| Cold Hard Truth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 22, 1999 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 28:37 | |||
| Label | Asylum | |||
| Producer | Keith Stegall | |||
| George Jones chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Cold Hard Truth is the 56th studio album by American country music singer George Jones. The album was released on June 22, 1999, on the Asylum label.
Cold Hard Truth was released only three months after Jones was involved in a drunk driving incident when he crashed his sport utility vehicle near his home. He was rushed to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was released two weeks later. (In his memoir published three years earlier, Jones admitted that he sometimes had a glass of wine before dinner and that he still drank beer occasionally but insisted, "I don't squirm in my seat, fighting the urge for another drink" and speculated, "...perhaps I'm not a true alcoholic in the modern sense of the word. Perhaps I was always just an old fashion drunk.") Dr. Virginia Eddy commented to Jim Patterson of The Associated Press that the 67-year-old singer was "at death's door when he came in." The doctors were astonished at the rate of his recovery. The crash was a significant turning point, as Jones explained to Billboard in 2006: "...when I had that wreck I made up my mind, it put the fear of God in me. No more smoking, no more drinking. I didn't have to have no help, I made up my mind to quit. I don't crave it."
Cold Hard Truth was Jones's first album for Asylum Records after leaving MCA Nashville and was produced by Keith Stegall. Its most popular song was "Choices", a confessional ballad tailor-made for Jones to sing. The music video, which features photographs of the singer throughout his life, had a more gripping resonance in light of Jones's recent drunk driving incident with lines like, "Now I'm living and dying with the choices I've made." Radio stations began receiving calls to hear it and the song eventually won Jones the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The song was also at the center of controversy when the Country Music Association invited Jones to perform it on the awards show, but required that he perform an abridged version. Jones refused and did not attend the show. Alan Jackson was disappointed with the association's decision and halfway through his own performance during the show he signaled to his band and played part of Jones' song in protest.
Vince Gill and Patty Loveless provide background vocals on the album's closing tracks "When The Last Curtain Falls". "You Never Know Just How Good You've Got It" was originally recorded by Tracy Byrd on his 1994 album No Ordinary Man .
After years of country radio indifference, Cold Hard Truth was released to raves and shot to number 5 on Billboard's country albums charts, the first Jones album to do so since Wine Colored Roses in 1986, and even hit number 53 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Country Weekly said of the album, "At age 67, George is singing better than ever, and proves here that there’s no substitute for experience. Cold Hard Truth is easily his most emotional and moving music in ages." AllMusic writes that the album "returns to the sound of his classic Mercury and UA recordings, meaning that there's nothing but honky tonk ballads and ravers throughout...In short, it's the album hardcore fans have said they've always wanted Jones to make." Don McLeese of Amazon.com agrees: "Though George Jones suffered a near-fatal collision while recording this album, Cold Hard Truth has the vocal command of an artist with a new lease of life." In a 2001 interview with Mark Binelli from Rolling Stone, Leonard Cohen asked, "Have you heard George Jones' last record Cold Hard Truth? I love to hear an old guy lay out his situation. He has the best voice in America."
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Choices" | Billy Yates, Mike Curtis | 3:26 |
| 2. | "The Cold Hard Truth" | Jamie O'Hara | 4:08 |
| 3. | "Sinners & Saints" | J.B. Rudd, Vip Vipperman, Darryl Worley | 2:29 |
| 4. | "Day After Forever" | Max D. Barnes | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Ain't Love a Lot Like That" | Mark Collie, Dean Miller | 2:20 |
| 6. | "Our Bed of Roses" | Keith Stegall, Zack Turner | 4:12 |
| 7. | "Real Deal" | Jim Dowell, Keith Gattis | 3:25 |
| 8. | "This Wanting You" | T. Graham Brown, Bruce Bouton, Bruce Burch | 3:09 |
| 9. | "You Never Know Just How Good You've Got It" | Mark Nesler | 3:29 |
| 10. | "When the Last Curtain Falls" | Emory Gordy, Jr., Jim Rushing | 3:37 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [6] | Gold |
Patty Loveless is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first few releases were unsuccessful, she broke through by decade's end with a cover of George Jones's "If My Heart Had Windows". Loveless issued five albums on MCA before moving to Epic Records in 1993, where she released nine more albums. Four of her albums—Honky Tonk Angel, Only What I Feel, When Fallen Angels Fly, and The Trouble with the Truth—are certified platinum in the United States. Loveless has charted 44 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including five which reached number one: "Timber, I'm Falling in Love", "Chains", "Blame It on Your Heart", "You Can Feel Bad", and "Lonely Too Long".
If My Heart Had Windows is the second studio album by American country music artist Patty Loveless, and was released in 1988. The title track — a cover of a George Jones song from 1967 — became Loveless' first top ten hit, peaking on the Billboard Country Music charts at number 10. It was then followed by her biggest chart position at the time with "A Little Bit In Love," a song written by country artist Steve Earle. It also features a recording of the song "Baby's Gone Blues", which would be recorded by Shelby Lynne for her 1990 album Tough All Over and by Reba McEntire for her 1992 album It's Your Call.
Honky Tonk Angel is the third studio album by American country music artist Patty Loveless. With five tracks from the album charting in the Billboard Top Ten Country Singles, including two at #1, it served as a breakthrough album for Loveless. The album itself was Loveless' highest charting at #7 on the Country Albums category. The two #1 singles were "Chains" and "Timber, I'm Falling in Love". Loveless also did a cover of the Lone Justice song, "Don't Toss Us Away", which featured Rodney Crowell on backing vocals. The song charted at #5. Famed songwriter Kostas had a major role by writing three of the album's tunes, including "Timber, I'm Falling in Love" and "The Lonely Side of Love", which peaked at #6.
On Down the Line is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Patty Loveless. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee during December 1989/January 1990, it was the follow-up to her breakthrough album, Honky Tonk Angel.
Only What I Feel is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Patty Loveless and her first on the Epic Records label. It was released in 1993. Four tracks from the album made in into the Billboard top 20 country singles charts, including the #1 "Blame It on Your Heart" and the #3 "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye," later covered by Laura Branigan. The #6 hit "You Will" was originally recorded by Anne Murray as the title track of her 1990 album. The only single to not make the top ten was the #20 hit "Nothin' But The Wheel", considered by many Patty fans to be one of her finest works. The album peaked at #9, and was certified platinum for shipments of over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S. This album was Loveless' first album since she had surgery to repair burst nodes on her vocal cords in 1992.
The Trouble with the Truth is the eighth studio album by American country music artist Patty Loveless, released on January 23, 1996. It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Top Country albums charts, and number 86 on the Pop charts. It was certified Platinum for shipments of over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S. The singles "Lonely Too Long" and "You Can Feel Bad" both made number 1 on the Hot Country Songs charts; "She Drew a Broken Heart" hit number 4. "A Thousand Times a Day" and the title track both made Top 20 hitting number 13 and 15 respectively.
Long Stretch of Lonesome is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Patty Loveless, released on September 30, 1997. Three singles charted in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Highlights are "High on Love," "To Have You Back Again" and the George Jones-backed "You Don't Seem to Miss Me," each of which both charted in the top 20. "High on Love" was co-written by Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The single "Like Water Into Wine" charted at number 57, the first of Loveless' singles since 1986 to not chart in the country top 40. The album went on to be certified Gold for shipments of over 500,000 copies in the U.S.
Classics is the second compilation album by American country music singer Patty Loveless, released on March 23, 1999.
High-Tech Redneck is an album by American country music singer George Jones. It was released in 1993 on the MCA Nashville Records label and went Gold in 1994.
Eagle When She Flies is the thirty-first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on March 7, 1991, by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Steve Buckingham and Gary Smith, with Parton serving as executive producer. It continues Parton's return to mainstream country sounds following 1989's White Limozeen. The album features collaborations with Lorrie Morgan and Ricky Van Shelton, with additional supporting vocals provided by Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris. The album was a commercial success, becoming Parton's first solo album to peak at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart since 1980s 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs. It was certified Platinum in by the RIAA in 1992. The album spawned four singles, the most successful being "Rockin' Years" with Ricky Van Shelton, which topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. In support of the album, Parton embarked on the Eagle When She Flies Tour, her only concert tour of the 1990s.
If There Was a Way is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released on October 30, 1990. Five of its tracks would rise into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1991 and 1992. They were "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" at No. 11, "You're the One" at No. 5, "Nothing's Changed Here" at No. 15, "It Only Hurts When I Cry" at No. 7 "Send a Message to My Heart", at No. 47, and finally the No. 18 "The Heart That You Own".
These Days is the eleventh studio album and the first box set by American country music artist Vince Gill. Consisting of 43 original songs spanning four discs, the album displays the range of Gill’s lyrical and musical styles, ranging from traditional country and bluegrass to jazz and rock. The album was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and won Best Country Album. In 2012, the album was number 10 on People Magazine's "Top 10 Best Albums of the Century ". It is also ranked #9 on Country Universe's "The 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade."
Walls Can Fall is an album by American country music artist George Jones. This album was released in 1992 on the MCA Nashville Records. It peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and number 77 on The Billboard 200 chart. Walls Can Fall went Gold in 1994.
"Choices" is a song written by American country music singer Billy Yates and Mike Curtis, first recorded by Yates on his 1997 self-titled album for Almo Sounds. It was later covered by George Jones, who released as the first single from his album The Cold Hard Truth on May 8, 1999, and it peaked at number 30 on the Billboard country charts. There is speculation that Yates drew inspiration for the song from his time working at a business or firm, where he often had to make choices.
"A Thousand Times a Day" is a song written by Gary Burr and Gary Nicholson. It was originally recorded by American country musician, singer, and songwriter George Jones on his 1993 album High-Tech Redneck.
"My Kind of Woman/My Kind of Man" is a song written by and recorded by American country music artist Vince Gill, who recorded it as a duet with ex-labelmate Patty Loveless. It was released in May 1999 as the fourth single from Gill's album The Key and the second single from Loveless' compilation album Classics.
American country music artist Patty Loveless has released 16 studio albums, 11 compilation albums, two video albums and 52 singles. Recording a tape of her own music, Loveless signed her first recording contract with MCA Records in 1985. Her self-titled studio album was released in January 1987 and peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. She followed it with her second studio release, If My Heart Had Windows (1988). It peaked at number 33 on the country albums list and spawned her first major country hits: "If My Heart Had Windows" and "A Little Bit in Love". Her third studio album, Honky Tonk Angel (1988), would certify platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and produced her first number one country hits, "Timber, I'm Falling in Love" and "Chains". Loveless went on to release the studio albums On Down the Line (1990) and Up Against My Heart (1991). Together, both albums produced three top 10 singles including the number three hit "Hurt Me Bad ".
Troubadour is the twenty-fifth studio album by American country music singer George Strait. It was released on April 1, 2008 on MCA Nashville Records. The album comprises twelve tracks, including two duets. The lead-off single, "I Saw God Today", was the highest-debuting single of Strait's career, and his forty-third Number One on the Billboard country charts. The album has been certified platinum by the RIAA. At the 51st Grammy Awards, Troubadour earned the Grammy Award for Best Country Album, the first Grammy win of Strait's career. The album was intended to include the song "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven", but after Strait decided not to include it on the album, it was later recorded by Kenny Chesney, and was released as the first single from his album Lucky Old Sun. "It Was Me" was originally recorded by Jamey Johnson on his 2006 album, The Dollar.
"Go Rest High on That Mountain" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Vince Gill. It was released in August 1995 as the sixth single from his album When Love Finds You. It is a eulogic ballad. Gill began writing the song following the death of country music singer Keith Whitley in 1989. Gill did not finish the song until a few years later following the death of his older brother Bob of a heart attack in 1993. Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless both sang background vocals on the record.
Country State of Mind is the eighth studio album by American country music singer Josh Turner. It was released on August 21, 2020, via MCA Nashville.
