Then Came the Night is the only studio album by American country music artist Tommy Shane Steiner, released in 2002 on RCA Nashville. It features the single "What If She's an Angel", a number 2 hit for Steiner on the Hot Country Songs charts in late 2001-early 2002. Both the second and third singles — "Tell Me Where It Hurts" and "What We're Gonna Do About It", respectively — peaked at number 43 on the same chart.
The track "The Mind of John J. Blanchard" was later recorded by Anthony Smith under the title "John J. Blanchard" on his 2002 debut album If That Ain't Country, from which it was released as a single that year. "I Go Crazy" is a cover of pop singer Paul Davis's hit from 1978.
Jimmy Ritchey produced the album, with Frank Liddell serving as associate producer on tracks 2 and 5.
Critical reception Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album 3 stars out of 5, calling it "a mainstream pop album with a little bit of country dressing" and saying that Steiner is "a modest, likeable singer." Mark Marymont of Country Weekly praised "What If She's an Angel" as "sweetly sentimental", and saying that he "adds a new emotional dimension" to "I Go Crazy". Ray Waddell of Billboard gave the album a mostly-negative review, criticizing it as "devoid of substance" and calling the title track "pretentious", while calling "The Mind of John J. Blanchard" "well-written and even quite moving".
Track listing
Personnel Kenny Aronoff – drums Lisa Cochran – background vocals Eric Darken – percussion Chip Davis – background vocals Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar Vince Gill – background vocals ("What If She's an Angel") David Grissom – electric guitar Aubrey Haynie – fiddle, mandolin Wes Hightower – background vocals David Huff – drum programming Paul Leim – drums B. James Lowry – acoustic guitar John Mabe – background vocals Liana Manis – background vocals Brent Mason – electric guitar Richie McDonald – background vocals ("Havin' a Good Time") Steve Nathan – keyboards Michael Rhodes – bass guitar Jimmy Ritchey – acoustic guitar, banjo, Dobro, harmonica, mandolin, electric guitar, 5-string banjo, nylon-string guitar Neil Thrasher – background vocals Lonnie Wilson – drums Curtis Wright – background vocals Jonathan Yudkin – violin, viola, cello
Chart performance Chart (2002) Peakposition U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 6 U.S. Billboard 200 71
References
[ Then Came the Night] at AllMusic Tommy Shane Steiner biography at About.com