Words (Tony Rich album)

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Words
LaFace, Arista
ProducerTony Rich
The Tony Rich Project chronology
Words
(1996) 		Birdseye
(1998)
Singles from Words
  1. "Nobody Knows"
    Released: November 7, 1995
  2. "Like a Woman"
    Released: August 5, 1996
  3. "Leavin'"
    Released: November 11, 1996

Words is the debut album by American

1997, the album won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.[1]

At the start of 1996 with the acoustic R&B ballad, "Nobody Knows", the song was a hit, peaking at number two for two weeks, going platinum, and spending almost a year on the Billboard Hot 100 (47 weeks).[2]

Three singles were released from Words: "Nobody Knows", "Like a Woman", and "Leavin'".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Robert Christgau(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA[5]
The Guardian[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
Muzik[8]
Q[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
USA Today[11]

The New York Times opined: "Without deviating from the slick, smooth standards of today's pop, [Rich] manages to find his own sound, a mostly acoustic groove topped with laid-back, free-flowing vocals about love, street life and spirituality."[12] The Village Voice concluded that "without a doubt Words is one of the most meticulously arranged collections by an African American pop musician since the '80s heyday of Quincy Jones and [Lionel] Richie & producer James Carmichael."[13]

Track listing

All songs written by Tony Rich except "Nobody Knows" (written by Joe Rich & Don DuBose).[14]

  1. "Hey Blue" – 3:48
  2. "Nobody Knows" – 5:06
  3. "Like a Woman" – 4:08
  4. "Grass is Green" – 4:08
  5. "Ghost" – 4:21
  6. "Leavin'" – 3:44
  7. "Billy Goat" – 4:11
  8. "Under Her Spell" – 4:24
  9. "Little Ones" – 3:37
  10. "Missin' You" – 3:49

Personnel

  • Tony Rich – all instruments, vocals, programming
  • Nuri – additional vocals on "Under Her Spell"
  • Joe Rich – keyboards on "Nobody Knows"
  • John Frye – second acoustic guitar on "Ghost"
  • Peter Moore – acoustic guitar on "Nobody Knows" and "Missin' You"
  • Reggie Griffin – electric guitar on "Hey Blue" and "Missin' You", solo and rhythm guitars on "Like a Woman", feedback on "Ghost", wah wah guitar on "Billy Goat"
  • Colin Wolfe – bass guitar on "Ghost"

Charts

Chart performance for Words
Chart (1996) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 31
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] 27
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 71
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 27
US Billboard 200[19] 31
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[20] 18

Certifications

Certifications for Words
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[21] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Tony Rich's GRAMMY Awards history". grammy.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Tony Rich Project Chart History: Nobody Knows". Billboard.com. n.d. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Words - The Tony Rich Project" Archived 2013-06-08 at the Wayback Machine. AllMusic. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert (May 21, 1996). "Consumer Guide May 21, 1996 Archived April 21, 2014, at the Wayback Machine". The Village Voice. Archived Archived 2014-07-02 at the Wayback Machine from the original on August 5, 2009.
  5. ^ Browne, David (February 23, 1996). "WORDS Review" Archived 2009-04-27 at the Wayback Machine. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  6. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (May 17, 1996). "Music: This week's pop CD releases". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Hilburn, Robert (January 28, 1996). "A Savory, Soulful Debut" Archived 2012-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  8. ^ Springer, Jacqueline (February 1996). "The Tony Rich Project: Words" (PDF). Muzik. No. 9. p. 80. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  9. ^ Columnist. "The Tony Rich Project: Words". Q: 115. March 2000.
  10. ^ "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013.
  11. ^ Ayers, Anne. "The Tony Rich Project, Words". USA Today: 3.D. January 30, 1996.
  12. ^ Strauss, Neil (11 Feb 1996). "New Releases". The New York Times. p. 2.30.
  13. ^ George, Nelson (12 Mar 1996). "Nouveau Rich". The Village Voice. Vol. 41, no. 11. p. 57.
  14. ^ Words (liner notes). The Tony Rich Project. LaFace. Arista. 1996. ARCD-6022.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Tony Rich Project – Words". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Tony Rich Project – Words" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  17. GfK Entertainment Charts
    . Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  18. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  19. ^ "Tony Rich Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  20. ^ "Tony Rich Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  21. ^ "American album certifications – Tony Rich Project – Words". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
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