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Faith Hill Album: “Take Me as I Am”
 Description :
Personnel: Faith Hill, Larry Stewart (vocals); Don Potter, Bill Watson (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason, Dan Huff (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar, dobro); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Rob Hajacos (fiddle); John Catchings (cello); John Barlow Davis (piano); Bill Cuomo (synthesizer); Edgar Meyer (acoustic bass); Glenn Worf, Michael Rhodes (bass); Lonnie Wilson, Harry Stinson (drums); Terry McMillan (percussion); Karen Staley, Victoria Shaw, Ron Wallace, Cindy Richardson Walker, Mark Luna, Lari White, Mary Ann Kennedy, Pam Rose, Gary Burr (background vocals).
<p>Producers: Scott Hendricks, Michael Clute, Gary Burr.
<p>Recorded at Woodland Recording Studios, Midtown Tone And Volume, and The Soundshop, Nashville, Tennessee.
<p>Listen to this fairy tale. A beautiful homecoming queen who aspires to be a singer leaves her small Mississippi town, arrives in Nashville, releases a debut album, and immediately scores a stream of #1 hits. Well, the story is true. The singer is Faith Hill, direct from a town called Star.
<p>On TAKE ME AS I AM, the strawberry-maned, country-thrush exhibits a warm, satin voice, deceptively strong, with a slight, fragile quiver reminiscent of Dolly Parton. She has a liquid, vocal strength similar to that of her idol, Reba McEntire, but devoid of Reba's overwrought vocal gymnastics.
<p>From the defiant, teenage-rebel anthem "Wild One" to her brave, countrified remake of Janis Joplin's signature rocker "Piece Of My Heart," Hill stakes out the wide territory between traditional and contemporary country, most notably in the classic-sounding "But I Will."
<p>In this impeccably produced (by boyfriend Scott Hendricks) album, Faith doesn't shy away from important topics. In "I Would Be Stronger Than That," she tackles domestic violence. Unlike the aggressive tact of Martina McBride's "Independence Day," Faith takes a more reflective stance.
<p>With her striking looks, full-bodied vocals, and strong material, TAKE ME AS I AM, poises Faith Hill as the next queen of country music.
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Track Listing :
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Album Information :
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UPC:093624538929
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Format:CD
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Type:Performer
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Genre:Country - Contemporary Country
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Artist:Faith Hill
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Guest Artists:Larry Stewart; Lari White
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Label:Warner Bros. Records (Record Label)
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Distributed:WEA (distr)
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Release Date:1993/10/12
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Original Release Year:1993
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Discs:1
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Length:34:14
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Mono / Stereo:Stereo
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Studio / Live:Studio
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
- The birth of a Country diva.
1993 marked the debut of Faith Hill - who is now a singing sensation, and has undeniable talent. I remember first tuning into CMT and I saw this beautiful woman singing "Piece Of My Heart" - this music video led me to discover Faith Hill and her amazing talents - I quickly rushed out of the house and bought the [Take Me Ask I Am] CD.
"Wild One" - Faith's first song released became an instant #1 hit, then followed by "Piece Of My Heart" which also hit #1, then followed by the title track "Take Me As I Am" which became a loved top ten hit. Faith makes a great debut, and I'm happy to have listened to her music for 10 years now.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
- Nice debut!
Faith Hill's debut album is a strong collection of songs. Of course her music has changed a lot from this debut, but it's all good. She has yet to make an album I did not like. This one is definately her most traditional country album. The album had a few hit singles, including "Wild One", "Take Me As I Am" and "Piece of My Heart". "But I Will" is a great ballad, but it only reached #35. There's other nice ballads like "Just Aout Now", "Just Around The Eyes" and "I Would Be Stronger Than That", and some uptempos. Overall a nice debut. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
- The only Faith Hill album I can listen to in entirety
This is one of those stereotypical newcomer albums where every song is given equal, strong effort. Before any affectations are expected or demanded, before the artist decides that they MUST represent themselves as a star, before their voice has gotten worn out. From then on, Hill did what many artists do- put two to four hits on an album, with the rest generally being (annoying & pitiful) filler. I know because I bought & listened to all of them, so no, I'm not waxing nostalgic or trying to be cruel. Before Faith Hill had any gnode problems, she was likely to be another Patsy Cline or other great singer of the genre. Unfortunately, the strong & pretty mezzo-soprano country voice heard here is no longer at all what it was, but at least we have this album to listen to.
The obvious first hits of the star are still here, including the much-maligned "Piece of My Heart". She's not Janis Joplin. Get over it, people. Hill sang the song her way, and it's a version that's quite easy to listen to, sung with energy & emotion. I would rather see someone take a good song & sing it well THEIR way, then try to be a weak copycat of a previous artist. No one bi*ched when Linda Ronstadt sang Buddy Holly or Motown songs her own way, just as one famous example. Of course, "Wild One" & "Take Me As I Am" are the other two that radio played & loved. While not necessarily her all-time best songs, the vocal quality, melodic air & strong instrumentation are enjoyable enough to listen to.
"Just About Now", "Just Around the Eyes" & "I Would Be Stronger Than That" are the three examples of great, slow-tempo pop-country songs which should have been hits. Had they been promoted better, and/or were released in the 1980's (when Contemporary Country was at it's best), they probably would have been. I prefer these songs to the hits, myself, but I tend to be that way. This album is not the twangy, patriotic, sound-a-like country so many of us loathe today. It was like a mildly-country version of early-80's Sheena Easton, just updated for the 1990's. That's the best way I can think of to describe it. Any woman listening to these songs who's lived long enough will most certainly get the lyrics. The songs are lyrically powerful & again, Hill was really in her best voice, so they are easy to listen to over & over again. I am not, as a whole, a country music fan, & certainly not one who likes 99.9% of what's on the air today. But if you are a fan of Trisha Yearwood, Reba in the 80's, K.T. Oslen, Rosanne Cash, etc.- I believe you will like this album. If you are a died-in-the-wool modern country fan, I don't know how appealing this set of soft pop-country would be to you.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
- A Great Album From A Beautiful Lady.
This Is One Of The Beautiful Voices In Country Music Today. Faith Hill Sings Great Songs On This Album Like: The Number 1's Wild One, And Piece Of My Heart. The Title Track Became A Top Ten Hit. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
- Very good album
This was Faith Hill at her best.
A lot of good to excellent tracks on this album.
My favorites:
Wild One (A+)
Piece of My Heart (A+)
Other ones I like:
Take Me As I am (B)
Lifes Too Short To Love Like That (B)
But I Will (B)
I Would Be Stronger Than That (B)
And the other tracks... in my opinion average but listenable.
Nothing bad on this album.
Overall, right on the B to B+ borderline. Very good album, with 2 outstanding tracks and several good to very good tracks.
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