These Days (Vince Gill album)


These Days is the eleventh studio album and the first box set by American country music artist Vince Gill. Consisting of 43 original songs spanning four discs, the album displays the range of Gill's lyrical and musical styles, ranging from traditional country and bluegrass to jazz and rock. The album was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and won Best Country Album. In 2012, the album was number 10 on People Magazine's "Top 10 Best Albums of the Century ". It is also ranked number 9 on Country Universe's "The 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade."

History

To accompany him on this undertaking, Gill turned both to artists he knew and had worked with before and to those whose music he admired from
a distance. "I never try to fill up my records with famous people," Gill says. "I try to fill them up with the most talented people I can find on the face of the earth." By the time the project was completed, that group included: Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Diana Krall, Rodney Crowell, Patty Loveless, Phil Everly, the Del McCoury Band, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, John Anderson, Lee Ann Womack, Jenny Gill, Amy Grant, LeAnn Rimes, Gretchen Wilson, Guy Clark, Trisha Yearwood, Bekka Bramlett, Michael McDonald, steel-guitarist Buddy Emmons and many other musical standouts.
Initially, Gill planned to pare down the songs to a single album. Then, in one of the studios he used, he spotted some Beatles memorabilia and recalled that the Fab Four had routinely released multiple albums within the same year.
The album debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 at number 17, with 42,000 copies sold in its first week. This was also the album's peak position on the chart.

Singles

Three singles were released from this album, of which two were duets. The first single, "The Reason Why" reached number 28 on the Hot Country Songs charts; following it was "What You Give Away", which featured Sheryl Crow and peaked at number 43. The third single, "How Lonely Looks", failed to chart.

Track listing

''Workin' on a Big Chill''

"The Rockin' Record"
  1. "Workin’ on a Big Chill" - 4:03
  2. "Love’s Standin’" - 4:05
  3. "Cowboy Up" - 4:00
  4. "Sweet Thing" - 3:20
  5. "Bet It All on You" - 4:26
  6. "Nothin’ for a Broken Heart" - 3:03
  7. "Son of a Ramblin’ Man" - 2:45
  8. "Smilin’ Song" - 2:59
  9. "The Rhythm of the Pourin’ Rain" - 3:26
  10. "Nothin’ Left to Say" - 3:56

''The Reason Why''

"The Groovy Record"
  1. "What You Don't Say" - 5:03
  2. "The Reason Why" - 2:50
  3. "The Rock of Your Love" - 3:51
  4. "What You Give Away" - 4:52
  5. "Faint of Heart" - 4:30
  6. "Time to Carry On" - 4:09
  7. "No Easy Way" - 3:40
  8. "This Memory of You" - 3:43
  9. "How Lonely Looks" - 5:10
  10. "Tell Me One More Time About Jesus" - 4:02
  11. "Everything and Nothing" - 4:02
  12. "Which Way Will You Go" - 4:11
  13. "These Days" - 3:55

''Some Things Never Get Old''

"The Country and Western Record"
  1. "This New Heartache" - 3:31
  2. "The Only Love" - 3:53
  3. "Out of My Mind" - 3:18
  4. "The Sight of Me Without You" - 4:07
  5. "I Can’t Let Go" - 3:28
  6. "Don’t Pretend with Me" - 2:32
  7. "Some Things Never Get Old" - 4:11
  8. "Sweet Little Corrina" - 2:52
  9. "If I Can Make Mississippi" - 3:44
  10. "Take This Country Back" - 3:37

''Little Brother''

"The Acoustic Record"
  1. "All Prayed Up" - 2:16
  2. "Cold Gray Light of Gone" - 4:03
  3. "A River Like You" - 4:50
  4. "Ace Up Your Pretty Sleeve" - 3:33
  5. "Molly Brown" - 4:19
  6. "Girl" - 4:30
  7. "Give Me the Highway" - 3:14
  8. "Sweet Augusta Darlin’" - 3:12
  9. "Little Brother" - 4:46
  10. "Almost Home" - 5:19

Personnel

Musicians
Vocalists
Choirs
  • Audrelle Brown, Keisha Frierson, Chaerea Denning, Calvin Nowell, Desmond Pringle, Logan Reynolds, Drea Rhenee, David Ridley, Julie Scalise and Leah White – choir
  • Benny Garcia, Vince Gill, John Hobbs and Justin Niebank – "frozen margarita" choir

Production

  • Vince Gill – producer
  • John Hobbs – producer
  • Justin Niebank – producer
  • Traci Sterling Bishir – production manager
  • Craig Allen – art direction, design
  • William Matthews – art direction, design, cover painting
  • Jim "Señor" McGuire – photography
  • Deborah Wingo – hair
  • Jan Reams – make-up
  • Trish Townsend – wardrobe stylist
  • Terry Elam, Larry Fitzgerald and Mark Hartley for The Fitzgerald/Hartley Co. – management
Technical credits
  • Adam Ayan – mastering at Gateway Mastering
;CDs 1–3
  • Justin Niebank – recording, mixing
  • Terry Christian – horn recording
  • Drew Bollman – recording assistant, mix assistant, additional recording, assistant engineer
  • Neal Cappellino – additional recording
  • Steve Marcantonio – additional recording
  • Scott Kidd – assistant engineer
  • Greg Lawrence – assistant engineer
  • David Robinson – assistant engineer
;CD 4
  • Neal Cappellino – recording, mixing
  • Scott Kidd – recording assistant, mix assistant
  • Greg Lawrence – recording assistant, mix assistant