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One Voice

 
Album Review: One Voice

  • Artist: Billy Gilman
  • Rating: StarStarStar
  • Release Date: June 20, 2000
  • Genre: Country

Review

Since "One Voice" made Billy Gilman the youngest person ever to place a song in the country singles charts, his pre-pubescent age is the unavoidable subtext of his debut album. Certainly, he's not the first pre-teen to make popular music, but the same problem always has to be faced: the usual subject of pop lyrics is romantic love, and what does that mean when the words are being sung by an 11 year old? At very least, there's a certain awkwardness, and the implications can be even more objectionable depending on the song. The producers of One Voice have mostly obviated this difficulty by choosing or writing harmless material. For example, the album begins with a rousing remake of Bobby Goldsboro's "Little Things," which perhaps can be viewed as a song being sung by a boy to his mother in this context. But what is one to make of the "bonus track" that closes the album, Tammy Wynette's "'Til I Can Make It on My Own"? The song's point, which in Wynette's version was that a woman might not be able to make a complete break with her romantic partner all at once, is out the window, but it would be a stretch to apply any other reading to those words, especially when Gilman, a sort of country-style choir boy, is singing it androgynously in Wynette's register. He is on much safer ground with the novelty "The Snake Song" and even the title track, which addresses grade school violence with religious platitudes. From LeAnn Rimes to Britney Spears, youth has been a major trend in popular music of the last few years, and Billy Gilman represents a new extreme, at least as far as country music goes. He can certainly carry a tune, and you can only hope that he won't be a has-been by the time his voice changes. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Little Things (Lyrics) Bobby Goldsboro Billy Gilman (2:25)
I Think She Likes Me (Lyrics) George Teren Billy Gilman (3:07)
What's Forever For (Lyrics) Rafe VanHoy Billy Gilman (3:27)
One Voice (Lyrics) David Malloy, DB Cook Billy Gilman (4:10)
Spend Another Night (Lyrics) David Malloy Billy Gilman (3:46)
Little Bitty Pretty One (Lyrics) Robert Byrd Billy Gilman (2:32)
Snake Song Billy Gilman (3:12)
I Wanna Get to Ya (Lyrics) David Malloy Billy Gilman (3:37)
Oklahoma (Lyrics) J. Allen, D. Vincent Williams Billy Gilman (4:04)
There's a Hero J. Jarvis, DB Cook Billy Gilman (3:26)
'Til I Can Make It on My Own [*] (Lyrics) Tammy Wynette, George Richey, Billy Sherrill Billy Gilman (3:10)

Credits

Rudy Sotomayor (Make-Up), Pamela Sixfin (Strings), Kris Wilkinson (Viola), Don Cook (Producer), Larry Franklin (Mandolin), Karen Winkelmann (Strings), Larry Franklin (Fiddle), Tracy Baskette-Fleaner (Art Direction), Marina Chavez (Photography), Alan Umstead (Strings), Steve Patrick (Trumpet), Jim Horn (Horn), Cate Myer (Strings), Lee Larrison (Strings), Carl Gorodetzky (Strings), Anthony LaMarchina (Cello), Rudy Sotomayor (Hair Stylist), Mark Casstevens (Guitar (Acoustic)), Monisa Angell (Viola), Mary Beth Felts (Make-Up), Bergen White (Arranger), Jim Grosjean (Viola), Eric Darken (Percussion), Mark Casstevens (Gut String Guitar), John Jarvis (Keyboards), Cindy Richardson (Vocals (Background)), Liana Manis (Vocals (Background)), Jim Horn (Arranger), Mary Beth Felts (Hair Stylist), David Angell (Strings), Brent Rowan (Guitar (Electric)), Wes Hightower (Vocals (Background)), Jimmy Nichols (Keyboards), Jerry McPherson (Guitar), Bill Johnson (Art Direction), Jim Horn (Sax (Tenor)), Jerry McPherson (Guitar (Acoustic)), Blair Masters (Programming), Mary Kathryn Vanosdale (Strings), Billy Gilman (Vocals), David Davidson (Strings), Gary VanOsdale (Viola), Jimmy Nichols (Vocals (Background)), Eddie Malluk (Cover Photo), Lisa Silver (Vocals (Background)), Eddie Malluk (Photography), Mark Casstevens (Guitar), Anthony Martin (Vocals (Background)), Jerry McPherson (Gut String Guitar), Harvey Thompson (Sax (Tenor)), Charles Rose (Trombone), Robby Turner (Guitar (Steel)), Bob Mason (Cello), Tony Castle (Assistant), David Malloy (Producer), Blake Chancey (Producer), Catherine Umstead (Strings), Greg Morrow (Drums), Carl Gorodetzky (Contractor)
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Wikipedia: One Voice (Billy Gilman album)
Top
One Voice
Studio album by Billy Gilman
Released June 20, 2000
Recorded 1999-2000
Genre Country
Label Epic Nashville
Producer Don Cook, David Malloy, Blake Chancey
Professional reviews
Billy Gilman chronology
One Voice
(2000)
Classic Christmas
(2000)

One Voice is the debut studio album from country music singer Billy Gilman. The album was released on June 20, 2000 via Epic Records Nashville. It reached #2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum. The highest charting single from the the album was the lead-off, which was also the title track. "One Voice" is also Gilman's highest chart hit, reached #20.

Contents

Track listing

  1. "Little Things" (Bobby Goldsboro) – 2:25
  2. "I Think She Likes Me" (Bob Regan, George Teren) – 3:07
  3. "What's Forever For" (Rafe VanHoy) – 3:27
  4. "One Voice" (Don Cook, David Malloy) – 4:10
  5. "Spend Another Night" (Skip Ewing, Malloy) – 3:46
  6. "Little Bitty Pretty One" (Robert Byrd) – 2:32
  7. "The Snake Song" (Bobby Braddock) – 3:12
  8. "I Wanna Get to Ya" (Gary Baker, Frank J. Myers, Malloy) – 3:37
  9. "Oklahoma" (John Allen, D. Vincent Williams) – 4:04
  10. "There's a Hero" (Cook, John Barlow Jarvis) – 3:26
  11. "'Til I Can Make It on My Own" (Bonus Track) (George Richey, Billy Sherrill, Tammy Wynette) – 3:10

Production

Personnel

  • Mark Casstevens – gut string guitar, F-hole guitar
  • Eric Darken – percussion
  • Larry Franklin – fiddle, mandolin
  • Wes Hightower – background vocals
  • John Barlow Jarvis – keyboards
  • Liana Manis – background vocals
  • Anthony Martin – background vocals
  • Blair Masters – drum loops
  • Jerry McPherson – gut string guitar, F-hole guitar
  • Greg Morrow – drums
  • Jimmy Nichols – keyboards, background vocals
  • Michael Rhodes – bass guitar
  • Cindy Richardson-Walker – background vocals
  • Tom Roady – percussion
  • Brent Rowan – electric guitar
  • Lisa Silver – background vocals
  • Robby Turner – steel guitar

Chart performance

Album

Chart (2000) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 2
U.S. Billboard 200 22
Canadian Top Country Albums 6

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US Country US US AC CAN Country
2000 "One Voice" 20 38 29 33
2001 "Oklahoma" 33 63 *
"There's a Hero" *
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or not released
* denotes unknown peak positions

 
 

 

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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