Horse of a Different Color (Big & Rich album)

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Horse of a Different Color
Studio album by
Big & Rich
ReleasedMay 4, 2004 (2004-05-04)
StudioDark Horse Recording Studio
GenreCountry
Length56:52
LabelWarner Bros. Nashville
ProducerBig Kenny
John Rich
Paul Worley
Big & Rich chronology
Horse of a Different Color
(2004) 		Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak (EP)
(2004)
Singles from Horse of a Different Color
  1. "Wild West Show"
    Released: December 15, 2003
  2. "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)"
    Released: April 19, 2004
  3. "Holy Water"
    Released: September 20, 2004
  4. "Big Time"
    Released: February 7, 2005
Alternative Covers
Red cover
Alternative cover
Gold cover
Alternative cover
Christmas cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[2]
Country Weekly[3]

Horse of a Different Color is the debut studio album by American country music duo Big & Rich, released on May 4, 2004, by Warner Bros. Nashville. The album contains the hit singles "Wild West Show", "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)", "Holy Water", and "Big Time". Respectively, these reached No. 21, No. 11, No. 15, and No. 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The album was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA for shipments of three million copies.[4]

Content[edit]

Horse of a Different Color features several guest musicians, primarily members of the MuzikMafia, the collaborative singer-songwriter group that Big & Rich founded. Country rap artist Cowboy Troy is featured on the lead-off track "Rollin' (The Ballad of Big & Rich)", and makes an uncredited guest appearance at the end of "Kick My Ass". Gretchen Wilson provides background vocals on "Saved", and Jon Nicholson on "Love Train". The only guest musician who is not a MuzikMafia member is Martina McBride, who provides backing vocals on the final track, "Live This Life". Big Kenny and John Rich, who comprise the duo, co-wrote all the tracks on the album, and co-produced it with Paul Worley.

Four singles were released from this album. Lead-off single "Wild West Show" peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard country charts in early 2004. Following it was "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)", which peaked at No. 11 and was certified platinum by the RIAA as a single. The third single release, the No. 15 "Holy Water", was inspired by Big Kenny's and John Rich's sisters, both victims of domestic abuse. "Big Time" was the final single, reaching No. 20 in mid-2005.

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Big Kenny and John Rich, with additional co-writers as noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rollin' (The Ballad of Big & Rich)" (featuring Cowboy Troy)Cowboy Troy4:50
2."Wild West Show"Blair Daly4:20
3."Big Time"Angie Aparo3:56
4."Kick My Ass" (featuring Cowboy Troy -uncredited)Bryan Wayne4:58
5."Six Foot Town" 3:47
6."Holy Water"
4:13
7."Saved" (background vocals: Gretchen Wilson)John Phillips4:51
8."Real World"Adam Shoenfeld5:05
9."Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" 3:20
10."Drinkin' 'bout You" 2:53
11."Love Train" (background vocals: Jon Nicholson)Jon Nicholson3:47
12."Deadwood Mountain" 5:10
13."Live This Life" (background vocals: Martina McBride) 5:33
Total length:56:52

Personnel[edit]

As listed in liner notes.[5]

Big & Rich
Additional musicians
  • Brian Barnett - drums (4-9, 11), tambourine (6, 7)
  • Steve Brewster - drums (12), shaker (12)
  • Dennis Burnside - keyboards (2, 9, 11)
  • Cowboy Troy - "multilingual 'hick-hop' rap" (1), vocals (4)
  • Owen Hale - drums (10)
  • Mike Johnson - steel guitar (1-8,11,12)
  • Wayne Killius - drums (1-3,13), shaker (2), peanut can (2), tambourine (13)
  • Martina McBride - background vocals (13)
  • Duncan Mullins - bass guitar (2)
  • Jon Nicholson - background vocals (11)
  • Matt Pierson - bass guitar (1,3-8,10-13)
  • Michael Rojas - keyboards (1,3-8,10-13)
  • Adam Shoenfeld - electric guitar
  • Nicole Summers - flute (2)
  • Justin Tocket - bass guitar (9)
  • Gretchen Wilson - background vocals (7)
  • Paul Worley - "yeehaw juice" (4)
  • Jonathan Yudkin - fiddle (1,3,4,7,8,9,11,12), banjo (1,8,9,12), strings (1,6,7,13), string composer (1,6,7,13), string arrangements (1,6,7,13), mandolin (6,7), harp (7)
Technical
  • Richard Dodd - mastering
  • Big Kenny - production
  • Bart Pursley - recording, mixing
  • John Rich - production
  • Paul Worley - production

Chart performance[edit]

Singles[edit]

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
US Country
[14] 		US
[15] 		GER
[16]
2003 "Wild West Show" 21 85 —
2004 "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" 11 56 87
"Holy Water" 15 75 —
2005 "Big Time" 20 103 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification
Canada (Music Canada)[19] Gold
United States (RIAA)[20] 3× Platinum

References[edit]

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Horse of a Different Color review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  2. ^ Willman, Chris (May 14, 2004). "Horse of a Different Color review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  3. ^ "Horse of a Different Color". Country Weekly. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  4. ^ Big & Rich's Debut CD Certified Triple Platinum
  5. ^ Horse of a Different Color (CD). Big & Rich. Warner Bros. Records. 2004. 48520.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ "Big & Rich Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  7. ^ "Big & Rich Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  8. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  9. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2004" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  11. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  12. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  13. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  14. ^ "Big & Rich Album & Song Chart History (Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  15. ^ "Big & Rich Album & Song Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  16. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts - German Singles". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  17. ^ "Gold & Platinum Search - Canadian Recording Industry Association". Music Canada. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  18. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - August 14, 2010: Big & Rich certified singles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  19. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Big & Rich – Horse of a Different Color". Music Canada.
  20. ^ "American album certifications – Big & Rich – Horse of a Different Color". Recording Industry Association of America.
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