Cry (Faith Hill album)

Cry
Studio album by Faith Hill
Released	October 15, 2002 (2002-10-15)
Recorded	Late 2001-2002
Genre	Pop country R&B
Length	60:30
Label	Warner Bros. Nashville
Producer	Faith Hill Marti Frederiksen Byron Gallimore Dann Huff
Faith Hill chronology
There You'll Be (2001) Cry (2002) Fireflies (2005)
Singles from Cry
"Cry" Released: September 30, 2002 "When the Lights Go Down" Released: November 19, 2002 "Baby You Belong" Released: March 4, 2003 "One" Released: April 7, 2003 "You're Still Here" Released: April 28, 2003

Cry is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Faith Hill. It was released October 15, 2002, via Warner Bros. Nashville. The album was Hill's attempt at expanding her crossover appeal following the success of singles like "Breathe", "The Way You Love Me", and "There You'll Be". Hill co-produced the album along with Marti Frederiksen, Byron Gallimore, and Dann Huff.

Upon its release, Cry received mixed reviews from music critics, with Hill's decision to focus on pop and R&B influences while largely abandoning the country sound of her previous album being divided over. ^{[1] [2]} Despite this, the album went on break a record for the highest first week sales by a female country artist, debuting atop both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums chart with first week sales of 467,000 copies sold in its first week. It would go on to sell four million copies worldwide and was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA, a commercial failure compared to her previous album Breathe (1999), which was certified 8× Platinum.

Five singles in total were released. The title track, "Cry", was released in August 2002 and despite debuting at number 32 on the US Hot Country Songs, it only peaked at number 12, marking her lowest-peaking lead single to the format. Country radio was hesitant to play songs from the album and as such, follow-up singles released like "When the Lights Go Down" and "You're Still Here" failed to be successful. "One" was exclusively released to the adult contemporary format while "Baby You Belong" was released exclusively to Japan to promote the 2002 Disney film Lilo & Stitch. The album was negatively reviewed at country radio, with many programmers claiming Hill had "abandoned" the genre. ^[3]

At the 46th Annual Grammy Awards in 2004, the album received two nominations: Best Country Album and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the title track, winning the latter award. Cry would later be ranked at number 179 on Billboard's Top 200 album of the 2000's decade. In a retrospective interview from 2005 while promoting her following album Fireflies (2005), Hill told Billboard that "it was definitely a different record," but that she is still "so proud of [the album]." ^[4] The album, along with works by fellow female artists LeAnn Rimes (Twisted Angel), Shania Twain (Up!), and Lee Ann Womack (Something Worth Leaving Behind), were seen as albums that struggled the most at country radio due to how they tried to appeal to both pop and country, but failed to have major success in either genre. Hill, in particular, was questioned if she was "selling out". ^[5]

Content

Cry is led off by its title track, written by Angie Aparo. This song reached number 12 on the country singles charts, the lowest country peak she has achieved with a lead-off single. "When the Lights Go Down" and "You're Still Here" were also released to country radio, peaking at number 26 and number 28 respectively. ^[4] "One" did not chart on the country singles charts, although it was a top ten adult contemporary hit. "Baby You Belong" was only released as a single in Japan, but was used as the theme song for the 2002 film Lilo & Stitch . The song's music video features clips from the film. The album was produced primarily by Byron Gallimore and Dann Huff, who also worked on 1999's Breathe , ^[6] with additional production from Hill and Marti Frederiksen. ^[7]

Singles

"Cry", the title track, was released on August 19, 2002, as the lead single from the album. The song spent 11 weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart in the US. Internationally, the song was a top 40 hit in eight countries. The music video for the song was later nominated at the 2003 CMT Flameworthy Music Awards for Video of the Year.

"When the Lights Go Down" premiered to country radio on November 19, 2002 as the second single from the record. The song reached number 26 on the country chart, and it peaked at numbers 52 and 64 in Austria and Germany. Its music video would win the nomination for Hottest Female Video of the Year at the 2003 CMT Flameworthy Music Awards.

"One" was released exclusively to adult contemporary radio on April 7, 2003. It peaked at number seven on the Adult Contemporary chart. "Baby You Belong" and "You're Still Here" were the final two singles from the album, with the former being exclusively released to Japan and the latter peaking at number 28 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	59/100 [1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Billboard	average [8]
Blender	[1]
E! Online	B+ [1]
Entertainment Weekly	B [9]
Los Angeles Times	[10]
Mojo	[11]
Q	[1]
Rolling Stone	[12]
The Village Voice	C [13]

Cry received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 59, based on 8 reviews. ^[1] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly praised Hill for taking stylistic risks but conceded that the album "invites some of the criticism that will inevitably come its way." ^[9] Billboard wrote that "Cry is a confident effort, with Hill laying claim as queen of" pop-country, however the magazine also described the songs as "sometimes bland" and "repetitive." ^[8] AllMusic writer Robert L. Doerschuk was ambivalent towards the album's production, writing that "her established skills as a song interpreter are lost in all this sturm und drang and her voice, while undeniably powerful at its peak, doesn't have the range that allows most singers in this style... to at least milk the material." ^[7]

Rolling Stone found the album to be "contrived" and impersonal, with Barry Walters writing, "[Hill is] an expert in the yelps and sighs that signify pop passion, and what she lacks in personality she makes up for with power, professionalism and unfailing hooks." ^[12] Robert Hillburn of the Los Angeles Times was particularly critical, rating the album one-and-a-half stars out of four. "The songs ... are mediocre," he writes, "her vocals are rarely convincing, and the arrangements are ham-fisted." ^[10]

In a piece commemorating Cry's tenth anniversary, Billy Dukes of Taste of Country theorized that most of the polarizing opinions on the album were a result of the "building tension" at the time between country "purists" and listeners who liked Hill's contemporary pop influences. ^[2]

Commercial performance

Cry debuted at number one on both the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the all-genre Billboard 200 chart dated November 2, 2002. The album sold over 472,000 copies in its first week, marking the highest first week sales of Hill's career and also setting a new record for the largest first-week sales figure by a solo female country artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991; ^[14] the record was later broken just a few weeks later when fellow country singer Shania Twain would debuted at number one with over 867,000 copies sold first week for her 2002 album Up!. It would only spend one week at number one on the Billboard 200 and only spent 39 weeks total, Hill's second shortest chart run with a solo album. On the country charts, it would spend three non-consecutive weeks at number one and overall 63 weeks on the chart to date; Cry is one of only two of Hill's solo albums to not spend at least 100 weeks on the country charts.

Track listing

Cry track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Free"	Annie Roboff Beth Nielsen Chapman	Byron Gallimore Faith Hill	4:38
2.	"Cry"	Angie Aparo	Marti Frederiksen Hill	3:45
3.	"One"	Roboff Bekka Bramlett Billy Burnette	Gallimore Hill	5:20
4.	"When the Lights Go Down"	Rivers Rutherford Jeffrey Steele Craig Wiseman	Dann Huff Hill	4:05
5.	"Beautiful"	Chris Lindsey Aimee Mayo Shaye Smith	Gallimore Hill	4:41
6.	"Unsaveable"	Bramlett Bobby Terry	Huff Hill	3:51
7.	"Baby You Belong"	Keith Follesé Wade Kirby Bill Luther	Huff Hill	4:08
8.	"If You're Gonna Fly Away"	Alecia Moore Linda Perry	Gallimore Hill	3:48
9.	"Stronger"	Hillary Lindsey Troy Verges	Gallimore Hill	4:13
10.	"If This Is the End"	Steve McEwan	Gallimore Hill	4:55
11.	"This Is Me"	Lindsey Verges	Gallimore Hill	5:04
12.	"Back to You"	Derek Bramble Lindy Robbins	Huff Hill	4:35
13.	"I Think I Will"	Steve Robson Anthony Smith	Huff Hill	4:08
14.	"You're Still Here"	Matraca Berg Mayo	Gallimore Hill	3:19
Total length:				60:30

Japanese edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"Wicked"	McEwan	Gallimore Hill	4:04
Total length:				64:34

Personnel

Performance credits

• Faith Hill – vocals
• Greg Barnhill – background vocals
• Bekka Bramlett – background vocals
• Lisa Cochran – background vocals
• Marti Frederiksen – background vocals
• Lisa Gregg – background vocals
• Chris Rodriguez – background vocals
• Edmund Stein – vocals
• Crystal Taliefero – background vocals

Music credits

• Tim Akers – keyboard
• Rick Baptist – trumpet
• Bob Becker – viola
• Charlie Bisharat – violin
• Bekka Bramlett – tambourine
• Denyse Buffum – viola
• Paul Bushnell – bass
• Eve Butler – violin
• David Campbell – arranger, conductor
• Darius Campo – violin
• Matt Chamberlain – drums
• Susan Chatman – violin
• Jeff Cobble – lead guitar
• Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, tambourine
• Larry Corbett – cello
• Jim Cox – piano, Hammond organ
• Eric Darken – percussion
• Mario deLeon – violin
• Joel Derouin – violin, concert master
• Erika Duke – cello
• Bruce Dukov – violin
• Earl Dumler – oboe
• Stephen Erdody – cello
• Stefanie Fife – cello
• Marti Frederiksen – acoustic guitar, percussion, electric guitar
• John Fumo – trumpet
• Matt Funes – viola
• Byron Gallimore – electric guitar, clavinet, sampling, slide guitar, drum loop, sampled keyboards, synthesizer accordion
• Armen Garabedian – violin
• Berj Garabedian – violin
• Endre Granat – violin
• Lynn Grants – viola
• Maurice Grants – cello
• John Hayhurst – viola
• Dan Higgins – tenor saxophone
• Jim Hoke – autoharp
• Jim Horn – tenor saxophone
• Dann Huff – guitar
• Damon Johnson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar
• Suzie Katayama – cello, conductor, string conductor
• Peter Kent – violin
• Michael Landau – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Sam Levine – tenor saxophone
• Dane Little – cello
• Diane Little – cello
• Erik Lutkins – drum loop
• Michael Markman – violin
• Miguel Martinez – cello
• Robert Matsuda – violin
• Chris McHugh – drums
• Jerry McPherson – guitar
• Doug Moffett – baritone saxophone
• Jamie Muhoberac – organ, keyboard, Wurlitzer
• Carole Mukogawa – viola
• Steve Nathan – keyboard
• Maria Newman – violin
• Sid Page – violin
• Toss Panos – drums
• Sara Parkins – violin
• Dean Parks – acoustic guitar, gut-string guitar
• Joel Peskin – baritone saxophone
• Bob Peterson – violin
• Tim Pierce – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Kazi Pitelka – viola
• Karie Prescott – viola
• Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone
• Michele Richards – violin
• Steve Richards – cello
• Mark Robertson – violin
• Annie Roboff – drum loop
• Matt Rollings – piano
• Haim Shtrum – violin
• Leland Sklar – bass
• Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass
• Dan Smith – cello
• Rudy Stein – cello
• David Stenske – violin
• Michael Hart Thompson – guitar
• Mari Tsumura – violin
• Josephina Vergara – violin
• Evan Wilson – viola
• John Wittenberg – violin
• Margaret Wooten – violin
• Cynthia Wyatt – harp
• Jonathan Yudkin – mandolin, cello, bazouki

Production credits

• Producer: Faith Hill, Marti Frederiksen, Byron Gallimore, Dann Huff, David May
• Engineers: Jeff Balding, Jeremy Blair, Steve Churchyard, Ricky Cobble, Dennis Davis, Allen Ditto, Jason Gantt, Mark Hagen, Julian King, Erik Lutkins, Michael McCoy, Brian Paturalski
• Mixing: Serban Ghenea, Mick Guzauski, Tom Lord-Alge, Mark O'Donoughue, Tim Palmer, Andy Wallace
• Mixing assistant: Tim Roberts
• Remixing: Elliot Scheiner
• Mastering: Robert Hadley, Tom Lord-Alge, Bob Ludwig, Doug Sax
• A&R: Jeffrey Aldrich, Danny Kee
• Assistants: Jeff Balding, Tom Bender, Greg Burns, Eric Gallimore, Jed Hackett, Femio Hernández, Judy Kirschner, Brett Patrick, Dennis Rivadeneira, Tim Roberts, Jaime Sickora, Steve Sisco, Matt Snedecor, Dann Thompson, Alex Uychocde, Patrick Woodward, Mike Zinczenko
• Digital editing: Ricky Cobble, Dennis Davis, Marti Frederiksen, Jason Gantt, Erik Lutkins, Chris Rowe, Josh Wilbur
• Authoring: Spencer Chrislu, David Dieckmann
• Production coordination: Ann Callis, Mike "Frog" Griffith
• Drum programming: Vinnie Colaiuta, Frank Macek
• Keyboard programming: Eric Carter
• Programming: Dann Huff, David Lyndon Huff, Chris McHugh, Tedd Tjornhom
• Overdubs: Byron Gallimore
• Sequencing: Byron Gallimore
• String arrangements: Paul Buckmaster, David Campbell, Jim Cox
• Orchestra manager: Suzie Katayama

Visual and imagery

• Art administration: Sandra Westerman
• Graphic coordinator: Raena Winscott
• Librarian: David Horn
• Hair stylist: Serge Normant

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Cry by Faith Hill Chart (2002) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [15] 10 Australian Country Albums (ARIA) [16] 2 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [17] 60 Canadian Albums (Billboard) [18] 3 Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [19] 26 European Top 100 Albums ( Music & Media ) [20] 49 Italian Albums (FIMI) [21] 46 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [22] 16 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [23] 15 Portuguese Albums (AFP) [24] 24 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [25] 22 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [26] 20 UK Albums (OCC) [27] 29 UK Country Albums (OCC) [28] 1 US Billboard 200 [29] 1 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [30] 1

Year end charts Year-end chart performance for Cry by Faith Hill Chart (2002) Position Australian Country Albums (ARIA) [31] 11 Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [32] 37 Canadian Country Albums (Nielsen SoundScan) [33] 6 US Billboard 200 [34] 61 US Country Albums (Billboard) [35] 9 Worldwide Albums (IFPI) [36] 27 Chart (2003) Position Australian Country Albums (ARIA) [37] 15 US Billboard 200 [38] 36 US Country Albums (Billboard) [39] 5 Decade end charts Decade-end chart performance for Cry Chart (2000–09) Position US Billboard 200 [40] 179

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales figures for Cry

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [41]	Gold	35,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [42]	Platinum	100,000^
Japan (RIAJ) [43]	Gold	100,000^
Portugal (AFP) [44]	Gold	20,000^
United States (RIAA) [45]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year	Winner	Category
2002	"Cry"	Best Female Country Vocal Performance

References

1. "Critic reviews for Cry". Metacritic . Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
2. Dukes, Billy (October 15, 2012). "Faith Hill's 'Cry' Turns 10". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
3. Stark, Phyllis (November 9, 2002). "Faith's Album Is No. 1, But Radio Balks" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 114, no. 45. p. 66. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
4. Billboard (Vol. 117, No. 30 ed.). Prometheus Global Media. July 23, 2005. p. 26. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
5. Stark, Phyllis (July 5, 2003). "Country Women Lose Hit Magic" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 115, no. 27. pp. 1, 73. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
6. "Faith Hill Has A Good 'Cry'". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. August 9, 2002. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
7. Robert L. Doerschuk. "Cry – Faith Hill". Allmusic . All Media Network. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
8. "Faith Hill: Cry". Billboard . October 26, 2002. Archived from the original on October 19, 2002. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
9. Willman, Chris (October 18, 2002). "Cry Review". Entertainment Weekly . Wenner Media. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
10. Hilburn, Robert (October 13, 2002). "Nice try, Faith, but go back to the studio". Los Angeles Times . tronc. Archived from the original on October 15, 2002. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
11. Listening eventually becomes a test of endurance for anyone raised on the true country sounds of a Dolly Parton or Emmylou Harris. [Dec 2002, p.115]
12. Walters, Barry (October 8, 2002). "Faith Hill: Cry : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
13. Christgau, Robert (April 22, 2003). "Not Hop, Stomp". The Village Voice . New York. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
14. Gilbert, Calvin (October 25, 2002). "Faith Hill's Cry Dominates Album Charts". CMT . Viacom. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
15. "Australiancharts.com – Faith Hill – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
16. "ARIA Report (Issue 660)" (PDF). ARIA. October 21, 2002. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2002-11-06. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
17. "Austriancharts.at – Faith Hill – Cry" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
18. "Faith Hill Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
19. "Danishcharts.dk – Faith Hill – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
20. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. November 16, 2002. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
21. "Italiancharts.com – Faith Hill – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
22. "Charts.nz – Faith Hill – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
23. "Norwegiancharts.com – Faith Hill – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
24. "Portuguesecharts.com – Faith Hill – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
25. "Swedishcharts.com – Faith Hill – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
26. "Swisscharts.com – Faith Hill – Cry". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
27. "Faith Hill | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
28. "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
29. "Faith Hill Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
30. "Faith Hill Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
31. "ARIA Report (Issue 670)" (PDF). ARIA. December 30, 2002. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2003-01-06. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
32. "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam! . Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
33. "Top 100 country albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam! . Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
34. "Billboard 200 Albums: Year End 2002". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
35. "Country Albums: Year End 2002". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
36. "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2002" (PDF). IFPI. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
37. "ARIA Report (End of Year 2003)" (PDF). ARIA. December 29, 2002. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2003-01-06. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
38. "Billboard 200 Albums: Year End 2003". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
39. "Country Albums: Year End 2003". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
40. Billboard (Vol. 121, No. 39 ed.). Prometheus Global Media. October 3, 2009. p. 164. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
41. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved December 4, 2016.
42. "Canadian album certifications – Faith Hill – Cry". Music Canada . Retrieved December 4, 2016.
43. "Japanese album certifications – Faith Hill – Cry" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan.Select 2002年10月 on the drop-down menu
44. "Portuguese album certifications – Faith Hill – Cry" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
45. "American album certifications – Faith Hill – Cry". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved December 4, 2016.

External links

• Cry at Metacritic
• Cry at AllMusic