We Weren't Crazy is the second studio album by American country music artist Josh Gracin. Originally titled All About Y'all, the album was slated for release in mid-2006 after the release of its debut single "Favorite State of Mind". However the album release was delayed when the debut single failed to perform strongly on radio.[1][2] A second single, "I Keep Coming Back", was issued in early 2007, and the album's name was changed to I Keep Coming Back. This single similarly failed to perform well.[3] The album was finally issued on April 1, 2008 as a limited release, following the release of its title track which was a top 10 hit.[4]
| We Weren't Crazy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1, 2008 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 42:36 | |||
| Label | Lyric Street | |||
| Producer | Brett James Marty Williams | |||
| Josh Gracin chronology | ||||
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| Singles from We Weren't Crazy | ||||
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Overall, the album's five singles have all charted in the Top 40 on the Hot Country Songs charts, including the number ten title track. Next came "Unbelievable (Ann Marie)" (a song that Josh Gracin wrote about his then-wife Ann Marie), which peaked at number 36, his least successful single to date, and "Telluride", which was previously recorded by Tim McGraw on his 2001 album Set This Circus Down, which peaked at number 34. "I Don't Want to Live" was recorded as "I Don't Wanna Live" by Chris Cagle on his 2008 album My Life's Been a Country Song. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.[5]
Sales of We Weren't Crazy failed to meet those of Gracin's debut, with 18,000 units sold on its first week.[1] He parted company with Lyric Street in April 2009 after the poor chart performance of "Telluride".[6]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [7] |
| The 9513 | [8] |
AllMusic editor Thom Jurek called the album's content "formulaic contemporary country", but gave praise to tracks like the title track and "Telluride" as highlights and Gracin's vocal delivery for carrying the material effortlessly, concluding that "if anyone has a chance of making lightning strike twice it's him."[7] The 9513's Jim Malec also gave praise to Gracin's performance on tracks that were "considerably substantive and surprisingly emotionally complex" on "a near flawless set of contemporary country material," but felt that it relied too heavily on tempo and lacked songs that contained emotional depth and intimacy for the listeners, concluding that "it is a solid effort that would greatly benefit from one or two standout ballads, and which, despite its many strengths, ultimately falls short of artistically exceptional."[8] Ken Tucker of Billboard called it a "solid follow-up" based on the title track, "Favorite State of Mind", "Livin' It Up" and "Unbelievable (Ann Marie)".[9] Rick Bell of Country Standard Time was critical of the album's production being "cluttered and uneven" throughout the track listing but called it "a safe, pleasant follow-up."[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Found" |
| Williams | 3:54 |
| 2. | "We Weren't Crazy" |
| James | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Invisible" |
| James | 4:38 |
| 4. | "Let Me Fall" |
| James | 4:08 |
| 5. | "I Don't Want to Live" |
| Williams | 3:35 |
| 6. | "Favorite State of Mind" |
| Williams | 3:18 |
| 7. | "Telluride" |
| James | 3:53 |
| 8. | "I Keep Coming Back" | Williams | 3:51 | |
| 9. | "Sweet September" | Williams | 4:13 | |
| 10. | "Livin' It Up" |
| James | 4:06 |
| 11. | "Unbelievable (Ann Marie)" | Gracin | James | 3:13 |
Chart performance
editAlbum
edit| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
US Sales |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 4[10] | 85,000[11] |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 33[12] |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | ||
| 2006 | "Favorite State of Mind" | 19 | 119 |
| "I Keep Coming Back" | 28 | — | |
| 2007 | "We Weren't Crazy" | 10 | 82 |
| 2008 | "Unbelievable (Ann Marie)" | 36 | — |
| "Telluride" | 34 | — | |
Personnel
editAdapted from the We Weren't Crazy liner notes.[13]
- Vocals
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- Instrumentation
|
|
- Technical
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|
- Imagery
- Sherri Halford, Ashley Heron, Glenn Sweitzer – art direction
- Glenn Sweitzer/Fresh Design – package design
- Margaret Malandrucculo – photography
- Melody Malloy – wardrobe
- Crystal Tesinksy – grooming
References
edit- ^ a b 4/18: Finally— the Josh Gracin interview!
- ^ a b Bell, Rick. "We Weren't Crazy". Country Standard Time. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ "Josh Gracin gets green light for second CD". Country Standard Time. February 14, 2008. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ Downs, Jolene. "Josh Gracin - We Weren't Crazy". About.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ Billboard website
- ^ "Gracin splits with Lyric Street, releases song". Country Standard Time. May 4, 2009. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "We Weren't Crazy – Josh Gracin". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ a b Malec, Jim (April 10, 2008). "Album Review: Josh Gracin – We Weren't Crazy". The 9513. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ Tucker, Ken. "We Weren't Crazy". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
- ^ "Josh Gracin debuts in fourth". Country Standard Time. April 9, 2008. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ Mansfield, Brian (December 8, 2010). "Idols maintain chart presence with guest appearances, compilations". USA Today. Archived from the original on January 20, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
- ^ Billboard - We Weren't Crazy - Josh Gracin
- ^ We Weren't Crazy (liner notes). Josh Gracin. Lyric Street. 2008. 2061650632.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)