History (Matthew West album)

History
Studio album by Matthew West
Released June 21, 2005 (2005-06-21)
Genre CCM
Pop/rock
Label Universal South Records
Producer Kenny Greenberg, Jason Houser
Matthew West chronology
Happy
(2003)
History
(2005)
Sellout
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Christian Music Today [2]
Jesus Freak Hideout [3]

History is the second studio album released by American CCM musician Matthew West. The album was released on Universal South Records on June 21, 2005.[4] While the entire album was produced by Kenny Greenberg and Jason Houser, six of the tracks were written solely by West and the other five he co-wrote with the album's producers and others. Three radio singles were released off the album: "Next Thing You Know", "Only Grace", and "History".

Contents

Background

Matthew West began recording in studio for History in early 2005.[5] He co-produced the album along with Kenny Greenberg and Jason Houser.[6] West wrote six of the album's tracks himself, and co-wrote the other five songs with the album's producers and others.[4]

West's theme for the album and its title track "History" was inspired by seeing an R&R music news headline that stated "Matthew West Makes History", in reference to his first album Happy.[7] He noted, "It's not every day you read a headline like that with your name in it that calls you a history maker. I remember thinking this was one of those moments in my career that I needed to soak up."[7]

Release and promotion

The album was released through Universal South Records in the United States on June 21, 2005.[4] On June 20, one day before the album, the first single "Next Thing You Know" was released to radios.[8]

Starting on September 14, 2005, West began his own 30-city headliner History 101 tour, which was named after the album. History 101 was the first tour that he had headlined, also featuring Christian artists Shawn McDonald and Paul Wright.[9]

The next singles released off of the album were "Only Grace" and later the title track "History".[10][11]

Chart performance

History charted at #17 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums and reached #26 on the Top Heatseekers chart.[12] The album's first single "Next Thing You Know (Thirteen)" reached #3 on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart[13] and also #3 on the Hot Christian AC chart.[14] The second and third singles, "History" and "Only Grace", reached #13 and #6 on the Hot Christian Songs chart, respectively.[15]

Track listing

# Title Length Composer
1. "History" 4:03 Matthew West
2. "Next Thing You Know (Thirteen)" 3:20 Matthew West, Sam Mizell
3. "Only Grace" 3:56 Kenny Greenberg, Matthew West
4. "Get Away" 3:38 Matthew West
5. "The Day Before You" 4:23 Matthew West
6. "I Know You're There" 4:30 Matthew West
7. "Nothing Else" 3:50 Matthew West
8. "The Last Ones" 4:10 Jason Houser, Matthew West
9. "The Light of Eternity" 4:33 Jason Ingram, Matthew West
10. "Out of Time" 4:12 Helen Darling, Matthew West
11. "A Few More Days" 4:04 Matthew West

References

  1. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r781114
  2. ^ http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2005/history.html
  3. ^ http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/History.asp
  4. ^ a b c "Discography – Matthew West – History". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?JSESSIONID=N0snH7HS20HFdnmYvm75szLZnTfMsfcyhDhypcvQlLv2vJ1JGNH8!87636624&pid=680648&aid=720597. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  5. ^ "Matthew West Tops '04 Reader Poll, Joins Winter Jam '05". Top40-Charts.com. 2005-01-06. http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=12296. Retrieved 2008-07-17. 
  6. ^ "Matthew West prepares History for June 21 release". cmcentral.com. 2005-06-15. http://www.cmcentral.com/news/3674.html. Retrieved 2008-07-17. 
  7. ^ a b "Matthew West". CAAtouring.com. http://www.caatouring.com/Public/ClientDetails.aspx?ClientID=64323&RosterCategory=Christian. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  8. ^ Cindy Lee (2005-06-24). "Matthew West's History: "An Album To Remember"". BREATHEcast.com. http://www.breathecast.com/Christian.Music.Artist-Matthew.West/Article-237_747.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  9. ^ "Matthew West Headlines History 101". BREATHEcast.com. 2005-09-16. http://www.breathecast.com/Christian.Music.Artist-Matthew.West/Article-237_1935.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  10. ^ Breimeier, Russ. "Matthew West – History". Christian Music Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2005/history.html. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  11. ^ "Matthew West – Biography". Christian Music Planet. http://www.christianmusicplanet.com/music/artist/matthew_west/browseM/. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  12. ^ "History > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r781114/charts-awards. Retrieved 2008-07-17. 
  13. ^ "Top Music Charts – Hot Christian Songs". Billboard.com. 2005-12-10. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=355&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Christian+Songs&ci=3062973&cdi=8499160&cid=12%2F10%2F2005. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  14. ^ "Top Music Charts – Hot Christian Adult Contemporary". Billboard.com. 2005-12-10. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=354&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Christian+Adult+Contemporary&ci=3062972&cdi=8499083&cid=12%2F10%2F2005. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  15. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/matthew-west/chart-history/680648?f=355&g=Singles