Almost There (album)

Almost There
Studio album by MercyMe
Released August 14, 2001
Recorded 2001
Studio Ivy Park, The Indigo Room, Paradise Sound and IBC Studios[nb 1]
(United States)
Genre Contemporary Christian music, Christian rock, contemporary worship
Length 43:42
Label INO
Producer Pete Kipley
MercyMe chronology
Look
(2000)		 Almost There
(2001)		 Spoken For
(2002)
Singles from Almost There
  1. "I Can Only Imagine"
    Released: September 23, 2003

Almost There is the first major-label studio album by Christian rock band MercyMe. Released on August 14, 2001, the album met to positive critical response and spawned the single "I Can Only Imagine", which achieved crossover success on mainstream radio.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
CCM Magazine[2]
Jesus Freak Hideout[3]
NewReleaseTuesday[4]
CrosswalkB[5]
Christianity Today(positive)[6]

Almost There received positive reviews from critics. AllMusic reviewer Steve Losey gave the album four out of five stars and selected it as an AMG Album Pick, stating that "while praise & worship music seems to be the trend, MercyMe offers a disc that tends to be the exception and not the norm".[7] Kevin Chamberlin of Jesusfreakhideout also gave the album four out of five stars, opining that "what's nice about the CD is the lyrics and the overall worship feel to it. Musically, it's like FFH or any typical Contemporary Christian artist"; Chamberlin further stated that "musically, it's not the best, but lyrically it's one of the best albums out there".[3]

The reviewer for Crosswalk gave the album a B, noting that MercyMe reminded him of "SONICFLOOd before Jeff Deyo's departure" and describing lead singer Bart Millard's vocals as "raw, somewhat scratchy, and unique", while criticizing the overall consistency of the songs record.[5] Kevin McNeese of NewReleaseTuesday gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, commenting that "written with creativity both lyrically and musically, Almost There is another defining album in this genre that continues to develop and grow with more and more artists jumping aboard", also opining that "instead of [I Can Only Imagine] being the only highlight, it's surrounded by 10 other songs penned with the same passion".[4]

Awards and accolades

The only single released from the album, "I Can Only Imagine", received two Dove Awards at the 33rd GMA Dove Awards, for 'Song of the Year' and 'Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year'.[8]

Chart performance

Almost There peaked at number 37 on the Billboard 200, number 1 on the Christian Albums chart, number 3 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and number 3 on the Catalog Albums chart.[7] The album held the top spot on the Christian Albums chart for a total of nine weeks.

Almost There was certified double platinum by the RIAA, signifying sales of over 2 million units.[9] The album was the fourth-highest selling Christian album of the 2000s, according to Billboard.[10] On 16 Feb 2002 the band announced in a Billboard interview that the band's next single would be "How Great Is Your Love.[11]

Track listing

Standard Edition
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "I Worship You"  Peter Kipely, Reggie Hamm 3:07
2. "Here Am I"  Bart Millard, Kipely 4:20
3. "On My Way to You"  Millard, Nathan Cochran, Mike Scheuchzer, Jim Bryson, Robby Shaffer 4:06
4. "How Great Is Your Love"  Millard 4:14
5. "I Can Only Imagine"  Millard 4:08
6. "Bless Me Indeed (Jabez's Song)"  Millard, Cochran, Scheuchzer, Bryson, Shaffer 4:14
7. "Cannot Say Enough"  Millard, Cochran, Scheuchzer, Bryson, Shaffer 4:47
8. "House of God"  Millard, Cochran, Scheuchzer, Bryson, Shaffer, Kipely 3:13
9. "Call to Worship"  Millard, Cochran, Scheuchzer, Bryson, Shaffer 4:51
10. "Fall Down"  Millard, Cochran, Scheuchzer, Bryson, Shaffer 3:45
11. "In You"  Millard 4:17

Personnel

(Credits lifted from Allmusic and the inner liner album notes)[12][nb 2]

MercyMe
Additional performers
Technical

Charts and certifications

Album charts (main entry)
Chart (2001–2004) Peak position
US Billboard 200[13] 37
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[14] 1
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[15] 1
US Top Catalog Albums (Billboard)[16] 3
Album certifications
Country Certification
(sales thresholds)
United States[9] 2× Platinum
Album charts (end of year)
Chart (2002) Peak
Position
U.S. Billboard Christian Albums[17] 4
U.S. Billboard 200[18] 128
Chart (2003) Peak
Position
U.S. Billboard Christian Albums[19] 2
U.S. Billboard 200[20] 128
Chart (2004) Peak
Position
U.S. Billboard Christian Albums[21] 15
U.S. Billboard Catalog Albums[22] 18
Album charts (end of decade)
Chart (2000s) Peak
Position
U.S. Billboard Christian Albums[10] 4

Song charts and certifications
Year Title Chart peak positions Certifications
Christ AC
[23]		 Christ CHR
[24]		 US
[25]		 US AC
[26]		 US Adult
[27]		 US Country
[28]		 US
Pop
[29]
2001 "I Can Only Imagine" 1 15 71 5 27 52 33

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by
Worship Together: I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever		 U.S. Billboard Christian Albums number-one album
August 23, 2003 – September 6, 2003 		Succeeded by
Simple Things by Amy Grant
Preceded by
Simple Things by Amy Grant		 U.S. Billboard Christian Albums number-one album
September 13, 2003 – September 27, 2003 		Succeeded by
Throne Room by CeCe Winans
Preceded by
Throne Room by CeCe Winans		 U.S. Billboard Christian Albums number-one album
October 4, 2003 – October 18, 2003 		Succeeded by
Worship Together: I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever
Preceded by
The Second Decade by Michael W. Smith		 U.S. Billboard Christian Albums number-one album
November 1, 2003 – November 22, 2003 		Succeeded by
Payable on Death by P.O.D.

Release history

Region Date Label
United States August 14, 2001 INO Records
February 8, 2005 (DualDisc) Sony
August 29, 2006 (Platinum edition) INO Records

References

Notes
  1. ↑ According to the inner liner notes of the album.
  2. ↑ According to the credits listed in the album.
Footnotes
  1. ↑ Almost There (album) at AllMusic
  2. ↑ Woodroof, Adam (October 2001). "Almost There Mercy Me (INO)" (PDF). CCM Magazine. p. 55. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Chamberlin, Kevin (September 1, 2002). "MercyMe, "Almost There" Review". Jesusfreakhideout. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  4. 1 2 McNeese, Kevin (January 30, 2008). "Almost There by MercyMe – CD Reviews and Information". NewReleaseTuesday.com. NRT Media. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "MercyMe – Almost There". Crosswalk. Salem Web Network. October 3, 2001. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Almost There: MercyMe (INO Records)". Christianity Today. Wayback Machine. 2001-11-24. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Almost There – MercyMe". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on July 29, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Dove Awards History". Dove Awards. Gospel Music Association. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Gold and Platinum Database". RIAA. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Christian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  11. ↑ Billboard - 16 Feb 2002 - Page 61 "Meanwhile, Miller says that the band's next single will be "How Great Is Your Love."
  12. ↑ "Almost There – MercyMe (Credits)". Allmusic. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  13. ↑ "MercyMe – Chart history" Billboard 200 for MercyMe.
  14. ↑ "MercyMe – Chart history" Billboard Christian Albums for MercyMe.
  15. ↑ "MercyMe – Chart history" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for MercyMe.
  16. ↑ "MercyMe – Chart history" Billboard Top Catalog Albums for MercyMe.
  17. ↑ "End-of-year 2002 (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  18. ↑ "End-of-year 2002 (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  19. ↑ "End-of-year 2003 (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  20. ↑ "End-of-year 2003 (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  21. ↑ "End-of-year 2004 (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  22. ↑ "End-of-year 2004 (Pop Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Number One Records" (PDF). Mikecurb.com. Curb Records. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Billboard Charted Singles" (PDF). Mikecurb.com. Curb Records. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  25. ↑ "MercyMe Album & Song Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  26. ↑ "MercyMe Album & Song Chart History – Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  27. ↑ "MercyMe Album & Song Chart History – Adult Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  28. ↑ "MercyMe Album & Song Chart History – Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  29. ↑ "MercyMe Album & Song Chart History – Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  30. ↑ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum – October 30, 2010: MercyMe certified singles". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, February 10, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.