We Weren't Crazy
| We Weren't Crazy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1, 2008 | |||
| Studio | Masterfonics and Sound Stage Studios (Nashville) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 42:36 | |||
| Label | Lyric Street | |||
| Producer | Brett James Marty Williams | |||
| Josh Gracin chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from We Weren't Crazy | ||||
| ||||
We Weren't Crazy is the second studio album from American country music artist Josh Gracin. Originally titled All About Y'all, the album was slated for release in mid-2006 after the release of its debut single "Favorite State of Mind". However the album release was delayed when the debut single failed to perform strongly on radio.[1][2] A second single, "I Keep Coming Back", was issued in early 2007, and the album's name was changed to I Keep Coming Back. This single similarly failed to perform well.[3] The album was finally issued on April 1, 2008 as a limited release, following the release of its title track which was a top 10 hit.[4]
Overall, the album's five singles have all charted in the Top 40 on the Hot Country Songs charts, including the number ten title track. Next came "Unbelievable (Ann Marie)" (a song that Josh Gracin wrote about his wife), which peaked at number 36, his least successful single to date, and "Telluride", which was previously recorded by Tim McGraw on his 2001 album Set This Circus Down, which peaked at number 34. "I Don't Want to Live" was recorded as "I Don't Wanna Live" by Chris Cagle on his 2008 album My Life's Been a Country Song. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.[5]
Sales of We Weren't Crazy failed to meet those of Gracin's debut, with 18,000 units sold on its first week.[1] He parted company with Lyric Street in April 2009 after the poor chart performance of "Telluride".[6]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [7] |
| The 9513 | [8] |
AllMusic editor Thom Jurek called the album's content "formulaic contemporary country", but gave praise to tracks like the title track and "Telluride" as highlights and Gracin's vocal delivery for carrying the material effortlessly, concluding that "if anyone has a chance of making lightning strike twice it's him."[7] The 9513's Jim Malec also gave praise to Gracin's performance on tracks that were "considerably substantive and surprisingly emotionally complex" on "a near flawless set of contemporary country material," but felt that it relied too heavily on tempo and lacked songs that contained emotional depth and intimacy for the listeners, concluding that "it is a solid effort that would greatly benefit from one or two standout ballads, and which, despite its many strengths, ultimately falls short of artistically exceptional."[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Found" |
| Williams | 3:54 |
| 2. | "We Weren't Crazy" |
| James | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Invisible" |
| James | 4:38 |
| 4. | "Let Me Fall" |
| James | 4:08 |
| 5. | "I Don't Want to Live" |
| Williams | 3:35 |
| 6. | "Favorite State of Mind" |
| Williams | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Telluride" |
| James | 3:53 |
| 8. | "I Keep Coming Back" | Williams | 3:51 | |
| 9. | "Sweet September" | Williams | 4:13 | |
| 10. | "Livin' It Up" |
| James | 4:06 |
| 11. | "Unbelievable (Ann Marie)" | Gracin | James | 3:13 |
Chart performance
Album
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
US Sales |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 4[9] | 85,000[10] |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 33[11] |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | ||
| 2006 | "Favorite State of Mind" | 19 | 119 |
| "I Keep Coming Back" | 28 | — | |
| 2007 | "We Weren't Crazy" | 10 | 82 |
| 2008 | "Unbelievable (Ann Marie)" | 36 | — |
| "Telluride" | 34 | — | |
Personnel
Adapted from the We Weren't Crazy liner notes.[12]
Musicians
- Tim Akers- keyboards
- Kelly Back- electric guitar
- Larry Beaird- acoustic guitar
- Mike Brignardello- bass guitar
- Tom Bukovac- electric guitar
- Perry Coleman- background vocals
- J.T. Corenflos- electric guitar
- Dan Dugmore- steel guitar
- Paul Franklin- steel guitar
- Josh Gracin- lead vocals
- Rob Hajacos- fiddle
- Tommy Harden- drums
- Jim Hoke- harmonica
- Brett James- background vocals
- Troy Lancaster- electric guitar
- Chris McHugh- drums
- Jerry McPherson- electric guitar
- Steve Nathan- keyboards, piano
- Russ Pahl- steel guitar
- Brian Pruitt- drums
- Mike Rojas- keyboards, organ, piano
- Matt Rollings- keyboards
- Jimmie Lee Sloas- bass guitar
- Bryan Sutton- acoustic guitar
- Russell Terrell- background vocals
- Ilya Toshinsky- acoustic guitar
- Lonnie Wilson- drums
- Glenn Worf- bass guitar
- Jonathan Yudkin- banjo, fiddle, mandolin
Technical
- Leon Zervos – mastering (Sterling Sound)
- Doug Howard, Kirk Boyer – A&R direction
- Sherri Halford, Ashley Heron, Glenn Sweitzer – art direction
- Glenn Sweitzer/Fresh Design – package design
- Margaret Malandrucculo – photography
- Melody Malloy – wardrobe
- Crystal Tesinksy – grooming
- Maniac Creative – management
- William Morris Agency – booking
References
- ^ a b 4/18: Finally— the Josh Gracin interview!
- ^ We Weren't Crazy
- ^ Josh Gracin gets green light for second CD
- ^ Josh Gracin - We Weren't Crazy
- ^ Billboard website
- ^ Gracin splits with Lyric Street, releases song
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "We Weren't Crazy – Josh Gracin". AllMusic. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ a b Malec, Jim (April 10, 2008). "Album Review: Josh Gracin – We Weren't Crazy". The 9513. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ Josh Gracin debuts in fourth
- ^ USA Today. December 8, 2010 http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2010/12/carrie-underwood-plays-on-as-idol-top-seller/1.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Billboard - We Weren't Crazy - Josh Gracin
- ^ We Weren't Crazy (liner notes). Josh Gracin. Lyric Street. 2008. 2061650632.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)