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Good News (Kathy Mattea album)

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Good News
Studio album by
Kathy Mattea
ReleasedSeptember 21, 1993 (1993-09-21)
Studio
Genre
Length37:59
Label
Producer
Kathy Mattea chronology
Lonesome Standard Time
(1992) 		Good News
(1993) 		Walking Away a Winner
(1994)

Good News is a studio album by American country artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on September 21, 1993, via Mercury Records and the PolyGram label. It was the eighth studio album of Mattea's career and her first collection of Christmas music. The project featured mostly new recordings that embedded gospel music sounds. Good News made the American country albums chart in 1993 and received an accolade from the Grammy Awards in 1994. Critics and writers remarked positively of the album and highlighted its uniqueness as compared to other Christmas album projects.

Background, recording and content

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By 1993, Kathy Mattea had reached peak success in her country music career. She had four number one singles and several more that placed in the top 20 of the North American country charts. She also won top honors from the Country Music Association and received the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for 1989's "Where've You Been". In 1993, she released her first album of Christmas music titled Good News.[3]

The album was recorded at two separate studios: Creative Recording and Jack's Tracks. It was produced mostly by Brent Maher, with one track produced by Allen Reynolds. The album was a collection of ten tracks, most of which were original material.[4] The album's second track, "There's a New Kid in Town", was a song first recorded by Keith Whitley that Mattea found several years prior. "It's just so sweet, and it really got me musically from the beginning," she told the Chicago Tribune.[5] There were also some covers featured on the album such as "Brightest and Best", "Mary, Did You Know?" "Christ's Child's Lullabye".[1][5] According to the Chicago Tribune, it was the only Christmas carol composed in the Gaelic language of Ireland. The album's title track was written by pop musician, Rob Mathes.[5]

Release, chart performance and reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic

Good News was released on September 21, 1993, on the Mercury and PolyGram labels. It was the eighth studio album in Mattea's career and first of Christmas music. It was originally offered as both a compact disc and as a cassette.[4] In the 2000s and 2010s it was released to digital sites.[6] Good News entered the American Billboard Top Country Albums chart on December 18, 1993. It spent four weeks there, peaking at the number 51 position on January 1, 1994.[7] It also spent one week on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart, peaking at number 26 in 1995. It is Mattea's only album to reach the Christian chart to date.[8]

In 1994, Good News won the Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album at the Grammy Awards. It was Mattea's second Grammy win in her career and her last to date.[9] Also in 1994, Mattea embarked on her first Christmas tour based on the album's success.[10]

Good News has received a positive reception from writers and critics. Thom Jurek rated the album four out of five stars, commenting that it was "unlike any country Christmas record ever released". He highlighted the unique song choices and "strange instruments" found on the project. He also found the production to be unique. "This doesn't feel like any Christmas record you've ever heard before, either. It sounds like a well-crafted, gorgeously wrought folk/country/Celtic-flavored Kathy Mattea record," he commented.[1]

Track listing

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CD and digital versions[4][6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."What a Wonderful Beginning"
3:54
2."There's a New Kid in Town"
3:58
3."Brightest and Best"
  • Traditional
  • arr. by Kathy Mattea and Brent Maher
3:30
4."Mary, Did You Know?"
3:17
5."The Star"Peter McCann3:55
6."Emmanuel"
2:59
7."Somebody Talkin' About Jesus"Mattea2:19
8."Nothing But a Child"Steve Earle4:02
9."Christ Child's Lullabye"
4:21
10."Good News"Rob Mathes5:34
Total length:34:35

Personnel

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All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Good News and AllMusic.[4][11]

Musical personnel

Charts

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Chart (1993–1994) Peak
position
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[12] 26
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[13] 51

Accolades

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Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
1994 36th Annual Grammy Awards Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album Won [9]

Release history

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Release history and formats for Good News
Region Date Format Label Ref.
North America September 21, 1993
  • CD
  • cassette
  • PolyGram
  • Mercury Records
 [4]
2000s–2010s
  • Music download
  • streaming
 Mercury Records [6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Jurek, Thom. "Good News: Kathy Mattea: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  2. ^ Roos, John (December 16, 1996). "'Good News' Proves True for Kathy Mattea and Fans". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  3. ^ Huey, Steve. "Kathy Mattea: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e Mattea, Kathy (September 21, 1993). "Good News (Liner Notes and Album Information)". PolyGram/Mercury Records. 314-518 059-4 (Cassette), 314-518 059-2 (CD).
  5. ^ a b c Hurst, Jack (December 2, 1993). "TAKING CHANCES". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "Good News by Kathy Mattea". Apple Music. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Kathy Mattea chart history (Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Kathy Mattea chart history (Christian albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Kathy Mattea: Artist". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  10. ^ Lunden, Lou (November 27, 1999). "SPOTLIGHT ON KATHY MATTEA COUNTRY STAR GIVES, RECEIVES WITH HER CHRISTMAS SHOW". The Morning Call. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Good News: Kathy Mattea: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Kathy Mattea Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "Kathy Mattea Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
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