The Secret of Life (album)
Encyclopedia
"The Secret of Life" is the debut recording by singer/songwriter Gretchen Peters. It was released in 1996, and featured a minor hit single
in the last track, "When You Are Old". The song reached number 68 on the Hot Country Songs
(now US Country) charts.
The album itself has become a hotbed for hit cover versions by other popular country artists. Faith Hill
recorded a smash version of the title track
that reached number 4 on the country charts in the States
(while also scraping into the top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100
). Trisha Yearwood
recorded her own version of "On a Bus to St. Cloud" for her full-length Thinkin' About You
(two years prior to the release of this album), while Martina McBride
, in 1999, put her cover of "This Uncivil War" as the last track on her album Emotion
.
, calling the songs "highly introspective, thoughtful and intelligent".
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in the last track, "When You Are Old". The song reached number 68 on the Hot Country Songs
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...
(now US Country) charts.
The album itself has become a hotbed for hit cover versions by other popular country artists. Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
recorded a smash version of the title track
The Secret of Life
"The Secret of Life" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music artist Gretchen Peters. It was then recorded by Faith Hill and released in April 1999 as the fifth single from her album Faith. It peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart...
that reached number 4 on the country charts in the States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(while also scraping into the top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100
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...
). Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood
Patricia 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...
recorded her own version of "On a Bus to St. Cloud" for her full-length Thinkin' About You
Thinkin' About You
Thinkin' About You is the fourth country studio album by country singer Trisha Yearwood. The album reached #3 on the Billboard country albums chart....
(two years prior to the release of this album), while Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
, in 1999, put her cover of "This Uncivil War" as the last track on her album Emotion
Emotion (Martina McBride album)
-Personnel:*Wes Hightower, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Troy Johnson, Gordon Kennedy: Vocal Backing*J.T. Corenflos, Dan Dugmore, B. James Lowry, Paul Worley: Guitars*Dann Huff: Guitars, Organ, Wurlitzer*Doug Lancio, Biff Watson: Guitars, Bouzouki*Aubrey Haynie: Fiddle...
.
Reception
allmusic gave the album three stars (out of a possible five), comparing her to fellow singer-songwriter Mary Chapin CarpenterMary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American folk and country music artist. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records, who marketed her as a country singer...
, calling the songs "highly introspective, thoughtful and intelligent".
Track Listing
- All Songs Written By Gretchen Peters, except where noted.
- Waiting For The Light To Turn Green (Gretchen Peters, Suzy BoggussSuzy BoggussSusan Kay "Suzy" Bogguss is an American country music singer. In the 1980s and 90s she released one platinum and three gold albums and charted six top ten singles, winning the Academy of Country Music's award for Top New Female Vocalist and the Country Music Association's Horizon Award.After...
) 3:42 - Border Town 4:07
- I Ain't Ever Satisfied (Steve EarleSteve EarleStephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
) 3:50 - I Was Looking For You 3:58
- On A Bus To St. Cloud 3:55
- Over AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
4:10 - This Uncivil War 4:08
- The Secret Of Life 4:16
- A Room With A View 3:39
- Circus Girl 3:34
- When You Are Old 2:53
Personnel
- Gretchen Peters: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar & DobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
- Chris Leuzinger, Michael Severs: Guitars
- Dan Dugmore: LapLap 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....
& Pedal Steel GuitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
s - Bruce Bouton: Pedal Steel
- Steve Conn: AccordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
- Daniel Green: Keyboards, Organ, Percussion
- Barry Walsh: Keyboards, Hammond Organ, Piano, MelodicaMelodicaThe melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
- Phil Kenzie: Soprano SaxSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Dave Pomeroy: Electric & Acoustic Bass, Drums & Percussion
- Brian Barnett, Tommy Wells: Drums, Percussion
- Strings: The Nashville String Machine; arranged & conducted by Connie Elisor
- Steve Earle, Emmylou HarrisEmmylou HarrisEmmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
, James HouseJames House (singer)James Andrew House is an American country music artist. Originally a member of a group called the House Band, James began his country music career in 1990 on MCA Records, recording two albums for that label. He later penned singles for Diamond Rio and Dwight Yoakam, before finding another record...
, Raul MaloRaul MaloRaúl Francisco Martínez-Malo Jr. , known professionally as Raúl Malo, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He was the lead singer of country music band The Mavericks and the co-writer of many of their singles, as well as Rick Trevino's 2003 single "In My Dreams"...
, Harry Stinson, Billy Thomas: Vocal Backing & Harmony
Production
- Produced By Daniel Green
- Engineered By Tom Hitchcock, Steve Marcantonio & Mike Psanos; assisted by Marc Frigo, Mike Purcell, Daryl Roudbush, Ed Simonton & John Thomas II
- Mixed By Steve Marcantonio
- Digital Editing By Don Cobb
- Mastered By Denny Purcell
External Links
- Album overview & Credits at allmusic. (Retrieved April 9, 2011)