''Life Changes'' is the third studio album by American
country pop
Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...
singer
Thomas Rhett
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
. Released on September 8, 2017, through
Valory Music Group
Ross Lamont Valory (born February 2, 1949) is an American musician who is best known as the original bass player for the rock band Journey (band), Journey from 1973 to 1985 and again from 1995 to 2020. Valory was inducted into the Rock and Roll H ...
, Rhett produced the album alongside Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure, Julian Bunetta and Joe London. It includes the chart-topping singles "
Craving You" with
Maren Morris
Maren Larae Morris (born April 10, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter. While rooted in the Country music, country genre, her music also blends elements of Pop music, pop, R&B music, R&B, and Hip-Hop music, hip-hop. Born and raised in Arlingt ...
, and "
Unforgettable
Unforgettable may refer to:
Film
* ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta
* ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...
".
The album debuted at No. 1 with 123,000
album-equivalent unit
The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditi ...
s, giving Rhett his first number one album on the
''Billboard'' 200.
Singles
"
Craving You", a duet with
Maren Morris
Maren Larae Morris (born April 10, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter. While rooted in the Country music, country genre, her music also blends elements of Pop music, pop, R&B music, R&B, and Hip-Hop music, hip-hop. Born and raised in Arlingt ...
, was released digitally on March 31, 2017 as the record's lead single. It was promoted to country radio on April 3, 2017. The song hit number one on both the US
Country Airplay
Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990.
This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...
chart and the
Canada Country
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
chart. The second single, "
Unforgettable
Unforgettable may refer to:
Film
* ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta
* ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...
", was released to radio on July 28, 2017. "
Marry Me" was released to radio on November 20, 2017, as the album's third single.
The title track was released to radio April 9, 2018, as the fourth single.
Promotional singles
A promotional single, "Sixteen", was released on August 11, 2017. A second promotional single, "Grave", was released on August 18, 2017. The title track was released as the third promotional single on September 1, 2017.
Rhett released a song, titled "Sweetheart", exclusively to ''Billboard'' on September 7, a day ahead of the release of the album. A
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
extended play for the track "
Leave Right Now
"Leave Right Now" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Will Young. It was written by Eg White and produced by Stephen Lipson for his second studio album, '' Friday's Child'' (2003). A song about unrequited love, it was released as the ...
" was released April 13, 2018, as the album's fifth promotional single.
Commercial performance
''Life Changes'' debuted at number one on the
''Billboard'' 200, giving Rhett his first chart-topping album. It sold 94,000 copies in the first week (with 123,000
album-equivalent unit
The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditi ...
s total), Rhett's best sales and units week.
The album is also the first country album to top the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in 2017. It sold a further 20,400 copies in its second week. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA for a million units in sales and streams on September 6, 2018.
[ It has sold 319,600 copies in the United States as of March 2019.]
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
* Thomas Rhett
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
– lead vocals, backing vocals (6)
* Charlie Judge – keyboards (1–4, 7–14), synthesizers (5), strings (5)
* Julien Bunetta – keyboards (1, 6, 10, 13), programming (1, 6, 10, 11, 12), electric guitar (1, 10, 13), guitars (6), drums (6), backing vocals (6)
* Joe London
Joe Spargur, popularly known as Joe London, is a professional record producer and songwriter. Joe has had recent success in the pop music world with the release of singles with Pitbull, Jason Derulo, Fifth Harmony and LunchMoney Lewis
Gamal K ...
– programming (1, 10–13), keyboards (10, 13), electric guitar (10, 12)
* Jesse Frasure
Jesse Vernon Frasure (born September 18, 1981), also known as DJ Telemitry, is an American music publisher, record producer, songwriter, and DJ.
Biography
A Detroit native, Frasure (DJ Telemitry), now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wif ...
– programming (2–5, 7, 8, 9, 14)
* John Ryan – programming (6)
* Matt Dragstrem – programming (9), backing vocals (9)
* Sam Ellis – keyboards (13), programming (13)
* Dann Huff
Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...
– electric guitar (1–5, 7–14), ganjo (1), mandolin
A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...
(1)
* Derek Wells
Derek M. Wells, KC, (born 28 November 1946) is a Canadian former politician who served a Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of South Shore from 1993 to 1997.
Early life and education
Born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, he graduated ...
– electric guitar (1–5, 7–14)
* Danny Rader
Danny Rader (born November 1, 1981) is a musician from Panama City, Florida. Born into a musical family, he began to play drums at age 2 and branched out into bass, guitar and piano in his early teens. Later he incorporated bouzouki, mandolin, b ...
– acoustic guitar (1, 10–13)
* Ilya Toshinsky
Bering Strait was a Russian country music band, whose style was sometimes called "redgrass". In 2003, the band was nominated for a Grammy Award and appeared on the TV show ''60 Minutes''. The group disbanded in 2006. The lineup on their first alb ...
– acoustic guitar (2–9, 14)
* Paul Franklin – steel guitar
A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...
(2, 9, 13)
* Skip Edwards – steel guitar (10)
* Jimmie Lee Sloas
Jimmie Lee Sloas is an American session musician, producer, and songwriter, who plays bass guitar.
History
Jimmie Lee Sloas, born in Ashland, Kentucky, grew up in Fairborn, Ohio and Isonville, Kentucky. His father, Dave, was a member of the p ...
– bass (1–5, 7–14)
* Chris Kimmerer – drums (1–5, 7–14)
* Stuart Duncan
Stuart Duncan (born April 14, 1964) is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo.
Life
Duncan was born in Quantico, Virginia, and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school band. He ...
– fiddle
A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...
(4)
* Tom Peyton – trombone (11)
* Nate Mercereau – French horn
The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...
(11)
* Maren Morris
Maren Larae Morris (born April 10, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter. While rooted in the Country music, country genre, her music also blends elements of Pop music, pop, R&B music, R&B, and Hip-Hop music, hip-hop. Born and raised in Arlingt ...
– lead and harmony vocals (1)
* Russell Terrell – backing vocals (1–4, 7, 8, 10, 13)
* Rhett Akins
Thomas Rhett Akins Sr. (born October 13, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. Signed to Decca Records between 1994 and 1997, he released two albums for that label (1995's '' A Thousand Memories'' and 1996's '' Somebody New''), followed by ...
– lead and backing vocals (4)
* Jessi Alexander
Jessica Leigh Alexander (born November 18, 1976) is an American country music artist and songwriter.
Biography
She has had her songs recorded by Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood and Little Big Town. She also launched her own recording career in 2 ...
– backing vocals (9)
* David Lee Murphy
David Lee Murphy (born January 7, 1959) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known for his #1 country hits " Dust on the Bottle" and " Everything's Gonna Be Alright", as well as the hit songs " Party Crowd", "Out with ...
– backing vocals (9)
* Dave Barnes
David Mckee Barnes (born June 20, 1978) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released eight studio albums, including two Christmas albums. His most recent full-length album, ''Dreaming in Electric ...
– backing vocals (11)
* Ben Caver – backing vocals (11, 12)
* Jordan Reynolds – backing vocals (11)
* Emily Weisband – backing vocals (13)
* Bob Bailey – backing vocals (14)
* Jason Eskridge – backing vocals (14)
* Vicki Hampton – backing vocals (14)
* Wendy Moten
Wendy Moten (born November 22, 1964) is an American jazz singer from Tennessee. Born in Memphis and based in Nashville, Moten has had a successful career in music, including several major-label solo records, some international hit songs, and a ...
– backing vocals (14)
Technical and design
* Joe Baldridge – recording (1–5, 7–14)
* Julien Bunetta – additional recording (1, 10), recording (6)
* Joe London – additional recording (1, 10)
* Jesse Frasure – additional recording (2–5, 8, 9)
* Russell Terrell – additional recording (2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13)
* Seth Morton – recording assistant (1–5, 7–14), additional recording (14)
* Kam Luchterhand – recording assistant (7, 14)
* John Hanes – mix engineer (1)
* Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
– mixing (1)
* Justin Niebank – mixing (2–5, 7, 8, 9, 11–14)
* Ash Howes – mixing (6, 10)
* Chris Small – digital editing (1–5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14)
* Adam Ayan – mastering at Gateway Mastering (Portland, Maine)
* Mike "Frog" Griffith – production coordinator
* Laurel Kittleson – production coordinator
* Janice Soled – production coordinator
* Brianna Steinitz – production coordinator
* Becky Reiser – art direction, graphics
* Sandi Spika Borchetta – art direction
* John Shearer – photography
Awards
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
2017 albums
Albums produced by Dann Huff
Big Machine Records albums
Thomas Rhett albums
Albums produced by Jesse Frasure