Stronger Than Before

Last updated

Stronger Than Before
ONJ Stronger than Before album cover.jpeg
Studio album by
Released29 August 2005
RecordedFebruary–June 2005
StudioThe Barn (Tarzana, California); Westlake Studios (Los Angeles, California); Bingham Bend Studio (Nashville, TN); Revolution Studios (Sydney, Australia); River Studios and Allan Eaton Studios (Melbourne, Australia); Metropolis Audio (South Melbourne, Australia); Definitive Sound (Ontario, Canada); Maison de Musique (Toronto, Canada)
Genre New-age
Label ONJ
Producer
Olivia Newton-John chronology
Gold
(2005)
Stronger Than Before
(2005)
Grace and Gratitude
(2006)

Stronger Than Before is the twentieth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John. It was first released by ONJ Productions and Hallmark on 29 August 2005 in the United States, where physical copies of the album were sold exclusively in Hallmark's Cold Crown Stores until 31 October 2005. This was followed by a digital and international release through ONJ and Warner Music in March 2006. An album of inspiration and encouragement to women who have dealt with cancer, Newton-John worked with Kim Bullard, Chong Lim, and Amy Sky on the ten-song collection.

Contents

Stronger Than Before is an album of inspiration and encouragement to women who have dealt with cancer (Newton-John herself survived breast cancer). The track "Phenomenal Woman" is based on Maya Angelou's 1978 poem and features vocal cameos from Patti LaBelle, Diahann Carroll, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Delta Goodrem, Amy Holland and Mindy Smith. The album also includes a new recording of her 1976 hit "Don't Stop Believin". The track "Can I Trust Your Arms" was composed by her daughter Chloe Rose Lattanzi as a gift for her mother. [1] Olivia had already composed "That's All I Know for Sure" for Chloe. [2] [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]

AllMusic editor Peter Fawthrop rated the album two stars out of five. He felt that "those who relish the profundity of gift card messages may find it deeply inspiring. Everyone else could scratch off the words to some of the songs and get a kindergartner to come up with something more meaningful." [4]

Track listing

Stronger Than Before track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Stronger Than Before"
Chong Lim 3:37
2."When You Believe"
  • Jim Marr
  • Wendy Page
Lim4:00
3."Phenomenal Woman"
  • Sky
  • Kim Bullard
5:01
4."Under the Skin"
  • Newton-John
  • Sky
Sky3:18
5."Pass It On"Lim4:35
6."That's All I Know for Sure"
Lim2:53
7."When I Needed You"Ben ThomasLim4:59
8."Can I Trust Your Arms"
Lim3:18
9."Don't Stop Believin' (2005 Version)" John Farrar Lim4:12
10."Serenity"Sky4:02

Personnel

Performers and musicians

Strings (Tracks 1, 2 and 5–9)

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for Stronger Than Before
Chart (2005–2006)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [5] 39

Release history

Release history and formats for Stronger Than Before
RegionDateFormatLabelRef(s)
United States29 August 2005 CD [6]
Australia5 March 2006
[4]

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References

  1. Peter Fawthro. "Stronger Than Before - Olivia Newton-John". AllMusic: Olivia Newton-John - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards. AllMusic. Retrieved 6 September 2015. In the ballad "Can I Trust Your Arms" Olivia added her own music to lyrics given to her as a Christmas gift by her daughter Chloe Lattanzi.
  2. Tim Ewbank -Olivia: The Biography of Olivia Newton-John 0748110259 2008 - It's healing for me as well as the audience and I need that. Singing has helped me to deal with the grief.' Stronger Than Before was recorded specifically as the cornerstone of Hallmark Gold Crown stores' programme in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness
  3. News Release
  4. 1 2 3 "AllMusic review: Olivia Newton-John – Stronger Than Before". AllMusic . Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  5. "Australiancharts.com – Olivia Newton-John – Stronger Than Before". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  6. Whitmire, Margo (27 August 2005). "A 'Phenomenal' Benefit". Billboard (in German). Retrieved 15 August 2022.