Essentially, Garth Brooks's second album, No Fences, follows the same pattern as his debut, but it is a more assured and risky record. Brooks still performs neo-traditional country, such as the honky tonk hit "Friends in Low Places," but now he twists it around with clever pop hooks. Those pop/rock influences are most apparent on the ballads, which alternate between sensitive folk-rock and power ballad bombast. But what makes No Fences such a success is how seamlessly he blends the two seemingly opposing genres, and how he chooses a set of material that makes his genre-bending sound subtle and natural. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the songs are consistently entertaining, either. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Garth Brooks (Vocals), Garth Brooks (Vocals (Background)), Garth Brooks (Main Performer), Trisha Yearwood (Vocals), Trisha Yearwood (Vocals (Background)), Pat Alger (Guitar (Acoustic)), Pat Alger (Vocals), Buddy Mondlock (Vocals), Edgar Meyer (Bass), Edgar Meyer (Bass (Upright)), Bobby Wood (Piano), Bobby Wood (Keyboards), Bobby Wood (Piano (Electric)), Bobby Wood (Vocals), Jim Rooney (Vocals), George Binkley III (Strings), John Borg (Strings), Bruce Bouton (Guitar (Steel)), Bruce Bouton (Vocals), Mark Casstevens (Guitar (Acoustic)), Johnny Christopher (Guitar (Acoustic)), Charles Cochran (Strings), Charles Cochran (Arranger), Charles Cochran (String Arrangements), Carl Gorodetzky (Strings), Rob Hajacos (Fiddle), Rob Hajacos (Vocals), Wendy Suits Johnson (Vocals (Background)), Steven King (Vocals), Lee Larrison (Strings), Chris Leuzinger (Guitar (Acoustic)), Chris Leuzinger (Guitar (Electric)), Dennis Molchan (Strings), Nashville String Machine (Strings), Jennifer O'Brien (Vocals), Jennifer O'Brien (Vocals (Background)), Denny Purcell (Mastering), Allen Reynolds (Producer), Pamela Sixfin (Strings), Milton Sledge (Bass), Milton Sledge (Drums), Gary VanOsdale (Strings), Hurshel Wiginton (Vocals), Hurshel Wiginton (Vocals (Background)), Kristin Wilkinson (Strings), Kristin Wilkson (Strings), Curtis Young (Vocals), Curtis Young (Vocals (Background)), Mark Miller (Engineer), Mark Miller (Mixing), Mike Palmer (Percussion), Mike Palmer (Drums), Ty England (Guitar (Acoustic)), Ty England (Vocals), Dave Gant (Fiddle), Dave Gant (Keyboards), Dave Gant (Vocals), James Garver (Fiddle), James Garver (Guitar), James Garver (Vocals), Steve McClure (Guitar (Electric)), Steve McClure (Guitar (Steel)), Mark Tanner (Strings), Neil Thrasher (Vocals), Mike Chapman (Bass), Mike Chapman (Vocals), Beverly Parker (Photography), Virginia Team (Art Direction), Jerry Joyner (Design), Dale Pierce (Vocals), Mary Beth Felts (Make-Up), DeWayne Blackwell (Vocals), Stephanie C. Brown (Vocals), Pam "The Chick" Lewis (Vocals), David McVay (Vocals), Steve Morley (Vocals), Curry Worsham (Vocals), Rusty Jones (Vocals), Brian Petree (Vocals), Brian Petree (Stage Manager), Joe Harris (Vocals), Tami Rose (Vocals), Lee Sartin (Vocals), Scott Stem (Vocals), Dan Heins (Vocals), Dan Heins (Audio Engineer), Al "Shaggy" Barclay (Vocals), Tim Bowers (Guitar (Bass)), Tim Bowers (Vocals), Sandy Brooks (Vocals), Earl of Bud Lee (Vocals), Englands (Vocals), Stephen Tolman (Vocals)
No Fences was released on August 27, 1990, and is Americancountry music artist Garth Brooks' second album. It reached #1 on the Billboard country music charts and #3 on Billboard's pop chart, and is Brooks' best-selling album to date, with global sales of over 20 million copies (approximately 23 million in the U.S. through 2009.) This is the album that made him an international star and was his first album issued in Great Britain (the original release in that country contained four bonus tracks, the singles from his previous U.S debut).
Brooks commented on the album, saying:
No Fences definitely, hands down would be the people's favorite album that we have done so far. It's by far our biggest selling album. With songs like Friends In Low Places, Two of a Kind, Unanswered Prayers, and especially The Thunder Rolls with all the attention it got with the video situation that it went through. It's probably not surprising that this is the biggest selling album of our collection. The number that we have sold surprises me to death, and this is a good time for me to say thanks to those people who have it.
To those people who might be thinking about getting Fences, if you do, I hope that you don't feel like you've been let down. It's an album that I stand by, I'm very proud of. An album that I pull out from time to time and listen and hold my head up and say, yeah I'll still stand by it.
Some of Brooks most famous songs appear on No Fences, including: "The Thunder Rolls" (CMA's 1991 Video of the Year), "Friends in Low Places" (Academy of Country Music's 1990 Single of the Year), "Unanswered Prayers" and "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House". A cover version of The Fleetwoods' "Mr. Blue" appears on the album. The album itself was named Album of the Year by the ACM in 1990. It reached Number 1 on the British country music charts (earning Brooks his first gold album in that country) and remained charted for over five years.
Brooks later released the track "Wild Horses" as a single in 2001, reaching #7 on the country charts with it.
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