Stranger in This Town is the first solo studio album by Richie Sambora, the guitarist from the New Jersey band Bon Jovi. The album was released in 1991, while Bon Jovi was on a 17-month hiatus. Jon Bon Jovi also released a solo album, Blaze of Glory (1990), during this period.
| Stranger in This Town | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 3, 1991 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 52:11 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Richie Sambora chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Stranger in This Town | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Recording and production
editAs his first solo album, Sambora experimented with a more blues-oriented sound. He sings lead vocals and plays guitar on the album, backed by his Bon Jovi bandmates Tico Torres on drums and David Bryan on keyboards, joined by Tony Levin on bass guitar. Eric Clapton makes a guest appearance playing guitar on the track "Mr. Bluesman".
"Ballad of Youth", "One Light Burning" and "The Answer" were co-written with colleagues from his former club band Shark Frenzy. "Rosie" was originally intended to be a Bon Jovi song for their fourth album New Jersey; versions of this song with the full Bon Jovi line-up have surfaced as bootlegs.
"Ballad of Youth" was released as the lead single followed by the second single "One Light Burning". The album titled track, "Stranger in This Town" was released as the third single and "Mr. Bluesman" featuring Eric Clapton was released as a promo single. The first three singles were accompanied by music videos.[2]
The first radio promotional single was "Church of Desire" in the United Kingdom. "The Answer" and "Rosie" were also released as promo singles in Japan.
Occasionally, "Stranger in This Town" has been played by Sambora on Bon Jovi's tours, most recently on their Lost Highway Tour in 2008.
Chart performance
editThe album charted at No. 36 on the Billboard 200[3] and No. 20 on the UK Albums Chart.[4]
The lead single, "Ballad of Youth", reached a high of No. 63 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 59 in the UK. The album titled track, "Stranger in This Town" charted at No. 38 on the Mainstream rock charts.[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rest in Peace" | Richie Sambora, David Bryan | 3:47 |
| 2. | "Church of Desire" | Sambora | 6:07 |
| 3. | "Stranger in This Town" | Sambora, Bryan | 6:15 |
| 4. | "Ballad of Youth" | Sambora, Tom Marolda | 3:52 |
| 5. | "One Light Burning" | Sambora, Marolda, Bruce Foster | 5:47 |
| 6. | "Mr. Bluesman" (Solo by Eric Clapton) | Sambora | 5:14 |
| 7. | "Rosie" | Sambora, Jon Bon Jovi, Desmond Child, Diane Warren | 4:50 |
| 8. | "River of Love" | Sambora | 5:06 |
| 9. | "Father Time" | Sambora, Child | 6:06 |
| 10. | "The Answer" | Sambora, Foster | 5:07 |
| Total length: | 52:11 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "The Wind Cries Mary" | Jimi Hendrix | 6:00 |
| Total length: | 58:11 | ||
Personnel
edit- Richie Sambora – lead vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, string arrangements (6, 9)
- David Bryan – keyboards, string arrangements (6, 9)
- Jeff Bova – keyboards, programming
- Jimmy Bralower – keyboards, programming
- Robbie Buchanan – keyboards, programming
- Larry Fast – keyboards, programming
- Chris Palmaro – keyboards, programming
- Eric Persing – keyboards, programming
- Eric Clapton – guitar solo (6)
- Tony Levin – bass guitar, Chapman Stick
- Randy Jackson – bass guitar (5)
- Tico Torres – drums, percussion
- Rafael Padilla – percussion
- Carol Steele – percussion
- Tawatha Agee – backing vocals
- Bekka Bramlett – backing vocals
- Dean Fasano – backing vocals
- Curtis King – backing vocals
- Franke Previte – backing vocals
- Brenda White-King – backing vocals
Production
edit- Richie Sambora – producer
- Neil Dorfsman – producer, recording, mixing
- John Aguto – recording assistant
- Patrick Dillett – recording assistant
- Jose Fernandez – recording assistant
- Greg Goldman – recording assistant
- Ed Goodreau – recording assistant
- Lolly Grodner – recording assistant
- John Herman – recording assistant
- Justin Luchter – recording assistant
- Bob Miller – recording assistant
- Katherine Miller – recording assistant
- David Schiffman – recording assistant
- Jeff Hendrickson – additional engineer
- Lance Phillips – additional engineer
- Frank Wolf – additional engineer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk
- Jon "JD" Dworkow – production coordination
- Timothy White – cover photography
- Darryl Estrine – additional photography
- Margery Greenspan – art direction
- Umi Kenyon – design
- Bernard Maisner – logo design
- Katie Agresta – vocal coach
- Helena Occipinti – hair, make-up
- Susan Tobman – stylist
Additional technical credits
- Frank S. Levi III – electronics
- Jeff Chonis, Bobby Deluca and Christopher Hofschneider – instrument set-up and maintenance
- Stephen Barncard, Bob Borbonus, Fred Bova, Michal Jurewicz, Jonathan Little, Gary Mannon, Francis Manzella, Michael Morongell, Gary Myerberg, Mark Opie, Mark Tindle and John Williams – technical staff
Notes
editCharts
editAlbum
edit| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] | 44 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[7] | 69 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 72 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] | 31 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] | 15 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[11] | 20 |
| US Billboard 200[12] | 36 |
Singles
edit| Ballad of Youth (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[13] | 25 |
| Canada Singles | 67 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[14] | 59 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[15] | 63 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[16] | 13 |
| Stranger in This Town (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[16] | 38 |
References
edit- ^ Book, John. "Stranger in This Town - Richie Sambora". AllMusic. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "RichieSamboraVEVO - YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ "Allmusic (Richie Sambora charts & awards) Billboard albums".
- ^ "The Official Charts Company - Richie Sambora". OfficialCharts.com.
- ^ "Allmusic (Richie Sambora charts & awards) Billboard singles".
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Richie Sambora – Stranger in This Town". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Richie Sambora – Stranger in This Town" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Richie Sambora – Stranger in This Town" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Richie Sambora – Stranger in This Town". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Richie Sambora – Stranger in This Town". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Richie Sambora | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Richie Sambora Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Richie Sambora – Ballad of Youth". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Richie Sambora: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Richie Sambora Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ a b "Richie Sambora Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2021.