Desperate Man (album)

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Desperate Man
Studio album by
Eric Church
ReleasedOctober 5, 2018 (2018-10-05)
StudioNeon Cross (Nashville)
GenreOutlaw country[1]
Length36:41
Label
ProducerJay Joyce
Eric Church chronology
Mr. Misunderstood
(2015) 		Desperate Man
(2018) 		Heart & Soul
(2021)
Singles from Desperate Man
  1. "Desperate Man"
    Released: July 12, 2018
  2. "Some of It"
    Released: January 14, 2019
  3. "Monsters"
    Released: August 26, 2019

Desperate Man (stylized in all lowercase) is the sixth album by American country music singer Eric Church. It was released via EMI Nashville and Snakefarm Records on October 5, 2018. Following the success of 2015's Mr. Misunderstood, Church reteamed with long-time producer Jay Joyce to work on new material for his next country album. The album garnered positive reviews from music critics. Desperate Man debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number five on the Billboard 200, spawning three singles: the title track, "Some of It" and "Monsters". It was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

History[edit]

Church announced the album's release on July 13, 2018, via a livestream to his fanclub, the Church Choir. The lead single, which is the title track, was shipped to radio a day prior to this announcement. The album consists of 11 songs, and Church revealed the tracklisting on a pre-order page on his website. As with all of his previous albums, it was produced by Jay Joyce.[2] Church said that the album's title came from the emotions he felt after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting; he told Rolling Stone that "I got a little bit desperate in there to just find an album, because it was not fucking happening."[3]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Pitchfork7.6/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Desperate Man received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 8 reviews.[4]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated it 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "Instead of going big, the way he did on 2014's burly Outsiders, he's keeping things small, a decision that highlights the many savvy ways he expands American musical traditions even as he adheres to them. Perhaps these variations on themes are subtle, but this confident sense of sonic adventure -- when combined with Church's expert craft -- results in a satisfying album."[1] Erlewine also reviewed the album for Pitchfork, where he called it one of the "most modest but poignant albums" of Church's career and "the sound of a renegade settling into his mature period".[5] Erlewine also noted that the "deliberate decision not to indulge in a grand gesture—combined with the consciously compact scale of Desperate Man—means this album seems smaller than every record he's made since 2011's Chief. That modesty is the key to its very appeal: This is an album designed not for the moment but the long haul."[5] Vulture reviewer Craig Jenkins wote that Church "excellence out of ordinary threads", while highlighting it as Church's "quietest" record to date and praising many of the songs' lyrics.[7]

Meet-Country.com stated "His current sound is a natural progression from his previous works but yet it all still ties together."[8]

Desperate Man received a nomination for Album of the Year at the 53rd Country Music Association Awards, ultimately losing to Girl (2019) by Maren Morris.[9]

Commercial performance[edit]

Desperate Man debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, with 103,000 copies sold (116,000 in equivalent album units). It is Church's fifth top ten entry in the chart.[10] It also debuted atop the Top Country Albums chart.[11] On the Billboard 200, the album left the top 100 on the week of November 24, 2018, and has spent 22 weeks on the chart.[12][13] It has sold 245,100 copies in the United States as of March 2020.[14] Desperate Man was certified gold by the RIAA in the US on August 3, 2020.[15] In Canada, the album debuted and peaked at number five on the Canadian Albums chart for the week of October 20, 2018.[16] Desperate Man was certified gold by Music Canada in Canada on March 26, 2021.[17]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Eric Church, with additional co-writers as noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Snake"
4:00
2."Hangin' Around"
  • Jeff Hyde
2:29
3."Heart Like a Wheel" 3:15
4."Some of It"
3:15
5."Monsters"
  • Hyde
3:20
6."Hippie Radio" 2:54
7."Higher Wire"
2:43
8."Desperate Man"
3:28
9."Solid"
  • Anders Osborne
4:18
10."Jukebox and a Bar" 3:12
11."Drowning Man"
  • Beathard
3:47
Total length:36:41

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the Desperate Man liner notes.[18]

Musicians

  • Jeff Cease – electric guitar, handclapping
  • Eric Church – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, lead vocals, background vocals
  • Joanna Cotten – handclapping, background vocals
  • Lee Hendricks – bass guitar, handclapping
  • Jeff Hyde – banjo, acoustic guitar, handclapping, background vocals
  • Jay Joyce – acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar, Hammond B-3 organ, handclapping, keyboards, percussion, piano, programming, background vocals
  • Driver Williams – electric guitar
  • Craig Wright – bongos, drums, handclapping, percussion, shaker

Production

  • Jay Joyce – producer, mixing (Neon Cross)
  • Jason Hall – mixing (Neon Cross)
  • Jimmy Mansfield – assistant engineering
  • Jaxon Hargrove – assistant engineering
  • Andrew Mendelson – mastering (Georgetown Masters)
  • Melissa Spillman – production coordination

Imagery

  • John Peets – art direction and photography
  • Karen Naff – design

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17] Gold 40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[15] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Desperate Man – Eric Church". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  2. ^ Liptak, Carena (July 12, 2018). "Everything We Know About Eric Church's New Album, 'Desperate Man'". The Boot. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  3. ^ Moss, Marisa (July 12, 2018). "Eric Church on New Song 'Desperate Man: 'I Was a Little Lost for a While'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Reviews for Desperate Man by Eric Church". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (October 13, 2018). "Eric Church: Desperate Man Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  6. ^ Hermes, Will (October 5, 2018). "Review: Eric Church Pledges Allegiance to Old-School Country-Rock Values on 'Desperate Man'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  7. ^ Jenkins, Craig (October 4, 2018). "On Desperate Man, Eric Church's Devastating Pen is Pushed to Center Stage". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  8. ^ "Eric Church – Desperate Man Album Review". Meet Country. October 4, 2018.
  9. ^ Melas, Chloe (November 14, 2019). "CMA Awards 2019 winners: See who won big at country music's biggest night". CNN. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (October 14, 2018). "Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper's 'A Star Is Born' Soundtrack Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  11. ^ "Top Country Albums: October 20, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  12. ^ "Billboard 200: November 24, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "Billboard 200: August 17, 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  14. ^ Bjorke, Matt (March 10, 2020). "Top 10 Country Albums Pure Sales Chart: March 9, 2020". Roughstock. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "American album certifications – Eric Church – Desperate Man". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  16. ^ "Billboard Canadian Albums: October 20, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Canadian album certifications – Eric Church – Desperate Man". Music Canada. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  18. ^ Desperate Man (booklet). Eric Church. EMI Nashville. 2018. B002873302.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #494". auspOp. October 13, 2018. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  20. ^ "Eric Church Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Eric Church – Desperate Man". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  23. ^ "Eric Church Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  24. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  25. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
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