The Hardest Part is the second album by singer/songwriter Allison Moorer. The album is a concept album about a doomed relationship produced and co-written by Moorer's then husband Doyle Lee Primm. The album is based on her parents' relationship which ended in the mid-1980s when Moorer's father murdered her mother before killing himself. She told No Depression magazine in 2000: "This record was inspired by the things I saw my mother go through. It’s not the true story, but it’s inspired by the true story."
Track listing
Personnel Allison Moorer – vocals, acoustic guitar (1, 3) Jay Bennett – acoustic piano (2, 4, 8, 9), acoustic guitar (2), Hammond B3 organ (3, 6), Mellotron (8) Kenny Greenberg – acoustic guitar (1, 3, 7–9), electric guitars (2–6, 8–10), acoustic 12-string guitar (4) Rick Plant – electric guitars (3, 9), acoustic guitar (10) Buddy Miller – acoustic guitar (4), electric guitars (6) Richard Bennett – acoustic guitar (7) Rick Plant – banjo (1) Marty Stuart – mandolin (1) Russ Pahl – pedal steel guitar (2–6, 8–10) Michael Rhodes – upright bass (1), bass (2–10) Chad Cromwell – drums Eric Darken – percussion (2, 5, 6, 9) Joe Spivey – fiddle (1, 6) Chris Carmichael – fiddle (10) Jim Hoke – harmonica (2, 7) The Nashville String Machine – strings (3, 8, 9) The Love Sponge Strings – string quartet (4) Kristin Wilkinson – string arrangements and conductor (3, 4, 8, 9) Louise Red – harmony vocals (1–4, 6, 8, 9) Harry Stinson – harmony vocals (1), backing vocals (5) Louis Nunley – backing vocals (3) Dennis Wilson – backing vocals (3) Rick Schell – backing vocals (5), harmony vocals (6) Lonesome Bob – vocals (9)
Production Tony Brown – executive producer Kenny Greenberg – producer Allison Moorer – co-producer Doyle Primm – co-producer Don Smith – engineer (1–6, 8–10) Peter Coleman – overdub recording, string recording (3, 4, 8, 9), engineer (7) James Bauer – assistant engineer Nathan Mann – assistant engineer Greg Parker – assistant engineer John Saylor – assistant engineer Justin Niebank – mixing at Masterfonics (Nashville, Tennessee) Ken Love – mastering at MasterMix (Nashville, Tennessee) Kate Garner – photography Beth Middleworth – design T.K. Kimbrell for Two Artist Management – management
Chart performance Chart (2000) Peakposition US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) 26
References