It's a Man's World (Cher album)
It's a Man's World is the twenty-first studio album by American singer and actress Cher released on November 6, 1995, by WEA, and distributed in North America by Reprise Records in 1996 with an adjusted track list. As of 1997, the album had sold 700,000 copies worldwide. In the UK the album peaked at number 10 and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry for selling more than 100,000 copies.
Background
It's a Man's World found Cher singing "unconventional" songs in a style more associated with the Deep South, rather than her more familiar pop and rock roots. The album also stands out for Cher stretching her vocals to head register for such songs as "One by One" and "The Gunman", getting out of her comfort zone of her trademark husky contralto.Cher signed with Warner Music UK in 1994 and recorded It's a Man's World in London in 1995. That same year the album was released in Europe with "Walking in Memphis" as its lead off single. It was certified gold in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry.
The original album release included fourteen songs. The United States release from 1996 includes eleven songs, removing "I Wouldn't Treat a Dog ", "Don't Come Around Tonite" and "Shape of Things to Come". Five songs were also remixed for the United States release: "Not Enough Love in the World", "Paradise Is Here", "Angels Running", "What About the Moonlight" and "One by One. Their new sound carried R&B influences, while their original versions were influenced by Southern rock and blues. Both the original album and the United States edition were released in Australia.
"The Gunman" was written by Prefab Sprout lead vocalist Paddy McAloon, who eventually released his recording of the song on the 2001 album The Gunman and Other Stories.
On July 14, 2023, Cher released a deluxe version of the album on both vinyl and CD.
Singles
Five singles were released to promote the album. A cover of Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis" served as the lead single off the album in Europe, Australia and Canada. In Europe, the single was a notable hit and charted higher than the original version. It peaked at #11 in the UK and reached the top 20 in several European countries; however it failed to gain notable attention elsewhere. A music video for the song portrayed Cher walking around Memphis dressed as Elvis Presley and singing in a bus."One by One", co-written by Cher, saw more success. It was released as the second single in the UK and as the first single in the United States. The song peaked inside the top 10 in the UK and across Europe, as well as charting at #52 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #22 in Canada. Three music videos were released to promote the song worldwide, all following a story of an unhappy couple trying to get over their struggles and showing scenes of Cher singing.
Two covers, Don Henley's "Not Enough Love in the World" and Frankie Valli's "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore", were released as next singles off the album, both charted moderately in the UK. The final single in the US was a cover of Tina Turner's "Paradise Is Here" which was remixed and reached #11 on the US Dance Club Songs chart.
Critical reception
Upon release, the album received a mixed response from international music critics. AllMusic's Jose F. Promis praised the album for its "torchy ballads, Western-themed epics, and R&B influences" and described it as "one of the singer's finest, as well as one of her most overlooked and underappreciated ". Jim Farber from Entertainment Weekly gave the album a C and while he appreciated "Walking In Memphis", stating that the song "must be heard to be believed" he wrote that the songs of the album "lack some of Cher's old camp". Paul Verna from Billboard said the album helped her open a new chapter on a "softer, often sullen rhythm pop note", as it reveals "vibrant and previously unheard colors of her voice". The Rolling Stone Album Guide rated It's a Man's World two and a half out of five stars.Commercial performance
It's a Man's World was successful in Europe. It debuted at number 28 on the UK Albums Chart on the week of 12 November 1995. The album rose to its peak position of number 10 during its thirteenth week on the chart following the commercial success of "One by One". The album spent a total of 22 weeks on the chart, sold over 100,000 copies in the UK and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry. It proved to be successful in other European countries peaking inside the top 20 in several of them and number eight in Austria. The album failed to gain notable attention elsewhere peaking number 64 on the US Billboard 200 with only 9,000 copies sold in its first week, and number 46 in Canada. As of 1997, the album sold 700,000 copies, according to Billboard.Track listing
Notes- signifies a remixer
- Cher is credited as composer only in the US edition
- signifies an additional producer
Personnel
- Cher – main vocals
- Anne Dudley – string arrangements
- Tracks 1, 5, 8, 9 produced by Christopher Neil
- Tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 14 produced by Stephen Lipson
- Tracks 4, 10 produced by Greg Penny
- Tracks 11, 12, 13 produced by Trevor Horn
- Tracks 1, 2, 4, 5 remixed by Sam Ward
- Track 3 remixed by Daniel Abraham
- "The Gunman" edited by the original song producer, Trevor Horn
- David Scheinmann – photography
- Craig Kostich – executive producer
- Steve Fitzmaurice – mixing
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart | Peak position |
| Hungarian Physical Albums | 22 |
| Spanish Vinyl Albums | 51 |
| Swiss Albums | 33 |
| UK Record Store Chart | 34 |