If I Could Tell You
If I Could Tell You is the twelfth studio album by Yanni, released on the Virgin Records label in 2000. It peaked at #1 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #20 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year.[1]
| If I Could Tell You | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 3, 2000 | |||
| Genre | Instrumental | |||
| Length | 62:40 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | Yanni | |||
| Yanni chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
This was Yanni's first studio album in seven years, an introspective and deeply personal project which came in the wake of a two-year sabbatical, a move to the east coast of the U.S., and other changes which refocused his life and life's work.[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
In a review by Zac Johnson of Allmusic, Greek composer/musician Yanni has scaled back his grand musical architecture for If I Could Tell You, a sharp contrast to 1997's grandiose Tribute. The synthesized choral works seem almost sparse and frail, and the elements of world music that have been increasingly injected into his previous works are scaled back as well. Still present, however, are the straightforward melodies and overtly romantic themes that Yanni has been known (and in some cases disliked) for, but these too are less classically inspired and almost atmospheric. Unfortunately, this release may not be sweeping enough for those who fell in love with his romance novel soundtracks, and conversely it doesn't get dreamy enough to attract fans of ambient electronic musicians like Vangelis and Brian Eno. While it is somewhat surprising for Yanni to back away from the richly orchestrated works on Tribute and 1993's In My Time, the move shows a real sense of direction and growth that few give him credit for.[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "On Sacred Ground" | 7:08 |
| 2. | "The Flame Within" | 5:53 |
| 3. | "Midnight Hymn" | 5:49 |
| 4. | "November Sky" | 4:43 |
| 5. | "With an Orchid" | 5:05 |
| 6. | "Wishing Well" | 5:43 |
| 7. | "A Walk in the Rain" | 4:55 |
| 8. | "Highland" | 5:53 |
| 9. | "If I Could Tell You" | 5:51 |
| 10. | "In Your Eyes" | 5:09 |
| 11. | "Reason for Rainbows" | 6:01 |
Production
- All music composed and arranged by Yanni
- Engineered and mixed by Yanni at his private studios
- Assistant Engineer: Anthony Stabile
- Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA
- All instruments played by Yanni
- Recorded and mixed with a Soundtracs DPC-II Digital Console
- Recorded on a 48-track Augan OMX24 digital recorder-editing set
- All piano tracks were recorded on a Yamaha CFIII S, 9' Concert Grand and a Yamaha DC7 Disclaiver Pro
- Produced by Yanni
(Production as described in CD liner notes.)[5]
RIAA certification
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Gold and Platinum database entries:[6]
- (G=Gold, P=Platinum, M=Multi-Platinum)
- YANNI IF I COULD TELL YOU 11/20/00 VIRGIN RECORDS G ALBUM SOLO Std
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[7] | Gold | 627,000[8] |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- "Chart history for If I Could Tell You". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
- Ethnicity World Tour 2003–2004 - Official concert program. Yanni. 2003.
- AllMusic
- Zac Johnson. "Review of If I Could Tell You". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
- If I Could Tell You (CD liner). Yanni. Virgin Records. 2000. 7243-8-49893-2-3.CS1 maint: others (link).
- "Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Gold and Platinum database". Archived from the original on 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- "American album certifications – Yanni – If I could tell you". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- "Yanni Slates Ambitious North American Tour". Billboard. 8 January 2003. Retrieved 30 October 2018.