Hard Love (album)

Hard Love
Studio album by Needtobreathe
Released	July 15, 2016
Studio	Plantation Studios (Charleston, SC)[1] Night Fox Studio, (New York, NY) Germano Studios (New York, NY)
Genre	Christian rock Southern rock country rock pop rock
Length	40:14
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Dave Tozer, Ed Cash, Jon Levine, Ido Zmishlany
Needtobreathe chronology
Live from the Woods at Fontanel (2015) Hard Love (2016)

Hard Love (stylized as H A R D L O V E) is the sixth studio album by American Christian rock band Needtobreathe, released on July 15, 2016, through Atlantic Records.^[2]

Background and recording

Hard Love was produced by Dave Tozer, Ed Cash, Jon Levine, Ido Zmishlany and co-produced by the band. The album was recorded at Plantation Studios in Charleston, South Carolina, Night Fox Studio and Germano Studios in New York, NY.^[1]

Promotion

In support of the album, the band is scheduled to embark on the "Tour De Compadres 2016", beginning on August 17, 2016, and concluding on November 12, 2016. The tour includes 53 stops across the United States.^[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Jesus Freak Hideout	[4]
Music-News.com	[5]
The Musical Melting Pot	92%[6]
Substream Magazine	[7]
TheChristianBeat.org	4.4/5[8]

Hard Love received mostly positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung rated the album four out of five stars and calls it "cleverly crafted praise music." Chris Major of TheChristianBeat.org rated the album 4.4 out of 5 and writes, "(the album) packs both energy and encouragement into its forty minute runtime. With diverse sounds and deep thought poured into each song, NEEDTOBREATHE does not hold back has outdone itself once again. H A R D L O V E is easily worth a full listen-through from both fans and new audiences."^[8] Jesus Freak Hideout's Christopher Smith rated the album three and a half stars out of five and calls it "a solid record."^[4]

Track listing

Writing credits source: BMI.^[9]

All tracks written by Bear Rinehart and Bo Rinehart, except where noted.. 

Standard edition[10]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Mountain, Pt. 1"			0:56
2.	"Hard Love"			3:34
3.	"Money & Fame"	Rinehart, Rinehart, Dave Tozer	Dave Tozer	3:12
4.	"No Excuses"		Tozer	2:45
5.	"When I Sing"	Rinehart, Rinehart, Ed Cash, Ido Zmishlany		2:42
6.	"Happiness"	Rinehart, Rinehart, Whitney Phillips, Zmishlany		3:25
7.	"Great Night" (featuring Shovels & Rope)	Rinehart, Rinehart, Tozer	Tozer	2:55
8.	"Be Here Long"			3:35
9.	"Don't Bring That Trouble"			2:56
10.	"Let's Stay Home Tonight"	Rinehart, Rinehart, Luke Laird	Tozer	3:20
11.	"Testify"			4:03
12.	"Clear"			6:51
Total length:				40:14

Cracker Barrel bonus tracks[11]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
13.	"When I Sing" (Mountain House version)	Rinehart, Rinehart, Cash, Zmishlany		2:42
14.	"Let's Stay Home Tonight" (original demo)	Rinehart, Rinehart, Laird		3:32

Personnel

Credits for Hard Love adapted from album liner notes.

• Bear Rinehart – guitar, slide guitar, ukulele, synth, vocals
• Bo Rinehart – guitar, mandola, synth, programming, backing vocals
• Seth Bolt – bass, drum programming, percussion, synth, backing vocals, engineering
• Josh Lovelace – piano, organ, synth, backing vocals
• Dave Tozer – producer, guitars, organ, synthesizer, drum programming, tambourine, stomps, claps, snaps, engineering, background vocals
• Chris Connors – engineering, synthesizer, drum programming, background vocals, organ programming
• Randall Harris – mixing assistant, background vocals, drums, stomps
• Mikey Reaves – mixing assistant, additional vocal production
• Jon Levine – producer
• Simon Harding – saxophone
• Chuck Dalton – trumpet
• Matt Schenck – mixing assistant, claps
• Dylan Wissing – drums
• Steve Tirpak – trumpet, trombone
• Clayton Bryant – background vocals
• Carla Kelly – background vocals
• Carmen Roman – background vocals
• Darnell White – background vocals
• Colin Callahan – claps
• Tomás Shannon – claps
• John Murchison – upright bass
• Ed Cash – producer
• Ido Zmishlany – producer, engineering
• Rodrick Simmons – organ, keyboards
• Roger Cliche – organ
• Michael Trent – vocals
• Cary Ann Hearst – vocals
• Sam Getz – guitars
• Pete Donnelly – bass
• Hayden Lamb – background vocals, claps
• Will Chapman – drums, programming
• Ebony Johnson – background vocals
• Robert Orton – mixing
• Dave Kutch – mastering
• Steve Bursky – management
• Pete Ganbarg – A&R

Commercial performance

Hard Love debuted at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart and at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200, moving 50,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, of which 46,000 were in traditional album sales.^[12] This is the band's highest charting album to date, besting the No. 3 Billboard 200 debut of their 2014 release Rivers in the Wasteland.^[13]

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14]	46
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15]	11
New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[16]	6
Scottish Albums (OCC)[17]	56
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18]	50
UK Albums (OCC)[19]	159
US Billboard 200[20]	2
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[21]	1

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label
United States	July 15, 2016	CD digital download vinyl	Atlantic

References

1. Clarks, Jessie (July 2, 2016). "NEEDTOBREATHE Releases New Song "HARD LOVE"". TheCristianBeat.org. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
2. Polanco, Luis (April 1, 2016). "NEEDTOBREATHE Announces Sixth Studio Album & U.S. Tour Dates: Exclusive". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
3. Yeung, Neil Z. "Hard Love - Needtobreathe : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
4. Smith, Christopher (June 23, 2016). "NEEDTOBREATHE, "H A R D L O V E" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
5. Spencer, David (July 12, 2016). "Hard Love Review". Music-News.com. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
6. Leon (July 12, 2016). "Needtobreathe – 'Hard Love' [Review]". themusicalmeltingpot.com. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
7. Shotwell, James (July 15, 2016). "NEEDTOBREATHE find success through experimentation on 'Hard Love'". Substream Magazine. Jason McMahon. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
8. Major, Chris (July 5, 2016). "NEEDTOBREATHE'S "H A R D L O V E" Refuses To Hold Back". TheCristianBeat.org. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
9. BMI Repertoire Search for NEEDTOBREATHE
10. "H A R D L O V E by NEEDTOBREATHE on iTunes". United States: iTunes Store. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
11. "Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® Announces Spotlight Music Partner NEEDTOBREATHE's New Album "H A R D L O V E" with Two Exclusive Tracks". PR Newswire. July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
12. "Drake's 'Views' No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart for 11th Week, NeedToBreathe Debuts at No. 2". Retrieved 2016-08-04.
13. Caulfield, Keith (July 20, 2016). "NeedToBreathe Heading for Highest-Charting Album Ever on Billboard 200 With 'Hard Love'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
14. "Australiancharts.com – Needtobreathe – Hard Love". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
15. "Needtobreathe – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Needtobreathe. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
16. "NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
17. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
18. "Swisscharts.com – Needtobreathe – {{{album}}}". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
19. Chart Log UK: "CLUK Update 23.07.2016 (wk29)". UK Albums Chart. Zobbel.de. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
20. "Drake's 'Views' No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart for 11th Week, NeedToBreathe Debuts at No. 2". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
21. "Needtobreathe – Chart history" Billboard Christian Albums for Needtobreathe. Retrieved July 26, 2016.