To All the Girls...

To All the Girls...
Studio album by Willie Nelson
Released October 15, 2013 (2013-10-15)
Genre Country
Label Legacy Recordings
Producer Buddy Cannon
Willie Nelson chronology
Let's Face the Music and Dance
(2013)Let's Face the Music and Dance2013		 To All the Girls...
(2013)		 Band of Brothers
(2014)Band of Brothers2014

To All the Girls... is the sixty-eighth studio album by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, which was released on October 15, 2013, by Legacy Recordings. The tracks consist of duets recorded by Nelson with female singers, mostly from the country music genre. The album is named after the song "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", which had been a hit for Nelson and Julio Iglesias when they recorded it in 1985.

The week of its release, the album entered Billboard's Top Country Albums chart at number two, marking Nelson's highest position on the chart since 1989. It also entered at number nine on the Billboard 200.

Recording

The album consists of a collection of duets featuring Nelson along with a variety of female singers, including prominent country singers (Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Loretta Lynn, Carrie Underwood, Rosanne Cash, Wynonna Judd), Americana and alternative country singers (The Secret Sisters, Brandi Carlile, Alison Krauss, Shelby Lynne, Emmylou Harris), prominent singers mostly associated with other genres (Sheryl Crow, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones) singers mostly known for being the daughters of country artists (Melonie Cannon, daughter of Buddy Cannon; Tina Rose, daughter of Leon Russell; and Nelson's own daughter Paula Nelson), and Nelson protégée Lily Meola.[1]

Release and reception

The album was released on October 15, 2013 on Legacy Recordings.[1]

The first single "From Here to the Moon and Back", a duet with Dolly Parton that she wrote for the 2012 movie Joyful Noise, was released on August 2, 2013.[2] It was followed by the release of the single "Grandma's Hands", with Mavis Staples, on August 6.[3] "It Won't Be Long", featuring the Secret Sisters was released on September 24;[4] while "Somewhere Between" with Loretta Lynn was released on October 1.[5]

Upon its full release, on October 15, 2013;[6] the album entered Billboard's Top Country Albums at number two. It marked Nelson's highest position on the chart since the release of his 1989 album A Horse Called Music, and it extended his record to a total of forty-six top ten albums on the country charts. Nelson scored as well his second top ten album on the Billboard 200, with the release entering at number nine.[7]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(72/100)
Review scores
SourceRating
Seattle Post-IntelligencerFavorable
The Telegraph
Allmusic
Rolling Stone
Record Collector
Associated PressMixed.
Roughstock

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer called the release "a wonderful album" composed by "great material", performed with "style and grace".[8] The Telegraph rated it with four stars out of five, qualifying the diversity of music genres contained on the recordings as "impressive". The review described Nelson's guitar playing "sweet and distinctive as ever", and remarked that his voice was "holding up well".[9] Allmusic delivered a favorable review, rating the album with three-and-a-half stars out of five. The website defined the tracks as "assured, easy, impeccably tasteful work from (Nelson) and his partners", but stated that the seventy-minute length "make(s) the album feel a little samey".[10]

Rolling Stone offered a mixed review, rating the album with three stars out of five. The review noted that "several of the pairings [...] lament unions that couldn't work", while it remarked that Nelson "holds his unmistakable own throughout".[11] Record Collector rated the release with four stars, calling it a "fine addition" to Nelson's collection of duets.[12] Associated Press felt that the duets were "custom-made for the download age", alleging that Nelson's usual audience would not "connect with all 16 songs", calling the set "too eclectic and too inconsistent". It also remarked that "plenty of gold nuggets shine through for those willing to pick through the miscues and throwaways".[13] Roughstock rated it with four stars and called the album "a delight" with "18 tracks of fantastic duets".[14] The review aggregator website Metacritic gave the album a Metascore of 72/100, based on six reviews.[15]

Track listing

No.TitleDuet partnerLength
1."From Here to the Moon and Back"Dolly Parton4:01
2."She Was No Good for Me"Miranda Lambert3:47
3."It Won't Be Very Long"The Secret Sisters2:36
4."Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends"Rosanne Cash4:18
5."Far Away Places"Sheryl Crow4:56
6."Bloody Mary Morning"Wynonna Judd3:05
7."Always on My Mind"Carrie Underwood3:55
8."Somewhere Between"Loretta Lynn3:13
9."No Mas Amor"Alison Krauss4:12
10."Back To Earth"Melonie Cannon3:30
11."Grandma's Hands"Mavis Staples3:10
12."Walkin'"Norah Jones3:39
13."'Til The End of the World"Shelby Lynne2:01
14."Will You Remember Mine"Lily Meola4:34
15."Dry Lightning"Emmylou Harris4:21
16."Making Believe"Brandi Carlile3:16
17."Have You Ever Seen the Rain"Paula Nelson4:38
18."After the Fire Is Gone"Tina Rose2:43

Personnel

  • Willie Nelson – acoustic guitar, lead vocals
  • Dolly Parton – duet vocals on "From Here to the Moon and Back"
  • Mickey Raphael – bass harmonica, echo harp, harmonica
  • Lyndel Rhodes – harmonica
  • Laura Rogers – vocals on "It Won't Be Very Long"
  • Lydia Rogers – vocals on "It Won't Be Very Long"
  • Tina Rose – duet vocals on "After the Fire Is Gone"
  • John Wesley Ryles – background vocals
  • Mavis Staples – duet vocals on "Grandma's Hands"
  • Bobby Terry – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, gut string guitar
  • Dan Tyminski – acoustic guitar, mandolin, background vocals
  • Carrie Underwood – duet vocals on "Always on My Mind"
  • Tommy White – steel guitar
  • Kris Wilkinson – string contractor
  • Lonnie Wilson – drums
  • Bobby Wood – synthesizer

Chart performance

The week of its release, the album entered Billboard's Top Country Albums chart at number two, marking Nelson's highest position on the chart since 1989, as well as his second top ten album on the Billboard 200, entering at number nine. It is Nelson's 46th top ten debut, the most of any country singers on that chart. It sold 43,000 in its first week.[16] As of January 2014, the album has sold 114,000 copies in the US.[17]

In the UK, the album debuted at No. 72 on the album chart, selling 1,452 copies for the week.[18]

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19] 21
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 72
US Billboard 200[21] 9
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[22] 2

References

  1. 1 2 Vinson, Christina (July 26, 2013). "Carrie Underwood, Loretta Lynn + More Duet With Willie Nelson on Upcoming ‘To All the Girls’ Album". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media, LLC. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  2. ↑ Blistein, Jon (August 2, 2013). "Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton Shoot for 'The Moon' – Song Premiere". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media, LLC. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
  3. ↑ Eakin, Marah (August 6, 2013). "Listen to Willie Nelson and Mavis Staples duet on "Grandma's Hands"". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  4. ↑ Martins, Chris (September 24, 2013). "Willie Nelson and the Secret Sisters Approach Transcendence on 'It Won't Be Long'". Spin. SpinMedia, Inc. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  5. ↑ Parton, Chris (October 1, 2013). "CMT Exclusive Song Premiere: Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn's "Somewhere Between"". CMT.com. Country Music Television, Inc. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  6. ↑ Shelburne, Craig (September 6, 2013). "Willie Nelson's Duets Album Arriving Oct. 15". Country Music Television. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ Jessen, Wade (October 24, 2013). "Willie Nelson Extends Record For Most Top 10 Country Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  8. ↑ Marcus, Richard (September 23, 2013). "Music Review: Willie Nelson - 'To All the Girls'". The Telegraph. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  9. ↑ Chilton, Martin (October 7, 2013). "Willie Nelson, To All The Girls, album review". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  10. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "To All the Girls... - Willie Nelson". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  11. ↑ Eddy, Chuck (October 18, 2013). "Willie Nelson, 'To All the Girls" Album Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  12. ↑ Staunton, Terry. "Honky Tonk Women". Record Collector (420). Diamond Publishing Ltd. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Music Review: Willie Nelson’s new ‘To All the Girls ... ‘ an uneven mix of hits and misses". Associated Press. The Washington Post. October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  14. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (October 16, 2013). "Album Review: Willie Nelson - To All The Girls". Roughstock. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  15. ↑ "To All the Girls... Review". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  16. ↑ Wade Jessen (October 24, 2013). "Willie Nelson Extends Record For Most Top 10 Country Albums". Billboard.
  17. ↑ Matt Bjorke (January 29, 2014). "Country Album Chart News: The Week of January 29, 2013: Jennifer Nettles Stays #1; Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift Return To Top 10". Roughstock.
  18. ↑ "Country Bites News snippets June 16 - June 22, 2014". Country Routes News Blog. July 1, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Willie Nelson – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Willie Nelson.
  20. ↑ "Willie Nelson | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
  21. ↑ "Willie Nelson – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Willie Nelson.
  22. ↑ "Willie Nelson – Chart history" Billboard Top Country Albums for Willie Nelson.
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