10 (MercyMe Album)
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''10'' is a
greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
by American
Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...
band
MercyMe MercyMe is an American contemporary Christian music band founded in Edmond, Oklahoma. The band consists of lead vocalist Bart Millard, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul. The b ...
. Released on April 7, 2009 in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the band's single " I Can Only Imagine". The album contains twelve of the band's number-one singles from five studio albums ('' Almost There'', ''
Spoken For ''Spoken For'' is the second studio album by Christian rock band MercyMe. Produce by Pete Kipley, the album was released on October 1, 2002, by INO Records. The album's production, which followed the success of "I Can Only Imagine" on Christia ...
'', '' Undone'', ''
Coming Up to Breathe ''Coming Up to Breathe'' is the fourth studio album by Christian rock band MercyMe. Released on April 25, 2006, by INO Records, the album was intended by MercyMe to be edgier than their previous albums. ''Coming Up to Breathe'' sold 58,000 copies ...
'', and '' All That Is Within Me'') as well as a re-recording of "I Can Only Imagine" featuring the London Sessions Orchestra, in addition to two other bonus tracks. Additional content, which varies depending on the version of the album, includes music videos,
featurette In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film. Medium-length film ...
s, and live recordings. ''10'' received mostly positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, and the amount of content as well as the videos included with the album received particular praise. It debuted at number 18 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the '' Billboard''
Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...
chart, selling 30,000 copies in its first week. ''Billboard'' ranked the album as the 13th best-selling Christian album of 2009 and the 40th best-selling Christian album of 2010 in the United States.


Background

''10'' was released to commemorate the tenth anniversary of MercyMe's single " I Can Only Imagine". In 1999, the band was working on an independent record, '' The Worship Project'', and needed one more song to fill out the project. Lead singer
Bart Millard Bart Marshall Millard (born December 1, 1972) is an American singer and songwriter who is best known as the leader of the band MercyMe. He has also released two solo albums: '' Hymned, No. 1'', in 2005 and '' Hymned Again'' in 2008. He received a ...
wrote the song while reminiscing about his father's death. Although the band was aiming to produce a worship record of easy-to-sing songs, they included it because it was important to Millard. It was later included on the band's major-label debut, 2001's '' Almost There'', where it became a hit on Christian radio before crossing over and becoming successful on mainstream radio in 2003. Around eight months before the release of ''10'', the band had been approached by their label about producing a greatest-hits record. The band was initially against the idea, and according to Millard, they felt it had always meant a band was near the end of their career. However, Millard later remembered he had written the song in 1999, and the idea shifted from a greatest-hits record to a celebration of the song's ten-year anniversary, a concept the band was more comfortable with.


Content


Music

''10'' includes fifteen songs: twelve of the band's number-one Christian radio singles (three each from '' Undone'', ''
Coming Up to Breathe ''Coming Up to Breathe'' is the fourth studio album by Christian rock band MercyMe. Released on April 25, 2006, by INO Records, the album was intended by MercyMe to be edgier than their previous albums. ''Coming Up to Breathe'' sold 58,000 copies ...
'', and '' All That Is Within Me'', two from ''
Spoken For ''Spoken For'' is the second studio album by Christian rock band MercyMe. Produce by Pete Kipley, the album was released on October 1, 2002, by INO Records. The album's production, which followed the success of "I Can Only Imagine" on Christia ...
'', and one from '' Almost There''), as well as three bonus tracks. Live versions of ten of the band's songs were also included on some versions of the album "I Can Only Imagine (Symphony Edition)" was recorded at
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
with the
London Session Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...
. "Ten Simple Rules", described as having a "Fifties twist" sound, was originally included as music video on ''Hoop Dogz'', a children's video DVD. Lyrically, it relates the
Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
. The band had begun playing it in concerts and, according to Millard, it developed a following of fans who wanted it to be put on CD. "Only Temporary", a
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
song with a "distinct southern influence", was a new track, which the band had not included on any other album or project.


Videos

Physical versions of ''10'' were released with a 'Sight' DVD containing video content. In addition to music videos for "I Can Only Imagine", " So Long Self", " God with Us", " You Reign", and " Finally Home", it includes live videos for "
Word of God Speak "Word of God Speak" is a song by Christian rock band MercyMe. Written by Bart Millard and Pete Kipley, "Word of God Speak" uses sparse instrumentation, featuring only piano and strings to accompany Millard's vocals. The lyrics to "Word of God S ...
", "
Bring the Rain "Bring the Rain" is a song by American Christian rock band MercyMe from their 2006 album '' Coming Up to Breathe''. It was released on March 24, 2007, as the third radio single. The song became the band's sixth Hot Christian Songs No. 1, staying t ...
", and " Hold Fast" that were recorded live throughout the band's fall 2008 tour by one camera. "
Spoken For ''Spoken For'' is the second studio album by Christian rock band MercyMe. Produce by Pete Kipley, the album was released on October 1, 2002, by INO Records. The album's production, which followed the success of "I Can Only Imagine" on Christia ...
" and " Homesick" were taken from the band's 2004 live DVD ''MercyMe Live'', while " In the Blink of an Eye" was taken from the collector's edition of their 2007 album '' All That Is Within Me''. Two
featurette In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film. Medium-length film ...
s were also included: "The Making of 'I Can Only Imagine'", which had previously appeared on ''MercyMe Live'', and "
Gospel Music Channel UP TV (stylized as UPtv; formerly GMC TV and originally Gospel Music Channel) is an American basic cable television network that was founded to have a focus on gospel music. It has expanded into family-friendly original movies, series, and special ...
's Faith & Fame: MercyMe", which recounts the band's career from their early years on. The iTunes version of ''10'' only includes the two featurettes.


Release and commercial performance

''10'' was released on April 7, 2009. Several different versions of the album were released. Physically, the album received a release in a two-disc collection, featuring the 'Sound' CD and 'Sight' DVD, as well as in a three-disc "Deluxe Edition" including an additional CD of 10 live songs. Digitally, ''10'' was released to
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
on October 7, 2009, including the sound CD content and live recordings, as well as the two documentaries. ''10'' sold 30,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number 18 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the '' Billboard''
Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...
chart. It spent two weeks atop the Christian Albums chart and 73 weeks on the chart in total. It ranked as the 13th best-selling Christian album of 2009 in the United States and the 40th best-selling Christian album of 2010 in the United States.


Critical reception

''10'' received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Jared Johnson of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and noted it as an 'Album Pick', calling it "one of the best and most long-awaited greatest-hits albums in recent memory". Johnson praised the amount of content, saying "For fans, the videos alone make this worth picking up". Jenna DeWitt of ''
The Baylor Lariat ''The Baylor Lariat'' is the student newspaper of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. In 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, the Houston Press Club named it the best student newspaper in the state of Texas. History ''The Baylor Lariat'' was offi ...
'' gave it an A−, praising "I Can Only Imagine (Symphony Edition)" as "awe-inspiring" as well as the DVD content, and saying "the only mistake in buying this album is if you are really tired of the extensive radio airplay that these hits have gotten". Dave Derbyshire of
Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. Hi ...
gave the album nine out of ten squares, calling it a "brilliant introduction" to the band. His only criticism on the album was that he considered a few of the songs as being overly sentimental. Matt Johnson of Jesus Freak Hideout gave the album three out of five stars. Johnson noted the DVD content as being "what really makes this worth your money", but was critical of the interface; he also felt the CD content, while solid, did not include enough songs and that the new recordings weren't particularly impressive. He noted the orchestra and Millard's vocals as conflicting on the re-recording of "I Can Only Imagine", but also said that it "takes the song to new heights than previously conceived". Justin Michael of Sight Magazine gave the album a positive review, calling it "A must for all MercyMe fans, for those who need a hooky melody with a message and for people who love getting a free DVD with their albums!"; he also praised the one-camera tour videos, but noted "Ten Simple Rules" is "not their brightest musical moment".


Track listing


Personnel

Credits from the album liner notes


MercyMe

* Jim Bryson – keys * Nathan Cochran – bass guitar * Barry Graul – guitar *
Bart Millard Bart Marshall Millard (born December 1, 1972) is an American singer and songwriter who is best known as the leader of the band MercyMe. He has also released two solo albums: '' Hymned, No. 1'', in 2005 and '' Hymned Again'' in 2008. He received a ...
– lead vocals * Mike Scheuchzer – guitar * Robby Shaffer – drums


Technical and design

* Tony Baker – photography *
Brown Bannister Elliott Brown Bannister III (born August 15, 1951) is an contemporary Christian music (CCM) producer and songwriter. Bannister released one album of his own, ''Talk to One Another'', in 1981 on NewPax Records. It was reissued on the Reunion Recor ...
– producer, engineering, digital editing * Kristin Barlowe – photography * Steve Bishir – recording, mixing, tracking *
Bob Clearmountain Bob Clearmountain (born January 15, 1953) is an American recording engineer, mixer and record producer. He has worked with many major acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Toto (band), Toto, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams, with whom he ...
– mixing * Jeremy Cowart – photography * Richard Dodd – mastering * Kent Hooper – keyboard programming, digital editing *
Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography T ...
– mastering * Pete Kipley – producer * Shatrine Krake – design and layout *
Stephen Marcussen Stephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California, United States. He has been mastering music since 1979. Biography Marcussen's introduction to music recording happened in 1976 when, at ...
– mastering * Carl Marsh – string arrangements, conductor * Blair Masters – keyboard programming *
Rob Mathes Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ( ...
– string arrangements * MercyMe – producer * Simon Rhodes – recording (strings) * Shawn Sanders – photography * Salvo – mixing * F. Reid Shippen – mixing * Derek West – mastering * Rob Wexler – recording * Billy Whittinington – digital editing * Dave Younkman – recording


Additional performers

*
The London Sessions Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony O ...
– strings * Todd Snider – harmonica


Video content

* Steve Bussel – editing * Joel Cameron – mixing * Chris Grainger – recording * Tameron Hedge – producer * Kyle Lollis – editing, producer * Russ Long – recording * Mark McCallie – director * MercyMe – producer * Dan O'Connell – DVD authoring, editing * Dustin Reynolds – audio recording * Mike Scheuchzer – audio recording * Scott Simmons – editing * Ryan Slaughter – video recording, editing * Dennis Stams – editing * Aaron Swihart – recording, mixing * Eric Walsh – director, editing * Todd White – editing, producing


Charts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:10 (Mercyme Album) MercyMe compilation albums 2009 greatest hits albums INO Records compilation albums Columbia Records compilation albums