The Way That I Am is the second studio album by American country music singer Martina McBride, released on September 14, 1993, through RCA Nashville. It was certified Platinum on May 15, 1995, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). This was her breakthrough album, producing her first Top 5 hit in "My Baby Loves Me", which was previously released as a single by Canadian singer Patricia Conroy from her 1992 album Bad Day for Trains. McBride's version was a number 2 hit on the Hot Country Songs. Also released as singles from this album were "Life #9" at number 6, "Independence Day" at number 12, "Heart Trouble" at number 21, and "Where I Used to Have a Heart" at number 49.
| The Way That I Am | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 14, 1993 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 34:05 | |||
| Label | RCA Nashville | |||
| Producer | Paul Worley Martina McBride Ed Seay | |||
| Martina McBride chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
.jpg) Cover of the international release. | ||||
| Singles from The Way That I Am | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [2] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[3] |
Content edit
Although never released as a single, "Strangers" was reprised on McBride's Greatest Hits album in 2001. In the liner notes of that album, she stated that she included the song because it was a fan favorite, and she felt that it would have been a better follow-up to "Independence Day" than "Heart Trouble" and "Where I Used to Have a Heart" were.[4]
The Compact Cassette version of this album omits the final track, "Ashes".[5]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heart Trouble" | Paul Kennerley | 3:19 |
| 2. | "My Baby Loves Me" | Gretchen Peters | 2:36 |
| 3. | "That Wasn't Me" | Gary Harrison, Tim Mensy | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Independence Day" | Peters | 3:25 |
| 5. | "Where I Used to Have a Heart" | Craig Bickhardt | 3:50 |
| 6. | "Goin' to Work" | Bill Lloyd, Pam Tillis | 3:30 |
| 7. | "She Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" | Walt Aldridge, Anna Lisa Graham | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Life #9" | Kostas, Tony Perez | 3:59 |
| 9. | "Strangers" | Bobby Braddock | 3:21 |
| 10. | "Ashes" | Chris Waters, Lonnie Wilson, Charlotte Wilson | 2:55 |
| Total length: | 34:05 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "The Time Has Come" | Lonnie Wilson, Susan Longacre | 2:32 |
| 12. | "That's Me" | Tony Haselden, Bob Alan | 3:52 |
| 13. | "Cheap Whiskey" | Emory Gordy Jr., Jim Rushing | 3:08 |
| 14. | "When You Are Old" | Gretchen Peters | 3:07 |
Personnel edit
Compiled from liner notes.[5]
- Musicians
- Grace Mihi Bahng – cello (3)
- Brett Beavers – backing vocals (6 & 10)
- Joe Chemay – bass guitar
- Ashley Cleveland – backing vocals (4)
- Deryl Dodd – backing vocals (6 & 10)
- Dan Dugmore – electric guitar (2)
- Larry Franklin – fiddle (1, 8 & 10)
- Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar (4 & 8)
- Johnny Garcia – electric guitar (1)
- Vicki Hampton – backing vocals (4)
- Dann Huff – electric guitar (2, 6 & 7)
- Bill Hullett – acoustic guitar (1, 3-5 & 8-10)
- Mary Ann Kennedy – backing vocals (2, 4 & 7)
- Martina McBride – lead vocals, backing vocals (2, 4, & 7-9), tambourine (6)
- Anthony S. Martin – backing vocals (8), keyboards (9)
- Brent Mason – electric guitar (1, 3-5 & 8-10)
- Steve Nathan – keyboards (except 9)
- Mary Kathryn Van Osdale – violin (3)
- Herb Pedersen – backing vocals (5)
- Pam Rose – backing vocals (2, 4 & 7)
- John Wesley Ryles – backing vocals (1, 8 & 9)
- Biff Watson – acoustic guitar (1 & 5-7)
- Charlie Whitten – pedal steel guitar (6, 7, 9 & 10)
- Kris Wilkinson – viola (3)
- Dennis Wilson – backing vocals (1, 8 & 9)
- Lonnie Wilson – drums
- Paul Worley – electric guitar (1, 2, 6 & 7), acoustic guitar
- Production
- Don Cobb – digital editor
- Carlos Grier – digital editor
- Martina McBride – producer
- Anthony S. Martin – assistant producer
- Mike Poole – recording engineer
- Denny Purcell – mastering engineer
- Clarke Schleicher – recording engineer
- Ed Seay – production, recording engineer
- Paul Worley – producer
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
|
Year-end charts edit
|
Singles edit
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [10] |
CAN Country [11][12] | |||
| 1993 | "My Baby Loves Me" | 2 | 1 | |
| 1994 | "Life #9" | 6 | 8 | |
| "Independence Day" | 12 | 14 | * RIAA: Platinum[13] | |
| "Heart Trouble" | 21 | 32 | ||
| 1995 | "Where I Used to Have a Heart" | 49 | — | |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[14] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
- ^ Album reviews at CD Universe
- ^ Greatest Hits (CD booklet). Martina McBride. RCA Records. 2001. 67012.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b The Way That I Am (CD booklet). Martina McBride. RCA Records. 1993. 66288.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Martina McBride Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ "Martina McBride Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ "Martina McBride Album & Song Chart History – Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ "Results – RPM – Library and Archives Canada – Country Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^ "Martina McBride chart history (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ "American single certifications – Martina McBride – Independence Day". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Martina McBride – The Way That I Am". Music Canada. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – Martina McBride – The Way That I Am". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 21, 2021.