The year 2000 proved to be a momentous year for this Alabama native.
Obviously influenced by the soulful, mature departure from contemporary country music taken by her sister Shelby Lynne on her 2000 release I Am Shelby Lynne, Alison Moorer has similarly grown since her 1998 album Alabama Song.
While her debut CD flirted with the fine line between traditional country and the slick Nashville sound, The Hardest Part dives headfirst into a southern soul-tinged countrypolitan sound, complete with string and horn sections.
The Beatlesque, mellotron-infused "Send Down an Angel" sounds almost like "Strawberry Fields Forever" with less LSD and more whiskey, while "Is It Worth It" feels like Dusty Springfield is back in Memphis again.
The dark final track (unlisted in the liner notes) is a somber murder ballad, a heart-wrenchingly honest reaction to the death of her parents.
Her brash, husky vocals hold the album together through heartache and pedal steel, and the fact that she co-wrote and co-produced the album proves that she's more than just a pretty voice.
While it took six albums for her sister to realize her dissatisfaction with the limits of the pop country sound, Allison Moorer has made great strides in just two.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hardest PartAllison Moorer, Doyle Lee Primm | Allison Moorer | Play | 03:13 | 0 MB | 21 MB |
| 2 | Day You Said GoodbyeAllison Moorer, Doyle Lee Primm | Allison Moorer | Play | 04:21 | 0 MB | 29 MB |
| 3 | It's Time I TriedAllison Moorer, Doyle Lee Primm | Allison Moorer | Play | 04:13 | 0 MB | 27 MB |
| 4 | Best That I Can DoAllison Moorer, Doyle Lee Primm | Allison Moorer | Play | 03:23 | 0 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | Think It OverAllison Moorer, Doyle Lee Primm | Allison Moorer | Play | 03:57 | 0 MB | 28 MB |
| 6 | Bring Me All Your Lovin'Kenny Greenberg, Allison Moorer, Doyle Lee Primm | Allison Moorer | Play | 05:24 | 0 MB | 36 MB |
| 7 | Is It Worth ItAllison Moorer, Doyle Lee Primm | Allison Moorer | Play | 03:23 | 0 MB | 18 MB |
| 8 | No Next TimeAllison Moorer, Doyle Lee Primm | Allison Moorer | Play | 06:39 | 0 MB | 47 MB |
| 9 | Feeling That Feeling AgainAllison Moorer, Doyle Lee Primm | Allison Moorer | Play | 07:31 | 0 MB | 43 MB |
| 10 | Send Down An Angel | Allison Moorer | Play | 03:47 | 0 MB | 25 MB |
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 301 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Bauer | Assistant Engineer |
| 2 | Jay Bennett | Guitar (Acoustic), Mellotron, Piano |
| 3 | Richard Bennett | Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 4 | Chris Carmichael | Fiddle |
| 5 | Peter Coleman | Engineer |
| 6 | Chad Cromwell | Drums |
| 7 | Eric Darken | Percussion |
| 8 | Kate Garner | Photography |
| 9 | Kenny Greenberg | Composer, Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Producer |
| 10 | Jim Hoke | Harmonica |
| 11 | Ken Love | Mastering |
| 12 | Allison Moorer | Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 13 | Justin Niebank | Mixing |
| 14 | Louis Dean Nunley | Vocals (Background) |
| 15 | Russ Pahl | Guitar, Pedal Steel |
| 16 | Greg Parker | Assistant Engineer |
| 17 | Rick Plant | Banjo, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) |
| 18 | Doyle Lee Primm | Composer |
| 19 | Michael Rhodes | Bass, Bass (Upright) |
| 20 | John Saylor | Assistant Engineer |
| 21 | Rick Schell | Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Don Smith | Engineer |
| 23 | Joe Spivey | Fiddle |
| 24 | Harry Stinson | Vocal Harmony, Vocals (Background) |
| 25 | Marty Stuart | Mandolin |
| 26 | Kristin Wilkinson | Conductor, String Arrangements |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |