A Few Questions
Encyclopedia
Critical reception
Ralph Novak of People Magazine gave the album 2 and a half stars and wrote "The singer ponders a bit too much for his own good."Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album a mixed review writing " A Few Questions is a great success, but at its core, it just doesn't feel like a Clay Walker album, even if it is likely the start of the second phase of Walker's career, the phase where he is no longer a new traditionalist and is now an unabashed radio guy."
Mandy Davis of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
also gave the album a mixed review writing, "Walker picks some solid material that meshes well with his twangy voice on songs such as "I'm in the Mood for You" and "I Don't Want to Know." But with 13 cuts on the CD, mediocre tracks such as "Sweet Sun Angel" and "Heaven Leave the Light On" drag the album down. USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
gave the album two stars out of five and wrote "With his track record of hits, why can't this guy find better material?" Jack Leaver of The Grand Rapids Press gave the album two and a half stars and wrote "As Walker begins what appears to be a second phase of his career, longtime fans will welcome him back, and the singer should pick up a few new ones on the way."
About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
gave the album a positive review and wrote, "It's been a while since Clay has been on top of the charts, and with the songs from "A Few Questions," I think that's just where we'll be seeing him once more." Dan MacIntosh of Country Standard Time
Country Standard Time
Country Standard Time is a website dedicated to country music and related genres such as Bluegrass and Rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1992 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a print magazine, which was first published only in New England but went...
gave the album a negative review and wrote, "Before putting this release out, Walker's people should have given him a few more musical challenges. As it stands, "A Few Questions" finds Clay Walker sleep walking through a series of dreamy, yet unmemorable, tracks." Mario Tarradell of The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
gave the album a B+ rating and wrote, "He's stretching vocally during a batch of songs that explore spirituality, the limits of love and the simple life. Tried-and-true subjects, but Mr. Walker's committed vocal performances help keep them fresh and passionate. A Few Questions plays like Mr. Walker has most of the answers." Editors at CMT
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
wrote, "Is the record any good? Yeah, it sure is, in that polished, radio-ready, crowd-pleasing kind of way. But even that approach is easy to screw up. Of course, no comeback is complete without a rambunctious song about country life, which in this case would be "Countrified."
Musicians
- Tim Akers – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Eric Darken – percussion
- Chris Dunn – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Shannon Forrest – drums
- Paul FranklinPaul Franklin (musician)Paul Franklin is an American multi-instrumentalist, known mainly for his work as a steel guitarist. He began his career in the 1970s as a member of Barbara Mandrell's road band; in addition he toured with Mel Tillis and Jerry Reed. He has since become a prolific session musician in Nashville,...
– steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use... - David GrissomDavid GrissomDavid Grissom is a US session guitarist who has played and toured with several of America's leading bands and recording artists.- Professional Biography :...
– electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Aubrey HaynieAubrey HaynieAubrey Haynie is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle and mandolin. In his career, he has recorded three studio albums for the Sugar Hill Records label, all three of which contained mostly songs that he wrote himself...
– fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Jim HornJim HornJim Horn is an American saxophonist and woodwind player. He was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for five years, playing sax and flute on the road, and in the recording studio...
– baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
, horn arrangement - Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson – chromatic harpChromatic harmonicaThe chromatic harmonica is a type of harmonica that uses a button-activated sliding bar to redirect air from the hole in the mouthpiece to the selected reed-plate desired. When the button is not pressed, an altered diatonic major scale of the key of the harmonica is available, while depressing the...
- Samuel B. Levine – tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
- B. James Lowry – acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
- Brent MasonBrent MasonBrent Mason is an American session guitarist and occasional songwriter. He is known primarily for his work in the field of country music. In addition to releasing two instrumental studio albums, he holds several credits as a songwriter...
– electric guitar - Steve Patrick – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Jimmy Ritchey – acoustic, acoustic gut string, nylon string acoustic and electric guitar, banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
- Leland SklarLeland SklarLeland "Lee" Bruce Sklar is an American musician, singer-songwriter and film score composer. A prominent bass guitarist, Sklar has contributed to thousands of albums as a session musician...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Biff Watson – acoustic guitar
- Jonathan Yudkin – fiddle, mandolin, banjo, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
Background vocalists
- Lisa Cochran
- Melodie CrittendenMelodie CrittendenMelodie Crittenden is an American country and Christian music artist. She initially recorded a self-titled debut album for Asylum/Elektra Records in 1998, the same year that she charted with her rendition of "Bless the Broken Road" ; she would later record the song a second time as a member of the...
- Wes Hightower
- John Wesley RylesJohn Wesley RylesJohn Wesley Ryles is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1968 with the single "Kay", a Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, and the title track to his debut album for Columbia Records.Ryles later recorded one album, Reconsider Me, for the Plantation label,...
Production
- Recorded By: Derek Bason and Clarke Schleicher
- Assisted By: David Bryant, Scott Kidd, Rich Hanson, Eric Hellerman, Chris Ashburn and Leslie Richter
- Additional Recording By: Rich Hanson at Loud Studios, Nashville, TN and Dan Workman at Sugar Hill Studios, Houston, TX
- Mixed By: Clarke Schleicher at Loud Studios
- Assisted By: Rich Hanson and Jake Burns
- Digital Editing By: Jake Burns, Christopher Rowe and Eric Hellerman
- Mastered By: John Mayfield at Mayfield Mastering
- Production Coordinator: Mike "Frog" Griffith for The Sessions Agency
- Art Direction: Shane Tarleton
- Design: S. Wade Hunt
- Photography: Sandra Johnson, Russ Harrington
Weekly charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... Albums Top 150 |
134 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 23 |
End of year charts
| Chart (2003) | Year-end 2003 |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top Country Albums | 74 |
| Chart (2004) | Year-end 2004 |
| US Billboard Top Country Albums | 63 |