Mark Wills is the debut studio album by American country music singer Mark Wills. Released in 1996 on Mercury Nashville Records, the album produced three hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts: "Jacob's Ladder", "High Low and In Between", and "Places I've Never Been", which peaked at #6, #33, and #5, respectively. The album itself reached a peak of #38 on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts. "Look Where She Is Today" was previously cut by Doug Stone on his 1995 album Faith in Me, Faith in You. And "Ace of Hearts" was previously cut by Alan Jackson on his 1990 debut album Here in the Real World.
| Mark Wills | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 11, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 38:55 | |||
| Label | Mercury Nashville | |||
| Producer | Carson Chamberlain Keith Stegall | |||
| Mark Wills chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Mark Wills | ||||
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Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[1] |
| Country Standard Time | negative[2] |
Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly rated the album "B+", stating in her review that the album "is full of rambunctious good-time songs teeming with sly wit and bittersweet ballads — all in a baritone that throbs with emotion."[1] Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time was largely unfavorable, praising "High Low and In Between" but otherwise saying that Wills "recalls David Lee Murphy vocally, but sings a bit too effortlessly throughout, never sounding all that convincing as if he's lived the songs". He also described the album as "competent, but never rising above".[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "High Low and In Between" | Harley Campbell, David Kent | 3:16 |
| 2. | "Jacob's Ladder" | Brenda Sweat, Cal Sweat, Tony Martin | 3:05 |
| 3. | "What's Not to Love" | Trey Bruce, Max T. Barnes | 3:29 |
| 4. | "Any Fool Can Say Goodbye" | Tim Mensy, Gary Harrison | 3:02 |
| 5. | "Ace of Hearts" | Lonnie Wilson, Carson Chamberlain, Ron Moore | 3:02 |
| 6. | "Leavin' Comin' On" | Skip Ewing, Jerry Kilgore | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Sudden Stop" | Pat Bunch, Doug Johnson | 2:28 |
| 8. | "I Wonder If He Knows" | Mensy, Roger Springer | 3:19 |
| 9. | "Places I've Never Been" | Aimee Mayo, Reese Wilson, Martin | 3:25 |
| 10. | "Squeeze Box" | Monty Criswell, Michael White | 3:35 |
| 11. | "What Love Is" | Karen Taylor-Good, Roberta Schiller | 2:58 |
| 12. | "Look Where She Is Today" | Billy Spencer, Ed Hill | 3:24 |
Personnel
edit- Paul Franklin – steel guitar
- Aubrey Haynie – fiddle
- Dirk Johnson – piano
- Mike Johnson – steel guitar
- Brent Mason – electric guitar
- Gary Prim – piano, clavinet
- Matt Rollings – piano
- Brent Rowan – electric guitar
- John Wesley Ryles – background vocals
- Wayne Toups – accordion
- Mark Wills – lead vocals
- John Willis – acoustic guitar, mandolin
- Lonnie Wilson – drums
- Glenn Worf – bass guitar
Production
edit- Produced By Carson Chamberlain & Keith Stegall
- Engineers: John Kelton, Steve Lowery
- Assistant Engineers: Steve Lowery, Paula Montondo
- Mixing: John Kelton
- Mastering: Hank Williams
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 38 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers | 26 |
References
edit- ^ a b Nash, Alanna (June 21, 1996). "Mark Wills review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
- ^ a b Remz, Jeffrey B. "Mark Wills review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 7 April 2017.