Mercy (Andraé Crouch album)
| Mercy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Genre | Gospel, soul, R&B | |||
| Label | Qwest/Warner Bros.[1] | |||
| Producer | Andraé Crouch, Scott V. Smith | |||
| Andraé Crouch chronology | ||||
| ||||
Mercy is an album by the American musician Andraé Crouch.[2] Released in 1994, it was his first album in 10 years.[3][4]
The album won a Grammy Award for "Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album".[5] It peaked at No. 16 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart.[6]
Production
[edit]The album was produced by Crouch and Scott V. Smith; it was recorded at Crouch's Woodland Hills home studio.[7][8] Crouch chose from a pool of around 450 songs that he had written during his break from recording.[9] Quincy Jones, Crouch's label head, took a hands-off approach, allowing Crouch to do whatever he wanted during the recording sessions.[10]
El DeBarge contributed vocals to "The Lord Is My Light".[11] Joe Sample played piano on "Nobody Else Like You".[7]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Chicago Sun-Times | [13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [14] |
| MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide | [15] |
| USA Today | [16] |
The Dayton Daily News wrote that Crouch "escapes the bounds of his genre while maintaining a spiritually rich, praised-filled album."[17] USA Today stated that "the arrangements, vocals and instrumentation are high-level."[16]
The Philadelphia Inquirer determined that "this is a celebration of styles—from the joyous gospel of 'Give It All Back to Me' to the silky R&B of 'Nobody Else Like You', and the blend of reggae and African rhythms on 'Mercy'."[18] The Virginian-Pilot concluded that, "occasionally, all this star-studded genre-hopping gets to be a bit much."[19] The Chicago Sun-Times thought that the "rich deviations from the more traditional gospel vein are not a dilettante's superfluous musings over more exotic music forms, but rather a convincing display of musical chops, confidence and passion."[13]
AllMusic called the album "a potpourri of musical styles from Caribbean to African, laid down with impeccable taste in arrangement and production."[12] MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide labeled it "a refreshing, triumphant break from contemporary gospel's norm."[15]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Say So" | |
| 2. | "Give It All Back to Me" | |
| 3. | "The Lord Is My Light" | |
| 4. | "Love Somebody Like Me" | |
| 5. | "Nobody Else Like You" | |
| 6. | "Mercy" | |
| 7. | "This Is the Lord's Doing (Marvelous)" | |
| 8. | "We Love It Here" | |
| 9. | "He's the Light (Of the World)" | |
| 10. | "Mercy Interlude" | |
| 11. | "God Still Loves Me" |
References
[edit]- ^ Gordon, Ellen A. (March 26, 1994). "Andrae Crouch Back After 10-Year Hiatus". New Pittsburgh Courier. No. 24. p. B2.
- ^ Weber, Bruce (January 10, 2015). "Andraé Crouch, 72, Who Infused Gospel with Soul, Dies". The New York Times.
- ^ Thompson, Clifford (October 7, 2020). Contemporary World Musicians. Routledge.
- ^ Darden, Bob (January 1, 2004). People Get Ready!: A New History of Black Gospel Music. A&C Black.
- ^ "Andrae Crouch". Grammy Awards. November 23, 2020.
- ^ "Andraé Crouch". Billboard.
- ^ a b "Andrae Crouch Releases New Album". Oakland Post. No. 74. February 20, 1994. p. 7.
- ^ Mariani-Belding, Jeanne (July 23, 1995). "Gospel Singer Enters Pulpit". Los Angeles Daily News. p. N1.
- ^ Seigal, Buddy (September 24, 1994). "An Instrument for the Gospel". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 1.
- ^ Smith, Stacy Jenel (April 4, 1994). "Gospel singer/songwriter Andrae Crouch...". News. The Star-Ledger.
- ^ Norment, Lynn (May 1994). "Sounding Off". Ebony. Vol. 49, no. 7. p. 23.
- ^ a b "Mercy". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Keller, Martin (April 3, 1994). "Andrae Crouch, 'Mercy'". Show. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 8.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 640.
- ^ a b MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 138.
- ^ a b Jones IV, James T (April 11, 1994). "Hip Gospel". USA Today. p. 3D.
- ^ Ali, Derek (April 29, 1994). "Recordings on Review". Go!. Dayton Daily News. p. 18.
- ^ Marymont, Mark (July 17, 1994). "A Prime of Who's Who in Christian Pop". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. L1.
- ^ Lake, M.L. (March 25, 1994). "Gospel". Preview. The Virginian-Pilot. p. 8.