2010 studio album by Reba McEntire
All the Women I Am is the twenty-eighth studio album by American country music singer Reba McEntire. It was released November 9, 2010, through the Valory Music Group, a division of Big Machine Records.[2][3] Its first single is "Turn On the Radio", which was released in July and debuted at #54 and peaked at #1 in January 2011. The second single "If I Were a Boy" and was released in January 2011 and re-entered the Billboard Country Charts at #60, peaking at #22 in April 2011. The third single, "When Love Gets a Hold of You", was released on April 11, 2011, peaking at #40 in six weeks. McEntire's fourth single from the album was "Somebody's Chelsea," which peaked at #44.[4][5] The album was produced by Dann Huff.[3] As of 2012 it is her 1st studio album since 1984's Just a Little Love not to be certified.
Background
The title of the album relates to the many roles that McEntire plays in her life.[6] Asked once in an interview for a ranking, McEntire responded, "Mother first, wife second, and the rest just follow."[7] The album features a cover of American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles' single "If I Were a Boy". McEntire's version became a viral video when she first performed the song on CMT's Unplugged earlier in 2010.[8] Reba's next album was supposed to be a Christmas album but the song 'If I Were a Boy' changed McEntire's mind.
Critical reception
Upon its release, All the Women I Am received generally positive reviews from most music critics.[18] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 5 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[18]
Michael McCall with the Associated Press gave it a mixed review, saying "at age 55, McEntire remains a powerhouse who tends to err by trying harder than necessary to show her range".[10] Jessica Phillips of Country Weekly gave the album four star rating, calling the release "[an] emotionally charged set of songs" and commended her cover of "If I Were A Boy", calling it a "soulful, countrified look at love from a male perspective".[13]
Giving the release a 3½ star rating, Matt Bjorke of Roughstock, saying "All The Woman I Am had the potential to be a missed-opportunity after the first two tracks on the record but the album is saved by a meaty collection of songs that hopefully will find Reba retaining her current resurgence at radio".[14] Allison Stewart with The Washington Post'' compared the album to its predecessor, Keep On Loving You, saying that the album "tries harder, with worse results; McEntire and her collaborators aim for Carrie Underwood and too often wind up with warmed-over Shania Twain". On a positive note, she called her version of "If I Were a Boy" "fantastic".[16] Thom Jurek with Allmusic gave the release a 2½ rating, saying "Everything, from songs and arrangements to production tries hard to sound on the contemporary edge, but comes off as underscoring that Underwood has the corner on this sound [...] ultimately, All the Women I Am falls flat; it feels awkward in its stylistic mimicry, and has no center".[9]
Steve Morse with The Boston Globe called it "one of her best effort", saying "It blends hard-edged, modern country-rock with some profoundly tender ballad singing".[12] Blake Boldt with "Engine 145" gave it a 3½ star rating, saying "Women is a crash course in dealing with emotional hurdles. There’s a great deal of value when McEntire sings about volatile emotions, and she builds a rapport with female listeners by admitting her own frailties".[17]
Personnel
Adapted from the album's liner notes.[1]
Musicians
- Reba McEntire – lead vocals
- Charlie Judge – keyboards, synthesizers, synth strings, synth horns, Rhodes piano, clavinet, Hammond B3 organ, programming, string arrangements and conductor (8, 10)
- Gordon Mote – acoustic piano
- Steve Nathan – acoustic piano, Hammond B3 organ
- Jimmy Nichols – acoustic piano, Wurlitzer electric piano
- Tom Bukovac – electric guitar
- J. T. Corenflos – electric guitar
- Dann Huff – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo
- Jerry McPherson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Ilya Toshinsky – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, mandolin
- Bruce Bouton – steel guitar
- Paul Franklin – steel guitar, dobro
- Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar
- Shannon Forrest – drums
- Scott Williamson – drums
- David Huff – percussion, programming
- Eric Darken – percussion
- Mark Douthit – saxophone
- Stuart Duncan – fiddle
- Jonathan Yudkin – fiddle
- Carl Gorodetzky – string contractor (8, 10)
- The Nashville String Machine – strings (8, 10)
- Vicki Hampton – backing vocals
- Joanna Janét – backing vocals
- Cherie Oakley – backing vocals
- Angela Primm – backing vocals
- Russell Terrell – backing vocals
- Jenifer Wrinkle – backing vocals
Production notes
- Dann Huff – producer
- Allison Jones – A&R
- Velvet Reid – A&R
- Brent King – recording
- Steve Marcantonio – recording, mixing
- Justin Niebank – recording, mixing
- Mark Hagen – additional recording
- Seth Morton – additional recording
- Steve Blackmon – recording assistant
- Drew Bollman – recording assistant
- Tristan Brock-Jones – recording assistant
- David Huff – digital editing
- Christopher Rowe – digital editing
- Adam Ayan – mastering
- Hank Williams – mastering
- Mike "Frog" Griffith – production coordinator
- Whitney Sutton – copy coordinator
- Austin Hale – package design
- Aaron Rayburn – package design
- Josh Shearon – package design
- Russ Harrington – photography
- Justin Nolan Key – photography
- Brett Freedman – hair stylist, makeup
- Terry Gordon – wardrobe