Hero (Maren Morris album) explained

Hero
Type:studio
Artist:Maren Morris
Cover:Maren Morris - Hero album cover.jpg
Border:yes
Recorded:2015–2016
Length:37:49
Label:Columbia Nashville
Prev Title:Maren Morris EP
Prev Year:2015
Next Title:Girl
Next Year:2019

Hero is the major-label debut album and fourth studio album by American country music singer Maren Morris, released on June 3, 2016, through Columbia Nashville. It marks Morris' first release on a major label and her fourth overall. The album debuted and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 chart[1] and was nominated for Best Country Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.[2]

Background

In August 2015, Morris self-released five songs as a self-titled extended play, Maren Morris, on Spotify.[3] The songs garnered 2.5 million streams on Spotify in a month, with three songs appearing in Spotify's US and Global "Viral 50" chart. The success of Morris' EP attracted the interest of major labels and she eventually signed to Columbia Nashville in September 2015.[4] The label then re-released the 5-song EP on November 6, 2015, with "My Church" as the lead single.[5]

"My Church" would become a success on the chart, reaching number 5 on the Hot Country Songs chart and winning Best Country Solo Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. The success of "My Church" was followed by the release of the Morris' first major label album release, Hero.[5] All tracks from the EP are included on the album, with "Company You Keep" included on the deluxe edition. The additional songs in the album were co-written with Chris DeStefano, Natalie Hemby, Shane McAnally, and others.[6] Morris has writing credits on all the songs in the album.

Release and promotion

The album's lead single, "My Church", was released on January 19, 2016. The album's second single, "80s Mercedes", was released to country radio on June 27, 2016. The album's third single, "I Could Use a Love Song" was released to country radio on March 27, 2017.[7] "Rich" was released February 12, 2018, as the album's fourth single.[8]

Morris embarked on the Hero Tour in 2017, in support of her album.[9]

A deluxe edition of the album was released on March 17, 2017. It features the songs "Bummin' Cigarettes", "Space" and "Company You Keep".[10]

Critical reception

Hero was well received by most music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised Morris' inventiveness and how she "skillfully slides between styles, blurring distinctions between genre and eras". Erlewine felt that the album "belongs to the digital era but it's the songs – smart, sharp, and hooky – that make this a great modern pop album, regardless of genre." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times considered the album an outstanding country music debut, and "perhaps the canniest country record in recent memory." Caramanica thought Morris an "astute synthesizer" of various styles, and found the album to be "both utterly of its moment and also savvy enough to indicate how the future might sound." He also noted the profanity in some of the songs that Morris used "fluently, casually, and effectively, which is to say, you hardly notice at all as she's breaking what may be country's last remaining taboo."[11] Sounds Like Nashville referred to Morris' songwriting talent, powerful vocals and eclectic music style that made Hero one of the most unique and enjoyable releases of 2016.[12]

Accolades

Year
AssociationCategoryResult
2016CMA Awards[13] Album of the Year
CMA AwardsNew Artist of the Year
2017Grammy AwardsBest Country Album
ACM Awards[14] Album of the Year
Year-end lists! Publication! Rank! List
AllMusicN/ABest Albums of 2016[15]
American Songwriter40Top 50 Albums of 2016[16]
AOL7Best Albums of 2016[17]
Billboard950 Best Albums of 2016[18]
Entertainment Weekly5The Best Country Albums of 2016[19]
Noisey44The 100 Best Albums of 2016[20]
NPR3650 Best Albums of 2016[21]
People10The 10 Best Albums of 2016[22]
Rolling Stone140 Best Country Albums of 2016[23]
1350 Best Albums of 2016[24]
SPIN47The 50 Best Albums of 2016[25]
Stereogum12The 20 Best Country Albums of 2016[26]
Variety7The 10 Best Albums of 2016[27]
WiredN/ABest Albums of 2016[28]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Hero debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart with 45,000 equivalent album units; the album sold 37,000 copies in pure sales, with the remainder of its unit total reflecting the album's streaming and track equivalent album units. It also debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums chart.[29] As of April 2019, the album has sold 313,100 copies in the United States.[30] On July 17, 2019, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a million units.[31]

Track listing

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[32]

Musicians

Choir singers

Technical

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2016–2017)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[33] 69
Australian Country Albums (ARIA)[34] 6

Year-end charts

Chart (2016)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[35] 145
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[36] 21
Chart (2017)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[37] 106
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[38] 16
Chart (2018)! scope="col"
Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[39] 32
Chart (2019)! scope="col"
Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[40] 51

Notes and References

  1. Drake's 'Views' Album No. 1 for Sixth Week on Billboard 200, Paul Simon Debuts at No. 3. Keith. Caulfield. Billboard. June 2, 2016. June 28, 2016.
  2. Grammy Awards 2017: See the Full Winners List. Billboard. February 12, 2017.
  3. Web site: Maren Morris . Twitter.
  4. Web site: Sony Music Nashville Signs Singer-Songwriter Maren Morris . Music Row . Jessica Nicholson . September 10, 2015.
  5. Maren Morris Plots 'Hero' Album Release . Andrew . Leahey . March 14, 2016 . Rolling Stone .
  6. Web site: Maren Morris Announces Her Major Label Debut, 'Hero' . Taste of Country. Annie Reuter . March 14, 2016 .
  7. Web site: Future Release for Country Radio Stations. All Access Media Group. March 21, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170321125644/http://www.allaccess.com/country/future-releases. March 21, 2017.
  8. Web site: Single Releases : MusicRow. January 4, 2013 . MusicRow. https://web.archive.org/web/20180123190544/https://musicrow.com/calendars-2/single-releases/. January 23, 2018. January 23, 2018.
  9. News: Maren Morris Announces Headlining Hero Tour. Rolling Stone. February 9, 2017.
  10. News: Maren Morris To Release Expanded Version of 'HERO' Album. March 13, 2017. Sounds Like Nashville. March 13, 2017.
  11. News: Review: Why 'Hero' Is an Outstanding Country Music Debut. Jon Caramanica. June 1, 2016. The New York Times.
  12. News: 16 Best Country Albums of 2016. December 9, 2016. Sounds Like Nashville. March 13, 2017. en-US.
  13. News: Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris leaders in 2016 CMA Awards nominations. Watts. Cindy. The Tennessean. August 31, 2016. August 31, 2016.
  14. News: ACM Awards 2017: Complete List of Nominees and Winners. Hautman. Nicholas. Us Weekly. April 2, 2017. April 2, 2017.
  15. Web site: AllMusic Best Albums of 2016. AllMusic staff. AllMusic. December 10, 2016.
  16. Web site: Top 50 Albums Of 2016. American Songwriter Staff. December 1, 2016. American Songwriter. December 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161202234800/http://americansongwriter.com/2016/12/top-50-albums-2016/2/. December 2, 2016. dead.
  17. Web site: Best Albums of 2016. AOL.com staff. AOL. December 13, 2016. December 15, 2016.
  18. 50 Best Albums of 2016. Billboard staff. Billboard. December 12, 2016. December 15, 2016.
  19. The Best Country Albums of 2016. Madison Vain. Entertainment Weekly. December 14, 2016. December 15, 2016. May 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170510103439/http://ew.com/article/2016/12/14/best-country-albums-2016/. dead.
  20. Web site: The 100 Best Albums of 2016. Noisey staff. Noisey. December 7, 2016. December 8, 2016.
  21. Web site: 50 Best Albums of 2016. NPR staff. NPR. December 8, 2016.
  22. Web site: The 10 Best Albums of 2016. Jeff Nelson. People. December 13, 2016. December 19, 2016.
  23. 40 Best Country Albums of 2016. Rolling Stone staff. December 6, 2016. Rolling Stone. December 8, 2016.
  24. 50 Best Albums of 2016. Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone staff. November 28, 2016. November 29, 2016.
  25. Web site: The 50 Best Albums of 2016. SPIN staff. SPIN. December 12, 2016. December 15, 2016.
  26. Web site: The 20 Best Country Albums of 2016. Stephen Deusner. Stereogum. December 16, 2016. December 19, 2016.
  27. Web site: The 10 Best Albums of 2016. Andrew Barker. Variety. December 20, 2016. December 26, 2016.
  28. Best Albums of 2016. Wired staff. Wired. December 6, 2016. December 10, 2016.
  29. Maren Morris - Chart history. Billboard. June 15, 2017.
  30. News: Top 10 Country Albums Chart: April 15, 2019 . Matt . Bjorke . April 15, 2019 . Roughstock . July 21, 2019 . May 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210513194805/https://roughstock.com/news/2019/04/43757-top-10-country-albums-chart-april-15-2019 . dead .
  31. Web site: RIAA Searchable Database. RIAA. June 15, 2017.
  32. Hero . Maren Morris . 2016 . CD insert . Columbia Records . 88985-32645-2.
  33. Web site: ARIA Albums: Jimmy Barnes 'Soul Searchin' Is His 11th No 1 Album. Noise11. Ryan. Gavin. June 11, 2016. June 11, 2016.
  34. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20160620005700/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20160620-1057/Issue1372.pdf "Issue 1372"
  35. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016. Billboard. December 9, 2016.
  36. Top Country Albums – Year-End 2016. Billboard. February 23, 2018.
  37. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017. Billboard. December 12, 2017.
  38. Top Country Albums – Year-End 2017. Billboard. February 23, 2018.
  39. Top Country Albums – Year-End 2018. Billboard. July 12, 2020.
  40. Top Country Albums – Year-End 2019. Billboard. July 12, 2020.

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