Let It Go (Tim McGraw album)
Let It Go is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released on March 27, 2007 by Curb Records. It was entered the U.S. Billboard 200 at number one with sales of 325,000 copies. The album has produced seven Top 20 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including a number one; one of those seven songs was only included on later issues of the album. Of all McGraw's albums, this one has produced the most singles in his career.
Let It Go | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 27, 2007 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 52:39 | |||
Label | Curb Records | |||
Producer |
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Tim McGraw chronology | ||||
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Singles from Let It Go | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | (73/100) [1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
About.com | [2] |
Allmusic | [3] |
The Boston Globe | (positive) [4] |
Country Weekly | (favorable) [5] |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [6] |
Los Angeles Times | [7] |
People | [8] |
PopMatters | [9] |
Robert Christgau | [10] |
Stylus Magazine | B− [11] |
Engine 145 | [12] |
Content
The first single from the album, "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" (written by Big Kenny of Big & Rich), reached the top of the country charts in early 2007, giving McGraw his first number one hit since "Back When" in late 2004. Following it was "I Need You", a duet with his wife Faith Hill. This song peaked at #8. Shortly after the latter was released, McGraw charted with a live rendition of the song "If You're Reading This". He performed that song live at the Academy of Country Music awards in May 2007. A month after this song entered the charts, the album was re-issued with "If You're Reading This" added to the track listing. Afterwards, that song was later officially issued as the album's third single and reached #3 on the country charts.
"If You're Reading This" was followed in late 2007 by "Suspicions", a cover of Eddie Rabbitt's number one hit from 1979. However, McGraw's version became the second Top 40 hit of all his career to miss the Top 10 by peaking at #12 on Hot Country Songs. Following that song were "Kristofferson" and the title track in 2008; the former also failed to make the Top Ten by at #16 while the latter went to #2 in early December. The seventh single, "Nothin' to Die For", was released in January 2009. It entered the Hot Country Songs chart as an album cut at #57 in late December before its official release that month.
The song "Shotgun Rider" is not to be confused with another song with the same name which McGraw recorded on his 2014 album, Sundown Heaven Town. This song, written by Marv Green, Hillary Lindsey and Troy Verges, was released by McGraw as the latter album's third single in 2014, and became a number one song for him that year.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" | Big Kenny | 4:30 |
2. | "I'm Workin'" | Darrell Scott, Lori McKenna | 3:40 |
3. | "Let It Go" | Aimee Mayo, Bill Luther, Tom Douglas | 3:45 |
4. | "Whiskey and You" | Chris Stapleton, Lee Thomas Miller | 3:47 |
5. | "Suspicions" | David Malloy, Eddie Rabbitt, Even Stevens, Randy McCormick | 5:16 |
6. | "Kristofferson" | Anthony Smith, Reed Nielsen | 3:23 |
7. | "Put Your Lovin' on Me" | Hillary Lindsey, Luke Laird | 3:34 |
8. | "Nothin' to Die For" | Craig Wiseman, Miller | 4:13 |
9. | "Between the River and Me" | Brad Warren, Brett Warren, Brett Beavers | 3:53 |
10. | "Train #10" | Tim McGraw, Brad Warren, Brett Warren | 3:58 |
11. | "I Need You" (duet with Faith Hill) | David Lee, Tony Lane | 4:08 |
12. | "Comin' Home" | Rivers Rutherford, Steve McEwan | 4:06 |
13. | "Shotgun Rider" (featuring Faith Hill) | Smith, Jeffrey Steele, Sherrié Austin | 4:21 |
14. | "If You're Reading This" (Live recording from 2007 ACM awards, Only available on mid-2007 re-issues of album) | McGraw, Brad Warren, Brett Warren | 4:12 |
Personnel
Tim McGraw & the Dancehall Doctors
- Tim McGraw – lead vocals
- Jeff McMahon – acoustic piano, Rhodes, Wurlitzer electric piano, synthesizers, Hammond B3 organ
- Denny Hemingson – electric guitar, steel guitar
- Bob Minner – acoustic guitar
- Darran Smith – electric guitar, additional acoustic guitar (13)
- Deano Brown – fiddle, mandolin
- John Marcus – bass
- Billy Mason – drums
- David Dunkley – percussion
Additional Musician
- Byron Gallimore – synthesizers (8, 12), acoustic guitar (12)
Background Vocals
- Last Dollar Singers (1)
- Russell Terrell (1-5)
- Greg Barnhill (2-5, 7-10, 12)
- Wes Hightower (6)
- Faith Hill (13), lead vocals (11)
Production
- Byron Gallimore – producer, mixing
- Tim McGraw – producer, mixing
- Darran Smith – producer
- Missi Gallimore – A&R direction
- Julian King – tracking engineer
- David Bryant – assistant engineer (1-12)
- John Netti – assistant engineer (1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11)
- Lowell Reynolds – assistant engineer (1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11)
- David Robinson – assistant engineer (1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11)
- Bryan Graban – assistant engineer (3, 4, 7, 8, 12)
- Todd Schall – assistant engineer (3, 4, 7, 8, 12)
- Jesse Chrisman – additional recording, Pro Tools engineer, mix assistant
- Jason Gantt – additional recording, Pro Tools engineer
- Jed Hackett – additional recording, Pro Tools engineer
- Sara Lesher – additional recording, Pro Tools engineer, mix assistant
- Erik Lutkins – additional recording, Pro Tools engineer, mix assistant
- Heath Stimmel – additional recording
- Adam Ayan – mastering
- Ann Callis – production assistant
- Glenn Sweitzer – art direction, package design
- Tony Duran – cover photography, other photography
- Danny Clinch – other photography
Studios
- Recorded and overdubbed at Essential Sound Studios (Houston, Texas) and Ocean Way (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Mixed and edited at Essential Sound Studios
- Mastered at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine)
Chart performance
Let It Go entered the U.S. Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums charts at #1. This became McGraw's fourth #1 Billboard 200 and eleventh #1 Top Country Albums release.
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Sales and certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada)[21] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[22] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Singles
Year | Single | Chart Positions | ||
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US Country | US | CAN | ||
2007 | "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" | 1 | 13 | — |
"I Need You" (with Faith Hill) | 8 | 50 | 75 | |
"If You're Reading This" | 3 | 41 | 81 | |
"Suspicions" | 12 | 87 | — | |
2008 | "Kristofferson" | 16 | 110 | — |
"Let It Go" | 2 | 47 | 75 | |
2009 | "Nothin' to Die For" | 5 | 68 | 76 |
References
- Critic reviews at Metacritic
- About.com review
- Allmusic review
- The Boston Globe review
- Country Weekly review
- Entertainment Weekly review
- "Fresh and the followers". Los Angeles Times. 2007-03-27. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05.
- People review
- PopMatters review
- Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
- Stylus Magazine review
- Engine 145 review Archived December 18, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- "Australiancharts.com – Tim McGraw – Let It Go". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- "Tim McGraw Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- "Tim McGraw Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- "Tim McGraw Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- "Canadian album certifications – Tim McGraw – Let It Go". Music Canada. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
- "American album certifications – Tim McGraw – Let It Go". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 8, 2023.