Then Came the Night

Untitled

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Country Weekly	favorable

Then Came the Night is the debut album of American country music artist Tommy Shane Steiner, released in 2002 on RCA Records. It features the single "What If She's an Angel", a number 2 hit for Steiner on the Hot Country Songs charts in late 2001-early 2002. Both the second and third singles — "Tell Me Where It Hurts" and "What We're Gonna Do About It", respectively — peaked at number 43 on the same chart. This is also Steiner's only album.

The track "The Mind of John J. Blanchard" was later recorded by Anthony Smith under the title "John J. Blanchard" on his 2003 debut album If That Ain't Country, from which it was released as a single that year. "I Go Crazy" is a cover of pop singer Paul Davis's hit from 1978.

Jimmy Ritchey produced the album, with Frank Liddell serving as associate producer on tracks 2 and 5.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album 3 stars out of 5, calling it "a mainstream pop album with a little bit of country dressing" and saying that Steiner is "a modest, likeable singer." Mark Marymont of Country Weekly praised "What If She's an Angel" as "sweetly sentimental", and saying that he "adds a new emotional dimension" to "I Go Crazy". Ray Waddell of Billboard gave the album a mostly-negative review, criticizing it as "devoid of substance" and calling the title track "pretentious", while calling "The Mind of John J. Blanchard" "well-written and even quite moving".

Track listing

1. "That Just Wouldn't Be Me" (Dan Colehour, Sam Tate, Annie Tate) – 3:31
2. "Tell Me Where It Hurts" (Diane Warren) – 4:04
3. "What If She's an Angel" (Bryan Wayne) – 3:35
4. "Let Go" (Neil Thrasher, Michael Dulaney, Jimmy Olander) – 3:18
5. "The Mind of John J. Blanchard" (Anthony Smith, Chris Wallin) – 3:55
6. "What We're Gonna Do About It" (Chris DuBois, Lee Thomas Miller) – 4:06
   • duet with Bridgette Wilson-Sampras
7. "I Don't Need Another Reason" (Brad Cotter, Connie Harrington) – 4:27
   • duet with Randy Travis
8. "Havin' a Good Time" (Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo, Richie McDonald) – 4:03
   • background vocals: Richie McDonald
9. "I Go Crazy" (Paul Davis) – 3:56
10. "And Yet" (Jimmy Ritchey, Tom Shapiro, Tommy Shane Steiner) – 4:20
11. "Then Came the Night" (Chuck Jones, John Kilzer) – 5:54

Personnel

• Kenny Aronoff – drums
• Lisa Cochran – background vocals
• Eric Darken – percussion
• Chip Davis – background vocals
• Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar
• Vince Gill – background vocals ("What If She's an Angel")
• David Grissom – electric guitar
• Aubrey Haynie – fiddle, mandolin
• Wes Hightower – background vocals
• David Huff – drum programming
• Paul Leim – drums
• B. James Lowry – acoustic guitar
• John Mabe – background vocals
• Liana Manis – background vocals
• Brent Mason – electric guitar
• Richie McDonald – background vocals ("Havin' a Good Time")
• Steve Nathan – keyboards
• Michael Rhodes – bass guitar
• Jimmy Ritchey – acoustic guitar, banjo, Dobro, harmonica, mandolin, electric guitar, 5-string banjo, nylon-string guitar
• Neil Thrasher – background vocals
• Lonnie Wilson – drums
• Curtis Wright – background vocals
• Jonathan Yudkin – violin, viola, cello

Chart performance

Chart (2002)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	6
U.S. Billboard 200	71

References

• Then Came the Night at Allmusic
• Tommy Shane Steiner biography at About.com