Hero (Kirk Franklin album)
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Hero
| type = studio
| artist = Kirk Franklin
| cover = Kfranklin_hero.jpg
| alt =
| released = October 4, 2005
| recorded = July 2005
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Urban contemporary gospel
| length = 77:26
| label = B-Rite, GospoCentric, J Records
| producer = Kirk Franklin, J Moss
| prev_title = A Season of Remixes
| prev_year = 2003
| next_title = Songs for the Storm
| next_year = 2006
}}
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = Allmusic
|rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r789343|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review]
}}
Hero is the eighth album by Kirk Franklin, released October 4, 2005 on GospoCentric Records. Hero was certified as Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on {{Start date|2005|12|2}} and Platinum on {{Start date|2006|12|14}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Kirk+Franklin#search_section |title=Gold & Platinum - RIAA |publisher=Recording Industry Association of America |access-date=January 23, 2024 }} it is one of the best-selling gospel albums of all time. In 2007, Hero won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album and "Imagine Me" won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song.{{cite web|url=http://www.gospelflava.com/articles/grammywins-2007.html|title=49th Annual Grammy Award Winners}}
Synopsis
Produced by Franklin and J. Moss, the album features songs with several urban contemporary gospel and R&B artists including Dorinda Clark-Cole, Tye Tribbett, Marvin Winans (member of the Winans), Stevie Wonder, Yolanda Adams, and Moss himself.{{cite AV media notes |title=Hero |title-link=Hero (Kirk Franklin album) |others=Kirk Franklin |year=2005 |chapter=Looking for You |page=1 |type=CD liner |publisher=GospoCentric Records |location=Inglewood, CA}}
Track listing
| class="wikitable"
! # !!Title!!Time!!Notes | |||
| 1. | "Intro (America the Beautiful)" | 0:45 | Vocals by the African Children’s Choir |
| 2. | "Looking for You" | 4:06 | Samples "Haven't You Heard" by Patrice Rushen and appears on the soundtrack to "Norbit". |
| 3. | "Hero" (featuring Dorinda Clark Cole) | 5:20 | |
| 4. | "Interlude #1" (featuring Fred Hammond) | 0:55 | |
| 5. | "Let It Go" (featuring Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. and tobyMac) | 4:59 | Samples "Shout" by Tears for Fears |
| 6. | "The Process" | 1:08 | |
| 7. | "Imagine Me" | 5:18 | 2007 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song |
| 8. | "Could've Been" (featuring J Moss and Tye Tribbett) | 6:47 | |
| 9. | "Better" | 4:00 | Produced By Dre & Vidal |
| 10. | "Afterwhile" (featuring Yolanda Adams) | 2:51 | |
| 11. | "Brokenhearted" (featuring Marvin L. Winans) | 6:01 | |
| 12. | "Without You" | 5:02 | |
| 13. | "Keep Your Head" | 4:36 | Samples Keep Your Head to the Sky by Earth, Wind, and Fire |
| 14. | "Why" (featuring Stevie Wonder) | 4:36 | Samples Free by Deniece Williams |
| 15. | "First Love" | 5:52 | |
| 16. | "The Appeal" | 7:21 | |
| 17. | "Brokenhearted (Reprise)" | 1:09 | |
| 18. | "Interlude #2" | 0:30 | |
| 19. | "Sunshine" | 4:59 | Samples "You Bring The Sun Out" by Randy Crawford |
| 20. | "Outro" | 1:11 | Kerrion Franklin |
Personnel
=Vocalists=
- Ashley Guilbert
- Nikki Ross
- Daphanie Wright
- Anaysha Figueroa
- Faith Anderson
- Erica Davis
- Jana Bell
- Charmaine Swimpson
- Isaac Carree
- Eric Moore
- Jason Champion
- Anthony Evans
- Myron Butler
=Instrumentalists=
- Kirk Franklin - Keyboards, Minimoog, Piano, Drum Programming
- Terry Baker - Drums
- Shaun Martin - Keyboards, Drum Programming, Minimoog, Programming, Drums
- Jerome Harmon - Keyboards, Hammond B3
- Braylon Lacy - Bass Guitar
- Doc Powell - Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
- Ernie G - DJ, Keyboards, Programming
- Jason Bell - Lead Guitar
- Sheila E. - Percussion, Percussion Color
- Chris Godbey - Programming
- Vidal Davis - Percussion, Additional Instruments
- Andre Harris - Percussion, Additional Instruments
- Ryan Toby - Percussion
- Jason Boyd - Percussion
- Humberto Ruiz - Trombone
- Lee Thornburg - Trumpet
- Paul Cerra - Saxophone
- Dave Monsch - Baritone Sax
- Jamie Hovorka - Trumpet
=Orchestra=
- Assa Drori – Violin
- Agnes Gottschewsky – Violin
- Armen Garabedian – Violin
- Elizabeth Wilson – Violin
- Sally Berman – Violin
- Brian Benning – Violin
- Irma Neumann – Violin
- Berj Garabedian – Violin
- Robert Brosseau – Violin
- Shari Zippert – Violin
- Kazi Pitelka – Viola
- Jorge Moraga – Viola
- Renita Koven – Viola
- Karie Prescott – Viola
- Cecilia Tsan – Cello
- Dan Smith – Cello
- Miguel Martinez – Cello
- Earl Madison – Cello
- Frances Liu – Contrabass
- Nicholas Phillippon – Contrabass
- Katie Kirkpatrick – Harp
- Gary Foster – Flute
- Sheridan Stokes – Flute
- Vince Trombetta, Jr. – Flute
- Larry Caplan – Flute
- Don Shelton – Clarinet
- Jeff Driskill – Alto Clarinet
- Phil Feather – Bass Clarinet/Oboe
- John Mitchell – E♭ Contrabass Clarinet/Bassoon
- David Duke – French horn
- John Reynolds – French horn
- Loren Marstellar – Baritone horn
- Chuck Koontz – Tuba
- Brent Fischer – cymbals/Timpani
Notable Singles
Hero featured the singles "Looking for You" and "Imagine Me".
"Looking for You" was released as a single on September 20, 2005 in the U.S. and was a top-five hit on the Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p77505|label=Hero}}{{cite web|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=kirk franklin|chart=all}}|title=Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Kirk Franklin|accessdate=2008-01-14}}
Charts
Hero peaked at No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart on {{Start date|2005|10|22}},
It also reached No. 4 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2005)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|Billboard200|13|artist=Kirk Franklin|rowheader=true|accessdate=September 30, 2020}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|4|artist=Kirk Franklin|rowheader=true|accessdate=September 30, 2020}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2006)
! scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2006/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2006|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=September 30, 2020}}
| 108 |
| scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2006/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2006|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=September 30, 2020}}
| 32 |
=Decade-end charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"|Chart (2000-2009)
! scope="col"|Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"|US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard){{Cite magazine |title=Best of the 2000s: Gospel Albums|archivedate=January 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106051824/http://www.billboard.com/charts-decade-end/gospel-albums?year=2009#/charts-decade-end/gospel-albums?year=2009|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts-decade-end/gospel-albums?year=2009#/charts-decade-end/gospel-albums?year=2009|url-status=dead|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=February 11, 2024|via=Wayback Machine}}
|align="center"|5 |
{{col-end}}
Awards
In 2006, the album won a Dove Award for Urban Album of the Year at the 37th GMA Dove Awards. The song "Looking for You" also won a Dove Award for Urban Recorded Song of the Year.[http://christianmusic.about.com/od/doves/a/06gmanoms.htm 37th Annual GMA Dove Awards Nominations & Winners] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707074958/http://christianmusic.about.com/od/doves/a/06gmanoms.htm |date=2011-07-07 }} on About.com; Jones, Kim
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r789343|label=Hero}}
{{Kirk Franklin}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hero - Kirk Franklin}}