Down to Believing
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| American Songwriter |  [3] |
| The Observer | [4] |
| Exclaim! |   [5] |
| Slant Magazine | [6] |
Down to Believing is the eighth studio album by singer/songwriter Allison Moorer. It is her first for new label eOne Nashville and sees her reunited with producer Kenny Greenberg who produced her first two albums. The album was recorded over two years and inspired by events in her personal life during that time including her divorce from Steve Earle and her young son's diagnosis with autism.[7]
Critical reception
The album earned Moorer some of the best reviews of her career with Uncut Magazine observing that "Out of the pain and anger, Moorer has fashioned the finest album of her career" [8] while AllMusic wrote it was "an emotionally raw yet aesthetically fine album. She may have reached into the depths for these songs, but she's delivered us the gift of a burning light."[2] Thierry Côté of Exclaim! wrote that "even in the rare moments when the production comes dangerously close to generic modern country sheen, Moorer's voice remains a warm, unwavering instrument and the songs are never less than deeply affecting and emotionally resonant."
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Like It Used to Be" | Allison Moorer | 3:19 |
| 2. | "Thunderstorm/Hurricane" | Moorer | 2:48 |
| 3. | "I Lost My Crystal Ball" | Moorer, Angelo Petraglia | 3:08 |
| 4. | "Down to Believing" | Moorer, Audley Freed, Keith Gattis | 4:58 |
| 5. | "Tear Me Apart" | Moorer, Kenny Greenberg | 3:05 |
| 6. | "If I Were Stronger" | Moorer, Troy Olsen | 4:08 |
| 7. | "Wish I" | Moorer, Tony Lane | 4:29 |
| 8. | "Blood" | Moorer | 3:30 |
| 9. | "Mama Let the Wolf In" | Moorer, Jeffrey Steele | 3:22 |
| 10. | "I'm Doing Fine" | Moorer, Zac Maloy | 3:08 |
| 11. | "Back of My Mind" | Moorer, Skip Black, Neil Medley | 4:19 |
| 12. | "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" | John Fogerty | 2:43 |
| 13. | "Gonna Get It Wrong" | Moorer, Lane | 3:50 |
Personnel
- Chad Cromwell - drums
- John Deaderick- keyboards
- Dan Dugmore - 12-string electric guitar, steel guitar, mandolin
- Fred Eltringham - drums, percussion
- Kenny Greenberg - acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Jedd Hughes - acoustic guitar
- Jon Conley - banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin
- Brad Jones - upright bass
- Tim Lauer - keyboards
- Rachel Loy - bass guitar
- Tony Lucido - bass guitar
- Eamon McLaughlin - strings, string arrangements
- Steve Mackey - bass guitar
- Allison Moorer - acoustic guitar, piano, tambourine, lead vocals, background vocals
- Bryan Owings - drums
- Russ Pahl - acoustic guitar, steel guitar
- Ben Phillips - drums
- Lex Price - bouzouki
- Michael Rhodes - bass guitar
- Mike Rojas - keyboards
Chart performance
The album debuted on the Top Country Albums chart at No. 26, and No. 8 on the Heatseeker Albums chart, with 1,600 copies sold for its debut week.[9]
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[10] | 26 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard)[11] | 15 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[12] | 8 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13] | 36 |
References
- ^ "Down To Believing Reviews". Metacritic.com.
- ^ a b Thom Jurek (2015-03-17). "Down To Believing - Allison Moorer | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
- ^ "Allison Moorer - Down To Believing". americansongwriter.com. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2015-03-16.
- ^ Neil Spencer; (2015-03-08). "Allison Moorer: Down to Believing review – a gamut of emotion from Nashville". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Thierry Côté; (2015-03-13). "Allison Moorer, 'Down To Believing' Review". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Slant review".
- ^ "Stephen L. Betts: Hear Allison Moorer Embrace Change on New Album 'Down to Believing'". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2015-03-17.
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/music/down-to-believing/allison-moorer
- ^ Matt Bjorke (March 25, 2015). "Country Album Chart Report For March 25, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figure given here
- ^ "Allison Moorer Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Allison Moorer Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Allison Moorer Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Allison Moorer Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.