Blue (LeAnn Rimes album)

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Blue
Leannblue.jpg
Studio album by
LeAnn Rimes
ReleasedJuly 9, 1996 (1996-07-09)
GenreCountry
Length34:52
LabelCurb
ProducerWilbur C. Rimes, Chuck Howard, Johnny Mulhair
LeAnn Rimes chronology
All That
(1994) 		Blue
(1996) 		You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs
(1997)
Singles from Blue
  1. "Blue"
    Released: June 4, 1996
  2. "Hurt Me"
    Released: August 13, 1996
  3. "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)"
    Released: October 15, 1996
  4. "Unchained Melody"
    Released: December 24, 1996
  5. "The Light in Your Eyes"
    Released: April 1, 1997
"Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart"
Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart.jpg
Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart bonus CD-single
Promotional single by LeAnn Rimes
B-side"Unchained Melody"
ReleasedNovember 23, 1996 (1996-11-23)
Recorded1996
GenreCountry
Length3:29
LabelCurb
Songwriter(s)Greg Wojohn, Roger Wojohn, Scott Wojohn
Producer(s)Wilbur C. Rimes, Roger Wojohn

Blue is the debut studio album by American country singer LeAnn Rimes, released in the United States on July 9, 1996, by Curb Records.[1] It reached No. 3 on Billboard 200, and No. 1 on Top Country Albums.

Singles released from this album include, in order of release: "Blue", "Hurt Me", "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)", "Unchained Melody" and "The Light in Your Eyes". These songs all charted on Billboard Hot Country Songs charts between 1996 and 1997; "Blue" and "The Light in Your Eyes" both reached top 10, while "Hurt Me" fell short off top 40. "One Way Ticket" is Rimes's only No. 1 hit on the country music charts.[2]

When purchased at Target stores during the 1996 Christmas season, the album included a bonus single of "Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart", with "Unchained Melody" on the B-side.[2][3][4] "Unchained Melody" peaked at number three on the Country Songs chart[5] while "Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart" peaked at number 51 on the same chart in 1997.[6]

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic4/5 stars[7]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[8]
Los Angeles Times2.5/4 stars[9]
Robert Christgau(neither)[10]

The album was met with some positive reviews. Allmusic rated Blue four out of five stars. Shawn M. Haney, who reviewed the album, called it "a glorious free-for-all of sassy pick-me-up country", and stated that "perhaps people of any age or style of interest will feel youthful again after a good listen and a half."[7] Similarly, Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B+ and stated that "such raw, old-fashioned country music, with such a big, twangy, sexy voice at the center, wouldn't be making such a stir in bland '90s Nashville if LeAnn Rimes weren't 13. In other words, the hype machine has inadvertently coughed up a gem."[8] Los Angeles Times gave the album two-and-a-half stars out of four and said that "Rimes displays the unbridled power and freshness you'd expect from a teenager. In an ideal world, she'd bring all that to bear on songs that tap her youthful zeal. Instead, too many on this major-label debut require a level of experience that's clearly beyond her years. There's no question Rimes has been blessed with a magnificent voice. Let's hope she'll be given a few years--say, at least until she's out of high school--to let her natural talent mature."[9] In his Consumer Guide, however, Robert Christgau gave the album a "neither" score,[10] and said it "may impress once or twice with consistent craft or an arresting track or two. Then it won't."[11]

Track listing[]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)[12]Length
1."Blue"Bill MackWilbur C. Rimes2:49
2."Hurt Me"Deborah Allen, Bobby Braddock, Rafe Van HoyW. Rimes2:54
3."One Way Ticket (Because I Can)"Keith Hinton, Judy RodmanChuck Howard, W. Rimes, Bob Campbell-Smith (assistant)3:44
4."My Baby"AllenW. Rimes2:50
5."Honestly"Christi Dannemiller, Joe JohnstonHoward, W. Rimes, Campbell-Smith (assistant)3:22
6."The Light in Your Eyes"Dan TylerHoward, W. Rimes, Johnny Mulhair (co.), Greg Walker (assistant), Campbell-Smith (assistant)3:21
7."Talk to Me"Ron Grimes, LeAnn Rimes, Jon RutherfordHoward, W. Rimes, Campbell-Smith (assistant)3:12
8."I'll Get Even With You"Coweta HouseW. Rimes, Mulhair (co.), Walker (assistant)3:18
9."Cattle Call" (duet with Eddy Arnold)Tex OwensHoward, W. Rimes, Mulhair (co.), Walker (assistant), Campbell-Smith (assistant)3:09
10."Good Lookin' Man"Joyce HarrisonW. Rimes3:11
11."Fade to Blue"Jim Allison, Anne Reeves, Lang ScottW. Rimes, Mulhair (co.), Walker (assistant)3:02
Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart Bonus CD-single[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart"Greg Wojohn, Roger Wojohn, Scott WojohnW. Rimes, Roger Wojohn[13]3:29
2."Unchained Melody"Alex North, Hy ZaretW. Rimes[13]3:51

Personnel[]

Compiled from liner notes.[12]

Musicians
Technical
  • Chuck Howard – production
  • Johnny Mulhair – production
  • Wilbur C. Rimes – production

Charts[]

Blue debuted at No. 4 on Billboard 200 with 123,000 copies sold in the week ending of July 27, 1996,[14] it peaked at No. 3 in its second week with 129,500 copies sold.[15]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Blue: Leann Rimes: Music". Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 352–353. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Amazon.com: Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart: LeAnn Rimes: Music". amazon.com. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  4. ^ Flippo, Chet (November 23, 1996). "Movie Roles Abound For Country Artists; Mark Miller To Shoot Hoops". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  5. ^ "Unchained Melody – LeAnn Rimes". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  6. ^ "Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart – LeAnn Rimes". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Haney, Shawn M.. Blue at AllMusic
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Nash, Alanna (August 2, 1996). "Blue Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Lewis, Randy (July 27, 1996). "Rimes Needs Time to Grow". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Christgau, Robert. "CG: LeAnn Rimes". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG 90s: Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b Blue (CD booklet). LeAnn Rimes. Curb Records. 1996. 77821.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Put a Little Holiday In Your Heart (CD single). LeAnn Rimes. Curb Records. 1996. Curb D-1308, PRCD-6945-2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "Billboard". July 27, 1996. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  15. ^ "Billboard". August 3, 1996. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "australian-charts.com – LeAnn Rimes – Blue". australian-charts.com. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Blue - LeAnn Rimes | Billboard.com". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  18. ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  19. ^ "Chart Log UK: The Rabble Army – RZA". Zobbel.de. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  20. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  21. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Albums 1996". Aria.com.au. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  22. ^ "RPM Year End Country Albums ~Top 50". RPM. December 16, 1996. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b [1]. google.com. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  24. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 1997". Aria.com.au. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  25. ^ "RPM '97 Year End...Top 50 Country Albums". RPM. December 15, 1997. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b "Billboard". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 108 (52): YE-36. December 28, 1996. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b [2]. google.com. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  28. ^ "ARIA Annual Charts 1996". ARIA. 1996. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  29. ^ "Canadian album certifications – LeAnn Rimes – Blue". Music Canada.
  30. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – LeAnn Rimes – Blue". Recorded Music NZ.
  31. ^ Paul Grein (November 7, 2008). "Chart Watch Extra: Ropin' The Biggest Country Hits – Chart Watch". new.music.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  32. ^ "American album certifications – LeAnn Rimes – Blue". Recording Industry Association of America.
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