Hero | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 4, 2005 | |||
Recorded | July 2005 | |||
Genre | Urban contemporary gospel | |||
Length | 77:26 | |||
Label | B-Rite, GospoCentric, J Records | |||
Producer | Kirk Franklin, J Moss | |||
Kirk Franklin chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Hero is the eighth album by Kirk Franklin, released October 4, 2005 on GospoCentric Records.
Hero was certified as Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 2, 2005 and Platinum on December 14, 2006 . [2] it is one of the best-selling gospel albums of all time.
In 2007 Hero won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album and "Imagine Me" won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song. [3]
Produced by Franklin and J. Moss, the album features songs with several urban contemporary gospel and R&B artists including Dorinda Clark-Cole, Tye Tribbett, Marvin Winans (member of the Winans), Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams, and Moss himself. [4]
# | Title | Time | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro (America the Beautiful)" | 0:45 | Vocals by the African Children’s Choir |
2. | "Looking for You" | 4:06 | Samples "Haven't You Heard" by Patrice Rushen and appears on the soundtrack to "Norbit". |
3. | "Hero" (featuring Dorinda Clark Cole) | 5:20 | |
4. | "Interlude #1" (featuring Fred Hammond) | 0:55 | |
5. | "Let It Go" (featuring Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. and tobyMac) | 4:59 | Samples "Shout" by Tears for Fears |
6. | "The Process" | 1:08 | |
7. | "Imagine Me" | 5:18 | 2007 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song |
8. | "Could've Been" (featuring J Moss and Tye Tribbett) | 6:47 | |
9. | "Better" | 4:00 | Produced By Dre & Vidal |
10. | "Afterwhile" (featuring Yolanda Adams) | 2:51 | |
11. | "Brokenhearted" (featuring Marvin L. Winans) | 6:01 | |
12. | "Without You" | 5:02 | |
13. | "Keep Your Head" | 4:36 | Samples Keep Your Head to the Sky by Earth, Wind, and Fire |
14. | "Why" (featuring Stevie Wonder) | 4:36 | Samples Free by Deniece Williams |
15. | "First Love" | 5:52 | |
16. | "The Appeal" | 7:21 | |
17. | "Brokenhearted (Reprise)" | 1:09 | |
18. | "Interlude #2" | 0:30 | |
19. | "Sunshine" | 4:59 | Samples "You Bring The Sun Out" by Randy Crawford |
20. | "Outro" | 1:11 | Kerrion Franklin |
*Note: Personnel listing from Hero album liner. [4]
Hero featured the singles "Looking for You" and "Imagine Me". "Looking for You" was released as a single on September 20, 2005 in the U.S. and was a top-five hit on the Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. [5] [6]
Hero peaked at No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart on October 22, 2005 , [6] It also reached No. 4 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [6]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
In 2006, the album won a Dove Award for Urban Album of the Year at the 37th GMA Dove Awards. The song "Looking for You" also won a Dove Award for Urban Recorded Song of the Year. [12]
Kirk Dewayne Franklin is an American songwriter, choir director, gospel singer, and rapper. He is best known for leading urban contemporary gospel and Christian R&B ensembles such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC) among many others. He has won numerous awards, including 20 Grammy Awards. Variety dubbed Franklin as a "Reigning King of Urban Gospel", and is one of the inaugural inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
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"Looking For You" is a gospel song by Kirk Franklin from his 2005 album Hero.
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