The Hard Way (Clint Black album)
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox album
| name = The Hard Way
| type = Studio album
| artist = Clint Black
| cover = The Hard Way cover.jpg
| alt =
| released = July 14, 1992
| recorded = 1991–1992
| venue =
| studio = Studio Sound (Burbank, California); Moonee Ponds (Los Angeles); Eleven Eleven, Mesa (Nashville)
| genre = Neotraditional country
| length = 34:09
| label = RCA Nashville
| producer = James Stroud, Clint Black
| prev_title = Put Yourself in My Shoes
| prev_year = 1990
| next_title = No Time to Kill
| next_year = 1993
| misc = {{Singles
| name = The Hard Way
| type = Studio
| single1 = We Tell Ourselves
| single1date = June 22, 1992
| single2 = Burn One Down
| single2date = October 1992
| single3 = When My Ship Comes In
| single3date = January 11, 1993
}}
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}} [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r123487/review|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]
| rev2 = Chicago Tribune
| rev2Score = {{Rating|3.5|4}} {{cite web |title=Clint BlackThe Hard Way (RCA/BMG) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)1/2Black says... |website=Chicago Tribune |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-08-06/features/9203100917_1_star-hayden-nicholas-clint-black|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628211915/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-08-06/features/9203100917_1_star-hayden-nicholas-clint-black|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 28, 2013}}
| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly
| rev3Score = B− [https://web.archive.org/web/20070601013210/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,311349,00.html Entertainment Weekly review]
| rev4 = Los Angeles Times
| rev4Score = {{Rating|3|4}} {{cite web |title=POP MUSIC : A Country Study in Black and Blue : *** CLINT BLACK, "The Hard Way". RCA |date=July 26, 1992 |website=Los Angeles Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306101315/https://articles.latimes.com/1992-07-26/entertainment/ca-5119_1_clint-black |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |url-status=live |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-07-26-ca-5119-story.html}}
| rev5 = Q
| rev5Score = {{Rating|3|5}} [http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6654529&style=music Album reviews at CD Universe]
| rev6 = Robert Christgau
| rev6Score = C [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=clint+black Robert Christgau Consumer Guide]
| noprose=yes
|}}
The Hard Way is the third studio album by American country music singer Clint Black. It includes the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks top-ten hits "We Tell Ourselves"[#2], "Burn One Down"[#4], and the number-one hit "When My Ship Comes In". Released on July 14, 1992, it was co-produced by Black and James Stroud. While not as commercially successful as his first two albums, The Hard Way was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Musical style and composition
The Hard Way has been described as a neotraditional country album with elements of pop compared to 1970s singer-songwriters such as Jimmy Buffett, James Taylor, and Dan Fogelberg.
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Clint Black and Hayden Nicholas except where noted.
| headline =
| title1 = We Tell Ourselves
| length1 = 4:39
| title2 = The Hard Way
| length2 = 3:22
| title3 = Something to Cry About
| length3 = 3:55
| title4 = Buying Time
| length4 = 3:36
| title5 = When My Ship Comes In
| length5 = 3:33
| title6 = A Woman Has Her Way
| writer6 = Black, David Bellamy, Jerry Lynn Williams
| length6 = 2:51
| title7 = There Never Was a Train
| note7 = omitted from cassette version
| length7 = 2:42
| title8 = The Good Old Days
| length8 = 2:29
| title9 = Burn One Down
| writer9 = Black, Nicholas, Frankie Miller
| length9 = 3:51
| title10 = Wake Up Yesterday
| length10 = 3:43
}}
Personnel
= Band =
- Eddie Bayers — drums
- Clint Black — harmonica, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, lead vocals, background vocals
- Larry Byrom — acoustic guitar
- Lenny Castro — percussion
- Eric Darken — percussion
- Jerry Douglas — Dobro
- Sonny Garrish — steel guitar
- Dick Gay — drums
- Rob Hajacos — fiddle
- Dann Huff — electric guitar
- Jeff Huskins — fiddle
- Jana King — background vocals
- Liana Manis — background vocals
- Hayden Nicholas — electric guitar, electric sitar
- Mark O'Connor — fiddle
- Jeff Peterson — steel guitar
- Don Potter — acoustic guitar
- Matt Rollings — piano
- Leland Sklar — bass guitar
- Jake Willemain — bass guitar
- Dennis Wilson — background vocals
- Curtis Young — background vocals
- Martin Young — acoustic guitar
- Reggie Young — electric guitar
= Production =
- Clint Black — producer
- James Stroud — producer
- Lynn Peterzell — engineer
Chart performance
=Album=
| class="wikitable"
! Chart (1992) ! Peak |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums
| align="center"| 2 |
| U.S. Billboard 200
| align="center"| 8 |
| Canadian RPM Country Albums
| align="center"| 3 |
| Canadian RPM Top Albums
| align="center"| 47 |
=Singles=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Single ! colspan="2"| Peak positions |
| style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="50"| US Country ! width="50"| CAN Country |
| rowspan="2"| 1992
| align="left"| "We Tell Ourselves" | 2 | 1 |
| align="left"| "Burn One Down"
| 4 | 2 |
| 1993
| align="left"| "When My Ship Comes In" | 1 | 1 |
References
{{Reflist}}
- The Hard Way [CD liner notes]. 1992. RCA Records.
- [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=clint black|chart=all}} Artist Chart History (Singles)]. Billboard. Retrieved on January 1, 2007.
- [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=clint black|chart=all}} Artist Chart History (Albums)]. Billboard. Retrieved on January 1, 2007.
{{Clint Black}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hard Way}}