I Am The Rain | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 9, 2016 | |||
Recorded | Los Angeles, California, Culver City, California, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
Genre | Country Folk, Americana | |||
Length | 56:49 | |||
Label | MRI/Sony/PaintedRed | |||
Producer | Joe Henry | |||
Chely Wright chronology | ||||
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I Am the Rain is the eighth studio album released by singer-songwriter Chely Wright. The album was released via MRI/Sony/Painted Red Records on September 9, 2016 after being funded by fans through a Kickstarter campaign which was launched in September 2014.
I Am the Rain is Wright's second highest debuting album of her career on the Billboard Country Chart at No. 13 and her highest charting album of her career on the Top Album Sales Chart at No. 54.
After a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, funded by over 2,000 backers, Wright's album campaign became the most successful Kickstarter campaign of any country artist. The album's recording process began in September 2015. The album, unlike any previous of Wright's was recorded almost entirely in California and was her first new material since Lifted off the Ground in May 2010. Beginning on September 8, 2015 and concluding on September 12, 2015, the album was recorded mainly at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California with additional recording done in Culver City and Nashville, Tennessee.
In an update to Kickstarter supporters on April 19, 2016, Wright revealed that Grammy award-winning producer, Joe Henry was the producer for the record, a suggestion given to her by close friend Rodney Crowell. [1] She also confirmed the album's release and distribution through SonyRed. [2]
In addition to Henry at the helm of production, singer songwriters, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, and The Milk Carton Kids served as guest vocalists on the album. Crowell provided background vocals on "Holy War," while Harris appears on, "Pain." The Milk Carton Kids make two appearances on the album during, "You Are the River," and the Bob Dylan cover, "Tomorrow Is A Long Time." [3]
"What About Your Heart" was made available as an instant download track for all pre-orders while fans who pre-ordered the album through Wright's website received "Mexico" as an instant download track. [4]
The album debuted at No. 13 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, selling 4,100 copies in the first week. [5] It also reached No. 181 on Billboard 200. [6] It also marks her first appearance on the Billboard Folk/Americana Chart debuting in the top 10 at No. 9.
Per album liner notes: [7]
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [8] | 181 |
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [9] | 13 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [10] | 17 |
US Americana/Folk Albums | 9 |
US Top Album Sales | 54 |
Region | Date | Label | Format |
---|---|---|---|
Worldwide | September 9, 2016 | MRI/Sony/Painted Red | CD, Digital Download |
Worldwide | November 4, 2016 | MRI/Sony/Painted Red | Vinyl |
Chely Wright is an American activist, author, and country music artist. She initially rose to fame as a commercial country recording artist with several charting singles, including the number one hit, "Single White Female." She later became known for her role in LGBT activism after publicly coming out as a gay woman in 2010. She has sold over 1,500,000 copies and 10,000,000 digital impressions to date in the United States.
Rodney Crowell is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album Diamonds & Dirt. He has also written songs and produced for other artists.
Bluebird is the fifteenth studio album by American country artist Emmylou Harris, released on January 10, 1989, by Warner Records. Featuring mostly interpretations of work by artists such as the McGarrigle Sisters, Tom Rush, and Rodney Crowell, it included her most recent top-ten country-charting single, "Heartbreak Hill". The album enjoyed renewed interest in 2004 when "Heaven Only Knows" was used in the first episode of the fifth season of The Sopranos.
Blue Kentucky Girl is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1979. The album features Harris delving into more traditional country than the country-rock sound of her previous releases. Songs include work by Willie Nelson and Gram Parsons. Rodney Crowell's "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" featured harmonies by Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, and came out of the women's ill-fated 1978 recording sessions, where they first attempted to record a "trio" album.
Evangeline is the eighth studio album by Emmylou Harris. It was composed mostly of leftover material from past recording sessions and which did not fit into any of her other albums. Songs included a remake of "Mister Sandman", "Evangeline", which she had previously performed with The Band, Rodney Crowell's "Ashes By Now", and a cover of John Fogerty's "Bad Moon Rising". Though it received mixed reviews upon its release, the album was yet another commercial success for Harris. It was certified Gold in less than a year after its release. A single release of "Mister Sandman" did well on the charts, though neither Ronstadt's nor Parton's record companies would allow their artists' vocals to be used on the single, so Harris rerecorded the song, singing all three parts for the single release. Rodney Crowell's "I Don't Have to Crawl" was released as the album's second single.
Thirteen is an album by the American musician Emmylou Harris, released in 1986. The title came from its status as her thirteenth studio album.
White Shoes is the tenth studio album by Emmylou Harris, released in 1983. The album includes a rockish version of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", a country remake of the Donna Summer hit "On the Radio", and a version of Sandy Denny's "Like an Old Fashioned Waltz". Both "In My Dreams" and "Pledging My Love" hit the #9 position on the Billboard country music singles chart in 1984.
Cimarron is the ninth studio album by Emmylou Harris that, like its predecessor, Evangeline, was composed mostly of outtakes from other recording sessions that had not fit into any of Harris' other albums. As a result, critics at the time complained that the album was "choppy" and lacked a unifying sound. Nonetheless, the album did well on the U.S. country charts, and featured three top-ten country singles: "Born to Run", "If I Needed You", and "Tennessee Rose." It was nominated for a Grammy in 1982 for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female. In 2000, Eminent Records issued Cimarron for the first time on CD, with new liner notes and a bonus track, "Colors of Your Heart."
Elite Hotel is the third studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1975. Elite Hotel was Harris' second album to be released in 1975, preceded by the widely acclaimed Pieces of the Sky. Elite Hotel surpassed it on the Billboard charts, becoming Harris' first number one country album. The album yielded two number one country singles: "Together Again" and Harris' version of the Patsy Cline hit "Sweet Dreams". The song "One of These Days" made it to the number three spot. A performance of the Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere" entered the pop charts at number 65. Harris' eclectic musical tastes were reflected in her choice of material by Hank Williams, The Beatles, Gram Parsons and Buck Owens. Harris' vocals on the album earned her the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.
Luxury Liner is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1976. The album was Harris' second successive number one country album on the Billboard charts, although, unlike the preceding Elite Hotel, there were no number one hits from this album. The highest-charting singles were the number six Chuck Berry cover "(You Never Can Tell) C'est la Vie" and the number eight "Making Believe". However, the album may be better known for including the first cover version of Townes Van Zandt's 1972 song "Pancho and Lefty", which subsequently became Van Zandt's best-known composition.
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."
The Notorious Cherry Bombs, originally called The Cherry Bombs, was an American country music supergroup founded by singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell in 1980. A former member of Emmylou Harris's Hot Band, Crowell picked several former Hot Band members as his backing band, which he named The Cherry Bombs. They made their debut as Rodney's backing band on his 1980 album But What Will the Neighbors Think.
Let Me In is the third studio album by American country music artist Chely Wright. The album was released on September 9, 1997 on MCA Nashville Records and was produced by Tony Brown. Let Me In was Wright's first album to chart on the Billboard Magazine album charts and also spawned her first Top 40 singles. It was also the first of three albums Wright recorded for the MCA Nashville label.
Ain't Living Long Like This is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, released in 1978 by Warner Bros. Records. It failed to enter the Top Country Albums chart. The songs, "Elvira", "Song for the Life" and "(Now and Then, There's) A Fool Such as I" were released as singles but they all failed to chart within the top 40. Despite this, Ain't Living Long Like This is considered one of Crowell's best and most influential albums. Brett Hartenbach of Allmusic says it "not only showcases his songwriting prowess, but also his ability to deliver a song, whether it's one of his own or the work of another writer". Most of the songs on this album were later covered by other artists including The Oak Ridge Boys and Alan Jackson. When the album was re-released in 2002 the font on the cover was enlarged to make it more legible.
But What Will the Neighbors Think is the second studio album by American country music artist Rodney Crowell. It was released in 1980 by Warner Bros. Records. It reached #64 on the Top Country Albums chart and #155 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The songs, "Ashes by Now", "Ain't No Money" and "Here Come the 80's" were released as singles. "Ashes by Now" only reached #78 on the country charts and #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 while the other two singles failed to chart. This album has more of a rock & roll influence than Crowell's debut, Ain't Living Long Like This. The album was rereleased on compact disc in 2005.
Rodney Crowell is the third studio album by American country music artist Rodney Crowell. It was released in 1981 by Warner Bros. Records and was his last album on that label before switching to Columbia. It was the first album Crowell produced by himself. It reached #47 on the Top Country Albums chart and #105 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The songs, "Stars on the Water" and "Victim or a Fool" were released as singles. "Stars on the Water" reached #30 on the Hot Country Songs chart, his highest-charting song up to that point. It peaked at #21 on the Canadian country charts. "Victim or a Fool" reached #34 in the U.S. The album was rereleased on compact disc in 2005 paired with his previous album But What Will the Neighbors Think.
Lifted Off the Ground is the seventh studio album from singer-songwriter Chely Wright. The album was released on April 30, 2010, and coincided with the release of her first memoir, Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer. Within two weeks of the album's release, it was estimated to have sold nearly 6,000 copies.
"Ashes by Now" is a song written by Rodney Crowell. It has since been recorded several times by various musical artists in the country music format. The song was first recorded by Crowell himself, eventually releasing it as a single in 1980.
The Outsider is the twelfth studio album by American country music singer Rodney Crowell. It was released on August 16, 2005 via Columbia Records. The album includes the singles "The Obscenity Prayer" and "Say You Love Me".
Old Yellow Moon is a collaborative album by American country music singer-songerwriters Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, released on February 26, 2013 in the United States by Nonesuch Records. It is the 27th and 14th studio album for Harris and Crowell, respectively, as well as Harris's fifth album for Nonesuch Records. The duo followed up this collaboration with The Traveling Kind two years later.