Maps of Music

Blue (1996)

Where the lyrics of Blue take you, and where it was really made.

The debut major-label album came out shortly before LeAnn Rimes turned fourteen, and it became her best-selling record.

Key places

Recorded in Clovis, New Mexico (1996)

Recording site Petty Sound Studios — Part of the album was recorded at Petty Sound Studios in Clovis, New Mexico. The point marks the city centre of Clovis, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded in Tyler, Texas (1996)

Recording site Rosewood Studio — Part of the album was recorded at Rosewood Studio in Tyler, Texas. The point marks the city centre of Tyler, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at OmniSound in Nashville (1996)

Recording site OmniSound Studios — Part of the album was recorded at OmniSound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The point is placed at the studio's building coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Blue: debut major-label album by American country singer LeAnn Rimes
• Third studio album, released 9 July 1996 in the United States by Curb Records
• Released shortly before Rimes's fourteenth birthday
• Peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top Country Albums chart
• Certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA; Rimes's best-selling album

Background

• Four singles, in release order: "Blue", "Hurt Me", "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)", "The Light in Your Eyes"
• "Blue" and "The Light in Your Eyes" both reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart
• "Hurt Me" peaked at 43; "One Way Ticket" became a number one hit on the country chart
• Some songs were recorded earlier by others: "Blue" by Bill Mack (1958 single); "Hurt Me" and "My Baby" by writer Deborah Allen on her 1994 album All That I Am; "Cattle Call" by Tex Owens (1934 single)
• "Cattle Call" on the album is a duet with Eddy Arnold
• Late 1996: copies sold at Target stores included the promotional single "Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart" as a free gift with purchase
• The holiday single's b-side "Unchained Melody" peaked at number three on the Country Songs chart in March 1997 when released from Unchained Melody: The Early Years (1997)

Recording

• Recorded at Petty Sound Studios (Clovis, New Mexico), Rosewood Studio (Tyler, Texas), and Midtown Tone & Volume and OmniSound (Nashville, Tennessee)
• Overdubbed at KD Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
• Mixed at Masterfonics (Nashville), Petty Sound Studios and Rosewood Studio
• Mastered at Masterfonics

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born August 28, 1982 in Jackson, Mississippi; raised in Garland, Texas.
• Began in musical theatre and local talent shows; appeared on Star Search and Johnnie High's Country Music Revue.
• Released independent albums Everybody's Sweetheart (1991) and All That (1994).

Career

• Signed with Curb Records in 1996; the single "Blue" reached the top 10 on Billboard Hot Country Songs.
• Blue (1996) won Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance, the youngest winner of both.
• "How Do I Live" (1997) became one of the best-selling singles of the 1990s.
• Has placed more than 40 singles on international charts and sold more than 48 million records worldwide.
• Acted in films and television, and coached on The Voice Australia and The Voice UK in 2024.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• AllMusic: Shawn M. Haney gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "a glorious free-for-all of sassy pick-me-up country"
• Entertainment Weekly: graded the album B+, praising its raw, old-fashioned country sound and remarking that the hype machine had inadvertently produced a gem
• Los Angeles Times: two-and-a-half stars out of four; said Rimes showed the power and freshness expected of a teenager, but many songs required experience beyond her years
• Robert Christgau: in his Consumer Guide column, gave the album a "neither" score

Records

• Debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with 123,000 copies sold in the week ending 27 July 1996
• Peaked at number three in its second week with 129,500 copies sold
• Number one on the Top Country Albums chart
• Certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA
• Rimes's best-selling album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was released shortly before Rimes turned fourteen, so she was still a teenager when it reached the charts.
• The track listing has 11 songs, and the last one is "Fade to Blue".
• Some tracks were covers of earlier songs, including "Cattle Call", first recorded by Tex Owens in 1934 and sung here as a duet with Eddy Arnold.
• The 1996 holiday promotion gave away "Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart" with purchases at Target stores.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

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