Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine
gave Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love four and a half out of five stars, noticing that she has "never sounded better" with the release of the album. Keefe also mentioned that the album should receive recognition from country radio because "more than half" of the album's songs could be used as radio singles: "Hopefully, Big Machine will make better choices in that regard than MCA did, because if country radio has any sense left at all, Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love should allow Yearwood to return to the top of the charts. It's a career-best effort from one of the genre's all-time greatest vocalists and a testament to the vitality, intelligence, and soulfulness of modern country's best music." The 9513s Jim Malec gave the release five out of five stars, calling the album in general "breathtaking". Malec noted that the difference between a "good album" and a "great" comes because the choice of material, saying that Yearwood recorded a "great album": "The difference between a good album and a great album always–always–comes down to songs and song selection. And while Yearwood has long since proven herself a superb vocalist, her albums have, on occasion, tapped into a fair bit of par-for-the-coursematerial. That is not a problem here."
Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love received four and a half out of five stars from Thom Jurek at Allmusic. Jurek mentioned in the conclusion of his review that the album went beyond expectations for a country album to go, stating "The bottom line is this: Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love is, without a shadow of a doubt, the finest, most consistent and deeply moving (not to mention fun) record she has ever cut. It carries the mark of a bona fide artist who understands herself well enough to know that a great song is not only communicable but is communication itself to the listener.This time out, Yearwood is in a class by herself, and if country radio/video/television get involved at all, she'll hit it out of the park. It's better than good, it's beyond expectation -- and it was high after Jasper County
-- it's the best example of what a popular record -- not just a country one -- should aspire to be, period." At ther 51st Grammy Awards
, Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love was nominated in the category for Best Country Album. In addition the second track "This Is Me You're Talking To
" was nominated in the category for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and the sixth track "Let the Wind Chase You" was nominated for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.
chart the week of July 28, 2007 and was the week's highest-debuting single. The single eventually peaked within the Top 20 on the Billboard country chart at #19, while also reaching #7 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart. Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love was officially released on November 13, 2007 and debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #30 on the Billboard 200
albums chart, selling about 33,000 copies within its first week. In January 2008, the album's second track was released as the second single "This Is Me You're Talking To
". The song debuted at #58 on the Billboard country chart the week of January 12, 2008, while "Another Try
," featuring Yearwood with country artist Josh Turner
, debuted one position higher that same week at #57. The single would peak at #25 on the Billboard country chart. The third and final single spawned from the album was the fourth track "They Call It Falling for a Reason". Released on July 26, 2008, the song debuted at #60 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart but only peaked at #54.
Technical personnel
Singles
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
gave Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love four and a half out of five stars, noticing that she has "never sounded better" with the release of the album. Keefe also mentioned that the album should receive recognition from country radio because "more than half" of the album's songs could be used as radio singles: "Hopefully, Big Machine will make better choices in that regard than MCA did, because if country radio has any sense left at all, Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love should allow Yearwood to return to the top of the charts. It's a career-best effort from one of the genre's all-time greatest vocalists and a testament to the vitality, intelligence, and soulfulness of modern country's best music." The 9513s Jim Malec gave the release five out of five stars, calling the album in general "breathtaking". Malec noted that the difference between a "good album" and a "great" comes because the choice of material, saying that Yearwood recorded a "great album": "The difference between a good album and a great album always–always–comes down to songs and song selection. And while Yearwood has long since proven herself a superb vocalist, her albums have, on occasion, tapped into a fair bit of par-for-the-coursematerial. That is not a problem here."
Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love received four and a half out of five stars from Thom Jurek at Allmusic. Jurek mentioned in the conclusion of his review that the album went beyond expectations for a country album to go, stating "The bottom line is this: Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love is, without a shadow of a doubt, the finest, most consistent and deeply moving (not to mention fun) record she has ever cut. It carries the mark of a bona fide artist who understands herself well enough to know that a great song is not only communicable but is communication itself to the listener.This time out, Yearwood is in a class by herself, and if country radio/video/television get involved at all, she'll hit it out of the park. It's better than good, it's beyond expectation -- and it was high after Jasper County
Jasper County (album)
Jasper County is the ninth studio album by country singer Trisha Yearwood. It was Yearwood's first studio album in four years since 2001's Inside Out....
-- it's the best example of what a popular record -- not just a country one -- should aspire to be, period." At ther 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
, Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love was nominated in the category for Best Country Album. In addition the second track "This Is Me You're Talking To
This Is Me You're Talking To
"This Is Me You're Talking To" is the title of a song written by Tommy Lee James and Karyn Rochelle, and recorded by American country artist Trisha Yearwood. It was released in January 2008 as the second single from her tenth studio album, Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love.-Background:The...
" was nominated in the category for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and the sixth track "Let the Wind Chase You" was nominated for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.
Release and singles
Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Loves title track was released as the lead single on July 30, 2007. The song debuted at #49 on the Billboard Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart the week of July 28, 2007 and was the week's highest-debuting single. The single eventually peaked within the Top 20 on the Billboard country chart at #19, while also reaching #7 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart. Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love was officially released on November 13, 2007 and debuted at #10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #30 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart, selling about 33,000 copies within its first week. In January 2008, the album's second track was released as the second single "This Is Me You're Talking To
This Is Me You're Talking To
"This Is Me You're Talking To" is the title of a song written by Tommy Lee James and Karyn Rochelle, and recorded by American country artist Trisha Yearwood. It was released in January 2008 as the second single from her tenth studio album, Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love.-Background:The...
". The song debuted at #58 on the Billboard country chart the week of January 12, 2008, while "Another Try
Another Try
"Another Try" is a single by American country music artist Josh Turner that also features harmony vocals from Trisha Yearwood. It is the second single released from Turner's 2007 album Everything Is Fine, and his eighth chart single overall...
," featuring Yearwood with country artist Josh Turner
Josh Turner
Joshua Otis "Josh" Turner is a country music singer and actor signed to MCA Nashville Records in 2003, Turner has released four studio albums for the label. The first of these was 2003's Long Black Train, whose title track was his breakthrough single release...
, debuted one position higher that same week at #57. The single would peak at #25 on the Billboard country chart. The third and final single spawned from the album was the fourth track "They Call It Falling for a Reason". Released on July 26, 2008, the song debuted at #60 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart but only peaked at #54.
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians- Jessi AlexanderJessi AlexanderJessica "Jessi" Alexander is an American country music singer-songwriter. She has had her songs recorded by Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood and Little Big Town. She also launched her own recording career in 2004...
– harmony vocals - David Angell – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Monisca Angell – violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Steve Bryant – bass
- Sam BushSam BushSam Bush is an American bluegrass mandolin player considered an originator of the Newgrass style.- History :...
– mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Steve Cox – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Chad CromwellChad CromwellChad Cromwell is an American drummer, best known for his work with Neil Young and with Mark Knopfler.- Personal life :Cromwell was born in Paducah, Kentucky, and three years later moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Eric Darken – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Dan Dugmore – lap steel guitarLap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
- Chris Dunn – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Johnny Garcia – electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Carl Gorodetzky – violin
- Kenny Greenberg – electric guitar
- Rob Hajacos – fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
- Steve Herman – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Jim HornJim HornJim Horn is an American saxophonist and woodwind player. He was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for five years, playing sax and flute on the road, and in the recording studio...
– tenor sax & baritone sax - Anthony Lamarchina – celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Troy Lancaster – electric guitar
- Jim LauderdaleJim LauderdaleJim Lauderdale is a musician & singer-songwriter who performs bluegrass and country music. He has recorded since 1986 and has released nineteen studio albums. Artists who have recorded his material include George Strait and Patty Loveless.-Biography:...
– harmony vocals - Steve MackeySteve MackeySteve Mackey is a British musician and record producer best known for playing bass guitar in the band Pulp. He also played bass for Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker in the latter's solo career, and worked as a songwriter and producer with artists such as M.I.A...
– bass - Greg Morrow – drums
- Cate Myer – violin
- Steve Nathan – piano
- Carole Rabinowitz – cello
- Jon RandallJon RandallJon Randall Stewart is an American country music artist. Signed to RCA Records in 1995, he debuted that year with the album What You Don't Know. A second album for RCA, 1996's Great Day to Be Alive, was recorded but never released...
– harmony vocals - Curt Ryle – acoustic guitars
- Steve Sheehan – National guitar
- Scotty Sanders – steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
- Betty Small – violin
- Pam Sixfin – violin
- Bus Smith – Hammond B-3 organ
- Bryan SuttonBryan SuttonBryan Sutton is an American musician. Primarily known as a flatpicked acoustic guitar player, Sutton also plays many other instruments including mandolin, banjo, and electric guitar....
– acoustic guitar - Alan Umstead – violin
- Keith UrbanKeith UrbanKeith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
– harmony vocals (track 6 only) - Cathy Umstead – violin
- Gary Vanosdale – viola
- Mary Kathryn Vanosdale – violin
- Billy Joe Walker, Jr. – acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
- Reese WynansReese WynansReese Wynans is a keyboard player who has done session work and has been a member of Double Trouble and progressive rock band Captain Beyond.- Personal life :Reese Wynans grew up in Sarasota, Florida during the 1950s...
– Hammond B-3 organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard... - Trisha YearwoodTrisha YearwoodPatricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood , is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA...
– lead vocals
Technical personnel
- Chuck Ainlay – engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, mixing - Matt Andrews – engineer
- Chad Carlson – engineer
- Debbie Dover – hair stylist
- Kyle Ford – engineer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Ron Roark – graphic design, arti direction
- Mark Tucker – photography
Sales chart positions
Album| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
30 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 10 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 2007 | "Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love" | 19 | 107 | |
| 2008 | "This Is Me You're Talking To" | 25 | — | |
| "They Call It Falling for a Reason" | 54 | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||