Podcast - Deep Dive into Martina McBride’s Emotion Album
A deep dive into Martina McBride's 1999 Emotion album that helped her achieve international success. Listen to chart facts, interview excerpts, career highlights, and the state of country music in the new millennium.
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Show Notes
There was so much music released in 1999 and the early 2000s, and I’ve always felt that this album wasn’t necessarily lost in the shuffle, but maybe overshadowed commercially by other records. For me, I was eleven when I went to Kmart and got to buy this CD. I loved the album. I’m 32 now and that’s the same age Martina was when she recorded it, and there’s something about this record 20 years later that just hits me differently. I appreciate it so much more. Obviously as a child I loved the catchiness of “I Love You” but this album dug deeper than most on radio at the time. Sonically, it’s pure perfection. The songs are all different in lyrical content and instrumentation, but it blends flawlessly. It’s a grown-up record with such a depth to it.
Setting the scene at this time point in Martina McBride’s career, she’s just came off her Evolution record which was a triple-platinum success. Martina’s appearances were becoming the pinnacle of the award shows. There were the ACMs in 1998 when she performed “A Broken Wing” and then in ‘99 with “Whatever You Say.” She was getting applause between the verses, and these lengthy standing ovations. Without getting too deep into the Evolution era – because that’s a whole episode in itself – the album had five singles, all top ten charting songs.
This was a very important time for females in country music. There were sixty-six songs on the charts by women in 1999. Sixty-six! And they were fantastic songs! Terri Clark, Jo De Messina, The Chicks, Chely Wright, and Faith Hill, along with Martina would reach number one that year.
Martina’s “Whatever You Say” peaked at number two in early July and was the final single off her Evolution album. By the end of that month, RCA had already released the lead single from her forthcoming album. Coming off such a momentous album, this new single was about to take Martina McBride’s career to a whole new level.
“I Love You” was the first single from the album Emotion that I am featuring on this episode. The song was also prominently showcased on the “Runaway Bride” soundtrack, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. There was a fun a music video interspersed with clips from the movie. The movie was number one at the box office during it’s opening weekend, the soundtrack went platinum, and soon Martina McBride would have another number one hit.
The album Emotion was released September 14, 1999. Everything about this album was a little bit edgier than her previous releases. The cover art was fantastic and really helped usher in that millennium era of country music where females were becoming more fashionable and letting their personalities show. They were individuals, not just record label marketing ploys. She had just done Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair and you could tell that influenced this album majorly.
In the early fall of 1999, Martina’s song “I Love You” is racing up the charts on country radio, as well as the adult contemporary charts. Emotion is released to strong first-week sales. And then, one week later, a long, overdue milestone finally happens.
The 1999 CMA Awards take place at the Grand Ole Opry house. Martina has one nomination and she’s set to perform “I Love You” on the telecast. She’s up for Female Vocalist of the year alongside Faith Hill, Jo Dee Messina, Shania Twain, and Trisha Yearwood. She’d been nominated twice previously in 1996 and 1998, losing to Patty Loveless and Trisha Yearwood. She performs in this gorgeous light blue turquoise two-piece halter gown – just absolutely stunning and radiant, and just like, floated, across that stage while performing. She was spinning around, and she just commanded that stage. Her award show performances are often so heavy – in terms of subject, so it was beautiful to see her in that lighthearted spirit.
Travis Tritt and Marty Roe from Diamond Rio present the award for Female Vocalist and they announce Martina’s name. She’s immediately surrounded in hugs by her husband John, RCA’s Joe Galante, her record producer Paul Worley, and Shania Twain reaches out to her as she makes her way to the stage. She’s so overcome with emotion as she steps up to the microphone to give her speech, thanking her team, fans, and God. Just a beautiful moment.
The next month, her single “I Love You” would hit number one on the country airplay charts, and it stayed their for an impressive 5 weeks. It should be noted that singles didn’t stay at number one that long during this time period. But in 1999, you had giant records that held the top spot for multiple weeks: Kenny Chesney’s “How Forever Feels,” George Strait’s “Write This Down,” Lonestar’s eight-week number one “Amazed,” and Tim McGraw’s “Something Like That” and “Please Remember Me.” “I Love You” would end the year as the 24th most played song of the 1999.
Love’s The Only House
The next single from the Emotion record would be “Love’s The Only House” – a song that conveys a powerful message. The album quickly went gold after its release, and this single would hit number three and spend twenty-eight weeks on the charts. There’s a must-watch ACM Awards performance of this song – everything about it is fire. The passion that she emotes. Her outfit is rocking. Leather pants and this white cropped shirt – seriously just fire. And this song is every bit as important as it was 21 years ago.
Martina continues to dominate radio and she’s part of the gigantic George Strait festival tour later that spring. She’s listed as third on the bill that includes George Strait, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack, Mark Chesnutt, Asleep at the Wheel, and Billy Gillman.
In terms of production, this album has such a different sound than her previous efforts. And in an 1999 interview with Country Weekly she talked about making the album.
Martina says, “With any album you put out, you’re always nervous about whether it’s going to be accepted or not. I know it’s probably not the most traditional country album ever. But you know what? I’ve never really made traditional country albums. So in a way, I don’t think it’s going to be too shocking for people. Hopefully, they expect me to do something different with each album.”
There You Are
By the summer of 2000, her third single “There You Are” is released to radio. It’s a gorgeous ballad with those soaring vocals. She performed it later that fall on the CMAs with an orchestra. Simply stunning. The song was also featured on the “Where the Heart Is” movie soundtrack. This would become her first single to reach the top fifteen of the adult contemporary charts. It peaked at number ten on the country charts.
Since her second album, The Way That I Am, Martina has co-produced all of her records.
“I was involved with every little detail,” Martina told Country Weekly in 1999. “Everything from arrangements, to the drum sounds, to the spacing between each song on the record. I can’t imagine doing it any other way. There’s no right or wrong way, but for me, producing is really fun and exciting.”
It’s My Time
Martina was becoming a household name at this point. Of course, she’s been a staple on country radio for almost a decade, but she was really starting to become a crossover star. She represented country music in a classy manner. Country music didn’t have the huge presence on late night tv, talk shows, or magazines that’s common today, but Martina’s music resonated with listeners and she became one of the leading faces of the genre. She was even featured on Kellogg’s cereal boxes during a summer promotion. She landed a spot on the 2001 American Music Awards where she performed “It’s My Time.” Vocal group SheDaisy was the other lone country act spotlighted on the show.
I just completely respect the way Martina has handled fame and what comes with it. She’s often quoted that she doesn’t want to be a celebrity, she just wants to be able to get the music to as many people as possible.
I think if you go back and listen to other albums from that era, this one is timeless in its production. Nothing sounds dated. It truly encompasses the title, Emotion, in every way. Whether you’ve had this CD in your collection or you haven’t listened to it yet, I would recommend exploring the Emotion album. It’s a quieter record that provides this intimate listening experience.
Thanks for joining me on this deep dive of Martina McBride’s Emotion record.
References:
Country Weekly
Billboard Album Archives