Letters from Home

by John Michael Montgomery

Overview

Theoretically, the record that follows a greatest-hits album offers artists an opportunity to redefine themselves, to try something new, or at least jump to a new label. On Letters From Home, John Michael Montgomery's first album since the comprehensive 2003 collection The Very Best Of, the country singer doesn't do any of these things. He's continuing in the mellow, nostalgic direction of his last album, 2002's Pictures, toning down some of his rowdier ways and settling into middle age. He's not alone in retreating toward the familiar. Many of his peers have also spent much of the first part of the 2000s basking in nostalgia and patriotism, which is a reasonable response to 9/11. Unlike Toby Keith or Alan Jackson, Montgomery never mentions the terrorist attacks explicitly on Letters From Home, but the title track is from the perspective of a soldier overseas and on "That's What I'm Talking About" he turns away from the talk of war by slipping under the covers. The entire album is basked in a warm, burnished nostalgia, which suits Montgomery's rich baritone well, even if the preponderance of slow songs can make the record a little sleepy; even the handful of faster songs, such as the endearingly silly "It Rocked" and the closer, "Little Devil" (which is the closest this comes to honky tonk, thanks to its sawing fiddle and twangy guitars), are relaxed, not energized, which actually helps give the album cohesion. The end result is not Montgomery's best album, but it's a sturdy work that showcases the country crooner what he does best: smoothly singing heartache tunes, odes to the past, and love songs. It may not be a new beginning, but fans aren't likely to complain, either. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	04/20/2004
Label:	Warner Brothers Nashville / Warner Bros.
UPC:	0093624872924

Tracks

1. Good Ground
2. Letters from Home
3. That's What I'm Talking About
4. Look at Me Now
5. Goes Good with Beer
6. Cool
7. It Rocked
8. That Changes Everything
9. Break This Chain
10. Little Devil

Album Credits

Performance Credits

John Michael Montgomery   Primary Artist
Byron Gallimore   Synthesizer Strings,Guitar (Electric Baritone),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Horn
Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson   Harmonica
Paul Franklin   Guitar (Steel)
Biff Watson   Guitar (Acoustic)
Russell Terrell   Vocals (Background)
Larry Franklin   Fiddle
Tom Bukovac   Guitar (Electric)
Steve Nathan   Keyboards
Russ Pahl   Guitar (Steel)
Mark Casstevens   Banjo
Lonnie Wilson   Drums
Brent Mason   Guitar (Electric)
Glenn Worf   Bass
B. James Lowry   Guitar (Acoustic)
Michael Rhodes   Bass
Stuart Duncan   Fiddle

Technical Credits

Byron Gallimore   Producer,Vocal Engineer,Vocal Producer,Mixing
Naoise Sheridan   Composer
Jennifer Kemp   Stylist
Carol Buckley Frazier   Grooming,Hair Stylist
Bob Regan   Composer
Missi Gallimore   A&R
Mike Geiger   Composer
Jim Shea   Photography
Keith Drummond   Art Direction
David Bryant   Assistant
Tony Lane   Composer
Brice Long   Composer
David Lee   Composer
D. Vincent Williams   Composer
Darren Welch   Design,Art Direction
Hank Williams   Mastering
Paul Nelson   Composer
Blair Daly   Composer
Billy Yates   Composer
Marty Dodson   Composer
Casey Beathard   Composer
Ed Hill   Composer
Vicky McGehee   Composer
Julian King   Engineer
Jim Collins   Composer
Tom Shapiro   Composer
Danny Orton   Composer
Brian Daly   Composer
Erik Lutkins   Engineer,Assistant
Harley Allen   Composer
Paige Levy   A&R
Paul Overstreet   Composer
Bill Luther   Composer
John Michael Montgomery   Producer,Liner Notes
John Kunz   Vocal Engineer