Fresh Horses (album)

For 2004 album, see Jim Byrnes (actor).
Fresh Horses
Studio album by
Garth Brooks
ReleasedNovember 21, 1995
StudioJack's Tracks (Nashville, Tennessee)
GenreCountry
Length38:13
LabelCapitol Nashville
ProducerAllen Reynolds
Garth Brooks chronology
The Hits
(1994) 		Fresh Horses
(1995) 		Sevens
(1997)
Singles from Fresh Horses
  1. "She's Every Woman"
    Released: August 28, 1995
  2. "The Fever"
    Released: November 20, 1995
  3. "The Beaches of Cheyenne"
    Released: December 11, 1995
  4. "The Change"
    Released: February 28, 1996
  5. "It's Midnight Cinderella"
    Released: June 10, 1996
  6. "That Ol' Wind"
    Released: September 30, 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Consumer GuideB+[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]
Spin8/10[5]

Fresh Horses is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on November 21, 1995. Fresh Horses peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, and number one on the Top Country Albums chart.

The album had a worldwide radio ban until it was available to buy. Only the two singles issued ("She's Every Woman" and "The Fever") were allowed to be played before this date, the latter of which was a new country-rock version of a 1993 Aerosmith song. In 2020 it was certified 8× Platinum by the RIAA, signifying 8 million copies shipped in the US, making it his only pre-Chris Gaines studio album to not be certified diamond or higher.

Background

Brooks commented on the album, saying:

"Everyone was expecting this album to be pop. Everyone said we were leaving (country). For the first time ever, I was involved (in writing) in eight of the 10 cuts, so it's a huge reflection of myself. It's the things I enjoy singing about. I got to sing about the band on the road, I got to sing about cowboys, and more importantly, the women who put up with those cowboys."[6]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Old Stuff"Garth Brooks, Bryan Kennedy, Dan Roberts4:11
2."Cowboys and Angels"Kent Blazy, Brooks, Kim Williams3:17
3."The Fever"Kennedy, Joe Perry, Roberts, Steven Tyler2:39
4."That Ol' Wind"Brooks, Leigh Reynolds5:20
5."Rollin'"Harley Allen, Brooks, Reynolds4:02
6."The Change"Tony Arata, Wayne Tester4:07
7."The Beaches of Cheyenne"Brooks, Kennedy, Roberts4:13
8."It's Midnight Cinderella"Blazy, Brooks, Williams2:23
9."She's Every Woman"Brooks, Victoria Shaw2:55
10."Ireland"Brooks, Stephanie Davis, Jenny Yates4:56
Total length:38:13

“The Limited Series” (1998) version of the album inserted a cover of Bob Dylan’s “To Make You Feel My Love” between tracks 7 and 8. This cover was originally part of the soundtrack to Hope Floats.

Personnel

  • Susan Ashton – backing vocals on "She's Every Woman"
  • Sam Bacco – percussion on "She's Every Woman"
  • Bruce Bouton – pedal steel guitar except "The Fever"
  • Garth Brooks – lead and backing vocals
  • Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar except "The Fever"
  • Charles Cochran – string arrangements on "That Ol' Wind" and "The Change"
  • Mike Chapman – bass guitar
  • Ed Foote – hurdy-gurdy on "Ireland"
  • Rob Hajacos – fiddle except "The Change" and "She's Every Woman"
  • Gordon Kennedy – electric guitar on "The Old Stuff" and "The Fever"
  • Chris Leuzinger – electric guitar
  • Milton Sledge – drums; percussion on "The Fever" and "Ireland"
  • Bobby Wood – keyboards except "The Fever"
  • Trisha Yearwood – backing vocals on "The Old Stuff", "Cowboys and Angels", "Rollin'", "The Beaches of Cheyenne" and "It's Midnight Cinderella"
  • Nashville String Machine – string orchestra on "That Ol' Wind" and "The Change"

Charts

Fresh Horses peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200, and number one on the Top Country Albums, becoming his sixth Country number-one album. Fresh Horses has been certified 8× Platinum by the RIAA.

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[23] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[24] 5× Platinum 500,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[26] 8× Platinum 8,000,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Fresh Horses - Garth Brooks - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: garth brooks". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  3. ^ "Fresh Horses". Ew.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 105. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone garth brooks album guide.
  5. ^ "Garth Brooks - Fresh Horses CD Album MP3". Cduniverse.com. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "Garth Brooks News Archive: Ready to ride Garth Brooks has 'Fresh Horses' for his biggest, longest tour ever". Planetgarth.com. November 21, 1995. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  7. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Garth Brooks – Fresh Horses". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Garth Brooks – Fresh Horses" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Hits of the World – Eurochart". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 9 December 1995. p. 43.
  10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Garth Brooks – Fresh Horses" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  11. ^ "Hits of the World – Ireland". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 16 December 1995. p. 85. Retrieved 21 July 2012. garth brooks.
  12. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Garth Brooks – Fresh Horses". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  13. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Garth Brooks – Fresh Horses". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  16. ^ "Garth Brooks Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "Garth Brooks Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  18. ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  19. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums 1995 (page 2)". imgur.com. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  20. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  21. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  22. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  23. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1995 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  24. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Garth Brooks – Fresh Horses". Music Canada. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  25. ^ "British album certifications – Garth Brooks – Fresh Horses". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  26. ^ "American album certifications – Garth Brooks – Fresh Horses". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 1, 2021.