The Tears of Hercules

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The Tears of Hercules
Studio album by
Rod Stewart
Released12 November 2021 (2021-11-12)
Length44:31
Label
Producer
Rod Stewart chronology
You're in My Heart: Rod Stewart with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(2019) 		The Tears of Hercules
(2021) 		Swing Fever
(2024)
Singles from The Tears of Hercules
  1. "One More Time"
    Released: 16 September 2021[1]
  2. "Hold On"
    Released: 15 October 2021
  3. "I Can't Imagine"
    Released: 5 November 2021

The Tears of Hercules is the thirty-second studio album by British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart. It was released on 12 November 2021 through Warner and Rhino. It was produced by Stewart and Kevin Savigar.

Background[edit]

Stewart began a songwriting and production partnership with Kevin Savigar in the early 2010s, and they experienced widespread commercial success with Time (2013), Another Country (2015) and Blood Red Roses (2018).[2] Stewart then released a series of compilation albums, including You're in My Heart, Cupid and a box set of material recorded between 1975 and 1978.[3]

Music and lyrics[edit]

Stewart co-wrote nine of the album's tracks with Kevin Savigar and Emerson Swinford. "I Can't Imagine" is dedicated to Stewart's wife Penny Lancaster. "Hold On" addresses topical issues including bigotry and racism, with a reference to civil rights activist John Lewis. "Born to Boogie" is dedicated to Marc Bolan.

The title track was written by Canadian singer-songwriter Marc Jordan and composer Stephan Moccio, and originally released on Jordan's album Make Believe Ballroom (2004).[4] Jordan had previously co-written "Rhythm of My Heart" with John Capek, a major hit for Stewart in 1991. The album also includes covers of "Some Kind of Wonderful" and the Johnny Cash song "These Are My People".

Release and promotion[edit]

The Tears of Hercules was released on 12 November 2021.[1] "One More Time" was released as the lead single on 16 September 2021 with an accompanying music video filmed in London on 21 August 2021. "Hold On" was released as the second single on 15 October 2021. "I Can't Imagine" followed as the third single on 5 November 2021, with an accompanying music video.

On the day of release, Stewart promoted the album on television shows including The Kelly Clarkson Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Graham Norton Show.[5][6]

Artwork[edit]

The photograph used for the cover artwork of The Tears of Hercules was taken by Penny Lancaster during the video shoot for "One More Time". It depicts Stewart wearing an embroidered military-style jacket and a necklace that reads "Celtic", in support of Celtic Football Club.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic57/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
American Songwriter[9]
Classic Rock[10]
The Independent[11]

The Tears of Hercules was met with mixed reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalised score out of 100 to ratings from publications, the album received a weighted mean score of 57 based on 5 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7]

Referencing Stewart's songwriting, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that Stewart is "in a decidedly looser frame of mind" than he was on Time (2013). He described the album as "alternately baffling, absurd, sweet, and endearing".[8] Writing for Classic Rock magazine, Paul Moody stated that Stewart has "always been a master interpreter of other people’s material", describing the title track as an "atmospheric ballad".[10] In American Songwriter, Hal Horowitz was critical of the album's songwriting and production, but stated that "a few moments almost save this from moving into the “better luck next time” pile."[9] In a wholly negative review for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor described the album as a "12-track cringefest" where "Stewart celebrates carnal love in between songs about his late father".[11]

Track listing[edit]

The Tears of Hercules track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One More Time"
3:58
2."Gabriella"
  • Stewart
  • Savigar
3:33
3."All My Days"
  • Stewart
  • Savigar
3:37
4."Some Kind of Wonderful"John Ellison3:02
5."Born to Boogie (A Tribute to Marc Bolan)"
3:43
6."Kookooaramabama"
  • Stewart
  • Savigar
3:43
7."I Can't Imagine"
  • Stewart
  • Savigar
  • Swinford
3:35
8."The Tears of Hercules"
4:10
9."Hold On"
  • Stewart
  • Savigar
4:19
10."Precious Memories"
  • Stewart
  • Savigar
3:59
11."These Are My People"Johnny Cash2:57
12."Touchline"
  • Stewart
  • Savigar
3:55
Total length:44:31
Japanese edition bonus track[12]
No.TitleLength
13."Up All Night"3:34
Total length:48:05

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]

Musicians[edit]

  • Rod Stewart – vocals (all tracks), production (all tracks)
  • Kevin Savigar – production (all tracks), keyboards (all tracks), programming (all tracks)
  • Emerson Swinford – guitars (2, 4-7, 9, 11), bass (5-6)
  • Mike Severs – guitars (10)
  • J'Anna Jacoby – violin (1), fiddles (3)
  • Jimmy Roberts – saxophone (10)
  • David Palmer – drums (5)
  • Julia Thornton – percussion (3-5, 8-9, 11-12)
  • Amanda Miller – backing vocals (1-6, 8-10, 12)
  • Holly Brewer – backing vocals (1-10, 12)
  • Gemma Mewse – backing vocals (1-10)
  • Harlano Weekes – backing vocals (4, 8-11)
  • Adeola Shyllon – backing vocals (4, 8-9, 11)
  • Mark Agyei – backing vocals (4, 8-11)
  • Melissa Veszi – backing vocals (4, 8-9, 11)
  • Sabrina Adel – backing vocals (4, 8-9, 11)
  • Taya Plant – backing vocals (4, 8-9, 11)
  • Roo Saville – backing vocals (7-8, 12)
  • Jessica Childress – backing vocals (9)
  • T Jay Weekes – backing vocals (10)

Technical[edit]

  • Kevin Savigar – recording, mixing
  • Joe Bozzi – mastering
  • Sheryl Farber – project assistance
  • Lisa Glines – project assistance
  • Patrick Milligan – project assistance
  • Susanne Savage – project assistance

Design[edit]

  • Penny Lancaster – photography
  • Rory Wilson – art direction, design
  • Kristin Attaway – packaging manager

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Greene, Andy (16 September 2021). "Rod Stewart Is Set to Drop Self-Proclaimed 'Best Album in Many a Year'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  2. ^ Myers, Justin (5 October 2018). "Rod Stewart sees off Cher to claim ninth Number 1 album: "I feel like I scored the winning goal in front of the home crowd"". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  3. ^ Copsey, Rob (27 December 2019). "Rod Stewart claims final UK Number 1 album of 2019 with You're In My Heart". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  4. ^ White, Jack (16 September 2021). "Rod Stewart announces new album The Tears of Hercules set for November release". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  5. ^ Stockly, Ed (12 November 2021). "What's on TV Friday: 'Kevin Garnett: Anything Is Possible'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Sir Rod Stewart on his new album: 'It came out of lockdown'". Penarth Times. 12 November 2021. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  7. ^ a b "The Tears of Hercules by Rod Stewart Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (12 November 2021). "The Tears of Hercules – Rod Stewart". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  9. ^ a b Horowitz, Hal (12 November 2021). "Review: Rod Stewart Returns with a Mixed Bag". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  10. ^ a b Moody, Paul (12 November 2021). "Tears Of Hercules: everything you might want from an audience with Rod Stewart". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  11. ^ a b O'Connor, Roisin (11 November 2021). "Album reviews: Damon Albarn, Courtney Barnett, Idles, Rod Stewart". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  12. ^ "The Tears of Hercules by Rod Stewart". HMV Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  13. ^ The Tears of Hercules (booklet). Rod Stewart. United Kingdom: Warner Records. 2021. 603497842520.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 47. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  21. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  26. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  27. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  28. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  29. ^ "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista - eladási darabszám alapján - 2021" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  30. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  31. ^ "British album certifications – Rod Stewart – The Tears of Hercules". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
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