Stronger Than the Truth is the thirty-second studio album by American country music singer Reba McEntire. It was released on April 5, 2019, by Big Machine Records. The album was nominated for Best Country Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards.
Background On September 18, 2018, McEntire posted a picture on Instagram stating that she was back in the studio, and told The Boot that; "It's gonna be probably the most country album I've ever recorded." She also described it as "real country", and was inspired by the music she grew up listening to." In a press release, McEntire explained her inspiration and song selection, saying, "The response to Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope reinforced my love for recording songs that speak to the heart. So when I started selecting songs for this album, I stuck with that same formula – go with the songs that touch my heart, and hopefully when you hear me singing it, they'll touch yours too. That honesty once again revealed itself."
The track "Cactus in a Coffee Can" was originally recorded by Jerry Kilgore on his 1999 album Love Trip.
Promotion and release The album was announced on February 11, 2019. The first promotional single from the album, "Stronger Than the Truth", was released on February 15, along with the album's pre-order. McEntire also announced that a new song from the album would be released each Friday leading up the album's April 5 release date. "No U in Oklahoma" was released as the second promotional single on February 22. On March 1, "In His Mind" was released as the third promotional single. "Tammy Wynette Kind of Pain" was released on March 8 as the fourth promotional single. The fifth promotional single, "Storm in a Shot Glass" was released on March 15. "Freedom" was released as the album's lead single on March 22.
On March 28, the album became available for streaming exclusively on NPR Music's website as a part of their First Listen series.
McEntire also performed the album's single "Freedom" on the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards on April 8, 2019
Commercial performance Stronger Than the Truth debuted at No. 4 on Billboard Top Country Albums, with 20,000 traditional albums sold (21,000 in equivalent album units). It is her 27th top 10 in the Top Country Albums chart, the first of which she achieved 33 years ago on April 19, 1986, with Whoever's in New England. The album has sold 57,500 copies in the United States as of March 2020.
Critical reception Rating it 4 out of 5 stars, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it a "pure, unadorned country album" and "flinty even when it's tender". He also wrote that "She channels this empathetic toughness into a series of songs that plays like short stories...and that deft, subtle blend of music and message gives Stronger Than the Truth a lasting emotional resonance."
Track listing
Personnel Adapted from the album liner notes.
Vocals Reba McEntire – lead vocals Wyatt Beard – backing vocals (1, 3, 7–9, 11, 13, 14) Jenifer Wrinkle – backing vocals (1, 3, 4, 7–11, 13, 14) Melonie Cannon – backing vocals (3, 5) Sonya Isaacs – backing vocals (4) Buddy Cannon – backing vocals (5)
Musicians
Jim "Moose" Brown – acoustic piano (1–10, 13, 14), Hammond B3 organ (3), synthesizer (11) Catherine Marx – acoustic piano (12) Jeff King – electric guitar (1–11, 13, 14) Brent Mason – electric guitar (1–4, 6–11, 13, 14), acoustic guitar (5) Bobby Terry – acoustic guitar (1–11, 13, 14), banjo (3) Mike Johnson – steel guitar (1–11, 13, 14), dobro (5) Larry Paxton – bass (1–11, 13, 14) Tony Creasman – drums (1–11, 13, 14), tambourine (13) Joe Spivey – fiddle (1–4, 6–11, 13, 14) Deanie Richardson – fiddle (5), viola (5)
Production Allison Jones – A&R Buddy Cannon – producer Reba McEntire – producer Tony Castle – recording, mixing Alex Carter – recording assistant (1, 14) Bryce Roberts – recording assistant (1–11, 13, 14) Nick Davison – recording assistant (3, 7–9) Jason Mott – recording assistant (3, 4, 11–13) Ned Singh – recording assistant (3, 7–9) Andrew Mendelson – mastering at Georgetown Masters (Nashville, Tennessee) Taylor Chadwick – mastering assistant Bobbi Geil – mastering assistant Megan Peterson – mastering assistant Shannon Finnegan – production coordinator Janice Soled – copy coordinator Brianna Steinitz – copy coordinator Robby Klein – photography Justin McIntosh – art direction, graphic design, wardrobe Loretta Harper – wardrobe Leslie Matthews – wardrobe Brett Freedman – hair, make-up
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2019) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. 106 Australian Digital Albums (ARIA) 18
Year-end charts Chart (2019) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 93
References