Tim McGraw's first studio album on Curb Records after the multi-platinum success of A Place in the Sun delivers a more diverse selection in its 14 tunes with longtime producers Byron Gallimore and James Stroud. From the energetic honky tonk sound of "Forget About Us," to the upbeat tempo of "Telluride" to the Latin-laced "Let Me Love You," McGraw masterfully and consistently flows from one sound style to the next. Yet his familiar country-pop sound remains evident throughout, especially on the title track, a song about a fast-paced couple yearning to kick back and relax in the country (no one said the themes would be original). Sung with such confidence, one might believe it's a self-imposed goal set by McGraw. Just as convincing are the heartfelt ballads of "The Cowboy in Me" and "You Get Used to Somebody,"and "Angel Boy." McGraw's wife, Faith Hill, contributes subtle harmonic vocals on the emotionally compelling "Angry All the Time," written by maverick Americana outsider Bruce Robison. It portrays a relationship gone sour; a tune that was added to the set list no doubt to digress from his usual slate of love songs. Although the sentimental "Grown Men Don't Cry," written by Steve Seskin and Tommy Douglas, was the first official release from the album, McGraw's uplifting performance of "Things Change" at the Country Music Awards mysteriously found its way onto Napster first. Subsequently, the album track hit the country radio airwaves, where it received not only air play, but enthusiastic response form listeners and helped to push the sales of the album even higher. McGraw's aggressive approach to Set This Circus Down makes it one of his finest efforts. ~ Deborah Wong & Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
Curtis Wright (Vocals (Background)), Tim McGraw (Vocals), Tim McGraw (Producer), Tim McGraw (Main Performer), Tim McGraw (Liner Notes), Tim McGraw (Design), Tim McGraw (Concept), Tim McGraw (Direction), Faith Hill (Vocals (Background)), Larry Byrom (Guitar (Acoustic)), Dennis Davis (Engineer), Paul Franklin (Pedal Steel), Paul Franklin (Guitar (Steel)), Byron Gallimore (Producer), Byron Gallimore (Song Assistants), Byron Gallimore (Guitar (Baritone)), Carl Gorodetzky (Conductor), Carl Gorodetzky (String Conductor), Julian King (Engineer), Julian King (Tracking), Julian King (Track Engineer), Julian King (String Engineer), Steve Klein (Photography), Michael Landau (Guitar (Electric)), Randy LeRoy (Engineer), B. James Lowry (Guitar (Electric)), Russ Martin (Engineer), Russ Martin (String Engineer), Brent Mason (Guitar (Electric)), Rob Mathes (Arranger), Rob Mathes (Conductor), Val McCallum (Guitar (Electric)), Gene Miller (Vocals (Background)), Nashville String Machine (Strings), Steve Nathan (Keyboards), Michael Omartian (Arranger), Michael Omartian (Conductor), Michael Omartian (String Arrangements), John Paterno (Engineer), John Paterno (Tracking), John Paterno (Track Engineer), Doug Sax (Mastering), Mike Shipley (Mixing), James Stroud (Producer), Biff Watson (Guitar (Acoustic)), Biff Watson (Guitar (Electric)), Lonnie Wilson (Drums), Glenn Worf (Bass), Curtis Young (Vocals (Background)), Aubrey Haynie (Fiddle), Jed Hackett (Engineer), Jed Hackett (Assistant Engineer), Jeff Babko (Keyboards), Ricky Cobble (Engineer), Ricky Cobble (Assistant Engineer), Marina Chavez (Photography), Ronnie Rivera (Engineer), Jeff Burns (Engineer), Clint Brown (Engineer), Ann Callis (Coordination), Ann Callis (Production Assistant), Ann Callis (Production Coordination), Erik Lutkins (Engineer), Michelle Metzger (Song Assistants), Glenn Sweitzer (Art Direction), Glenn Sweitzer (Design), Glenn Sweitzer (Illustrations), Glenn Sweitzer (Digital Illustration), Eric Gallimore (Assistant), Greg Fogie (Assistant), Samie Barela (Engineer), Samie Barela (Assistant Engineer), Robert Hadley (Mastering), Michael J. Henderson (Guitar (Electric Baritone)), Greg Call (Cover Illustration), David Bryant (Assistant Engineer), David Bryant (Assistant), Missi Gallimore (Song Assistants), Kelly Clague Wright (Creative Director), David Bryant (Assistant Engineer), David Bryant (Assistant), Steve Klein (Photography)
Set This Circus Down is the seventh album by country music singer Tim McGraw. Certified 3× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA for U.S. sales of three million copies, the album produced four singles for McGraw on the BillboardHot Country Songs charts. All of these singles — "The Cowboy in Me", "Unbroken", "Angry All the Time" and "Grown Men Don't Cry" — reached Number One on that chart. "Things Change" is a studio recording of a song which McGraw previously recorded live, and the live rendition charted at #32 on the country charts in 2000 from unsolicited airplay. Another track from this album, "Telluride", charted at #52, also without being officially released. This song was also recorded by Josh Gracin on his 2008 album We Weren't Crazy, from which it was released as a single. "Angel Boy" was made into a music video. "Angry All the Time" was originally recorded by its writer, Bruce Robison, on his 1998 album Wrapped.
