Personnel: Garth Brooks (vocals); Chris Leuzinger (acoustic & electric guitars); Ty England (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Mark Casstevens (acoustic guitar); Steve McClure (electric & steel guitars); Bruce Bouton (steel guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Rob Hajacos (fiddle); Terry McMillan (harmonica); Jim Horn (saxophone); Bobby Wood (piano, keyboards); Bobby Emmons (Hammond B-3 organ); Mike Chapman, Roy Huskey, Jr. (bass); Milton Sledge, Mike Palmer (drums, percussion); Ferrell Morris, Sam Bacco (percussion); Helen Darling, Kathy Chiavola, Trisha Yearwood (background vocals).
New Grass Revival: Pat Flynn (acoustic guitar); Bela Fleck (banjo); Sam Bush (mandolin, fiddle, background vocals); John Cowan (background vocals).
Recorded at Jack's Tracks Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee.
Digitally remastered by Denny Purcell (Georgetown Masters, Nashville, Tennessee).
Personnel: Garth Brooks (vocals); Ty England (vocals, acoustic guitar); James Garver (vocals, electric guitar, percussion); Sam Bush (vocals, mandolin, fiddle); Betty Smittle, Helen Darling, John Cowan, Kathy Chiavola, Allen Reynolds, Trisha Yearwood (vocals); Chris Leuzinger (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Mark Casstevens, Pat Flynn (acoustic guitar); Steve McClure (electric guitar, steel guitar); Bruce Bouton (steel guitar, dobro); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Béla Fleck (banjo); Dave Gant (fiddle, keyboards); Rob Hajacos (fiddle); Nashville String Machine (strings); Terry McMillan (harmonica); Jim Horn (saxophone); Bobby Wood (piano, keyboards); Bobby Emmons (organ); Mike Palmer, Milton Sledge (drums, percussion); Sam Bacco, Farrell Morris (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Mark Miller .
Recording information: Jack's Tracks Recording Studio, Nashville, TN.
Photographers: Michael Gomez ; C.J. Yerkes; Tamara Reynolds; Beverly Parker.
On his sixth album, IN PIECES, THE superstar of country music is poised once again to break all sales records. Culling from the style of his idol Billy Joel as much as any country influence, Brooks delves further into the mix of high drama and low places of country pop. Country pedigree aside, Brooks is the quintessential pop star.
IN PIECES refers to the random way Brooks collected the songs for the album, but the album is in no way a misguided effort. It is a seamless collection. Most artists are lucky if there is one blockbuster on an album; IN PIECES has several: "The Night I Called The Old Man Out," "Standing Outside The Fire," and the 4 1/2 minute epic "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)." The bluesy "Kickin' And Screamin'" is a left-of-center departure, a la Lyle Lovett. "The Red Strokes" effectively utilizes art as metaphor for romance and serves as one of Brooks' best recordings in a discography including numerous gems. He displays his talent for singing, not posturing or grandstanding.
Garth switches to Cajun spice for "Callin' Baton Rouge" and returns to his roots and spurs for "The Cowboy Song." A murder witnessed by illicit lovers sparks the percussion-heavy "Night Will Only Know." On several songs, Brooks is joined by Trisha Yearwood's harmonies.
With all the pieces added together Garth has, once again, created an album of substance.
After the relative commercial disappointment of The Chase, Garth Brooks toned down his experimental eclecticism on In Pieces. Alternating between heavily rock-influenced numbers, dramatic ballads, and revamped honky tonk, In Pieces appeals to the audience that found The Chase too pretentious and overly serious. That doesn't mean Brooks abandoned his desire to bend the rules -- he's just masked his more ambitious material with crowd-pleasing up-tempo numbers like "American Honky-Tonk Bar Association" and "Ain't Going Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)." In Pieces is an album that was made for the fans, and it shows -- it is one of Brooks' most energetic and exciting collections. [Brooks re-released the album in 2000, adding the track "Anonymous."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine minimize