That's Why
| That's Why | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Craig Morgan | ||||
| Released | October 21, 2008 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 38:41 | |||
| Label | BNA | |||
| Producer |
Craig Morgan Phil O'Donnell | |||
| Craig Morgan chronology | ||||
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| Singles from That's Why | ||||
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That's Why is the fifth studio album released by American country music artist Craig Morgan. It was released on October 21, 2008 as his first album for BNA Records (see 2008 in country music) after his exiting Broken Bow Records earlier that same year. As with his first two Broken Bow albums — 2003's I Love It and 2005's My Kind of Livin' — Morgan co-produced the album with Phil O'Donnell. They co-wrote the lead-off single "Love Remembers", which became Morgan's sixth Top Ten hit on the Hot Country Songs charts in November 2008. Following this song was "God Must Really Love Me", which became his first single to miss the Top 20 since "Look At Us", which peaked at number 27 in 2004. A May 21, 2009 reissue added two new songs, including "Bonfire," which was released that month as the third single. As of September 18, 2010, the album has sold 60,868 copies in the U.S.[1]
Content
"Love Remembers"
As with his previous albums on the Broken Bow Records label, Morgan wrote several songs on That's Why with his producer, Phil O'Donnell. One of their co-writes, "Love Remembers", was the first single release from the album, and was shipped to radio in mid-2008. It became Morgan's sixth Top Ten hit in December 2008, peaking at number 9 on Billboard Hot Country Songs.
"God Must Really Love Me"
The album's second single was "God Must Really Love Me", written by Troy Verges and Jim Collins. This song is also a mid-tempo ballad, where the narrator states that he must be loved by God, because he has all that he wants in his life. "God Must Really Love Me" reached a peak of number 26 on the country singles charts in May 2009.
Leeann Ward of Country Universe gave this song a C- rating, saying that its production was "cheesy" and overdone, and that its melody was largely predictable. She also said that its message was "generic, yet irresponsible", adding, "With such logic, the reason why others aren't still alive is because God must not have really loved them?"[2]
"Bonfire"
On May 26, 2009,[3] That's Why was re-issued with the new tracks "Bonfire" and "This Ain't Nothin'," which replaced "Every Red Light" and "Summer Sundown."[4] Morgan wrote "Bonfire" with former Lyric Street Records artist Kevin Denney, as well as Mike Rogers and Tom Botkin. Released in May as the third single, it debuted at number 55 on the chart week of June 6, 2009. The song would go on to become Morgan's third top 5 hit, peaking at number 4.
"This Ain't Nothin'"
"This Ain't Nothin'" is the album's fourth single. This song was written by Chris DuBois and Kerry Kurt Phillips, and was released to radio on January 25, 2010.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [5] |
| Country Standard Time | (favorable)[6] |
| USA Today |  [7] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, reviewing the album for Allmusic, gave it three stars out of five. He said that the production and lyrics were largely uninspired, and that most of the songs were mid-tempo in nature, but added that Morgan's "cured country croon" kept the material from sounding too much like pop music.[5] Jessica Phillips of Country Standard Time gave a more favorable review. Although she said that his lyrics tended towards commonplace country topics such as "patriotism, family, southern pride, faith, and love," she said that the songs were "simple but profoundly observant" and that Morgan's voice recalled Randy Travis. Phillips cited "Lookin' Back with You" as one of the strongest lyrics that Morgan had written, and noted his "almost-power ballad" performance on "Love Remembers."[6] USA Today gave the album two and a half stars and wrote, "Everyday life makes for tricky subject matter -- the best songs come alive when he gets the details just right; otherwise, they just rhyme."[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Remembers" | Craig Morgan, Phil O'Donnell | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Lookin' Back with You" | Tim James, Morgan, O'Donnell | 3:57 |
| 3. | "That's Why" | Morgan, O'Donnell, Dave Turnbull | 3:54 |
| 4. | "Sticks" | Galen Griffin, Gary Hannan, Morgan, O'Donnell | 4:20 |
| 5. | "God Must Really Love Me" | Jim Collins, Troy Verges | 3:43 |
| 6. | "Summer Sundown" | Jeremy Campbell, Morgan, O'Donnell | 3:53 |
| 7. | "Every Red Light" | Monty Criswell, Rick Huckaby, Wade Kirby | 3:36 |
| 8. | "It Took a Woman" | Jimmy Melton, Turnbull | 3:21 |
| 9. | "Planet Her" | Kirby, Morgan, O'Donnell | 3:58 |
| 10. | "Ordinary Angels" | Angelo Petraglia, Steven Lee Olsen, Richard Supa | 4:02 |
| Re-issue track listing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Love Remembers" | Morgan, O'Donnell | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Bonfire" | Morgan, Kevin Denney, Mike Rogers, Tom Botkin | 2:59 |
| 3. | "This Ain't Nothin'" | Kerry Kurt Phillips, Chris DuBois | 4:02 |
| 4. | "That's Why" | Morgan, O'Donnell, Turnbull | 3:54 |
| 5. | "God Must Really Love Me" | Collins, Verges | 3:43 |
| 6. | "Lookin' Back with You" | James, Morgan, O'Donnell | 3:57 |
| 7. | "Sticks" | Griffin, Hannan, Morgan, O'Donnell | 4:20 |
| 8. | "It Took a Woman" | Melton, Turnbull | 3:21 |
| 9. | "Planet Her" | Kirby, Morgan, O'Donnell | 3:58 |
| 10. | "Ordinary Angels" | Petraglia, Olsen, Supa | 4:02 |
| Cracker Barrel re-issue track listing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Love Remembers" | Morgan, O'Donnell | 3:57 |
| 2. | "Bonfire" | Morgan, Denney, Rogers, Botkin | 2:59 |
| 3. | "This Ain't Nothin'" | Phillips, DuBois | 4:02 |
| 4. | "That's Why" | Morgan, O'Donnell, Turnbull | 3:54 |
| 5. | "God Must Really Love Me" | Collins, Verges | 3:43 |
| 6. | "Lookin' Back with You" | James, Morgan, O'Donnell | 3:57 |
| 7. | "Sticks" | Griffin, Hannan, Morgan, O'Donnell | 4:20 |
| 8. | "It Took a Woman" | Melton, Turnbull | 3:21 |
| 9. | "Planet Her" | Kirby, Morgan, O'Donnell | 3:58 |
| 10. | "Ordinary Angels" | Petraglia, Olsen, Supa | 4:02 |
| 11. | "You" | Jeffrey Steele, Tom Hambridge, Craig Wiseman | |
| 12. | "Summer Sundown" | Campbell, Morgan, O'Donnell | 3:53 |
| 13. | "Evel Knievel" | Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell | 3:13 |
Personnel
- Eddie Bayers- drums
- Jim "Moose" Brown- clavinet, organ, piano
- Melodie Crittenden- background vocals
- Eric Darken- percussion
- Shannon Forrest- drums
- Kevin "Swine" Grantt- bass guitar
- Alexandra Greer- background vocals
- Vicki Hampton- background vocals
- Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson- harmonica
- Mike Johnson- dobro, steel guitar
- Charlie Judge- piano
- Jeff King- electric guitar
- Andy Leftwich- fiddle, mandolin
- Craig Morgan- lead vocals
- Phil O'Donnell- electric guitar, background vocals
- Angela Primm- background vocals
- Russell Terrell- choir arrangements, background vocals
- John Willis- banjo, acoustic guitar
Chart performance
Album
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 39 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | ||
| 2008 | "Love Remembers" | 9 | 73 |
| 2009 | "God Must Really Love Me" | 26 | — |
| "Bonfire" | 4 | 57 | |
| 2010 | "This Ain't Nothin'" | 13 | 83 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
References
- ↑ NAME:. "CMA Fest TV Show Impacts Album Sales Charts This Week | New Country Music, Listen to Songs & Video". Roughstock.com. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
- ↑ Ward, Leeann (2009-01-08). "Craig Morgan - "God Must Really Love Me"". Country Universe. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
- ↑ "That's Why Reissue". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-04.
- ↑ Lacy, Andrew (2009-05-28). "Craig Morgan — "Bonfire"". Engine 145. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
- 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "That's Why review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
- 1 2 Phillips, Jessica. "That's Why review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
- 1 2 "Listen Up." USA Today n.d.: Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 15 June 2011.