievements in the field of entertainment[76][77]	Won

Trumpet Awards

Trumpet Awards, the awards are intended to honor blacks who, through consistency and longevity, have inspired others and have achieved success in their chosen professions or careers.^[78]

Year	Recipient/Nominated work	Award	Result
1998	Whitney Houston (herself)	The Pinnacle Award[78][79]	Won

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1997 (U.S.)

References

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