Sundown Heaven Town

Sundown Heaven Town is the thirteenth studio album by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released via Big Machine Records on September 16, 2014.

See also: Sundown town

Sundown Heaven Town
Studio album by Tim McGraw
Released	September 16, 2014 (2014-09-16)
Genre	Country pop pop rock[1] country
Label	Big Machine
Producer	Byron Gallimore Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw chronology
Two Lanes of Freedom (2013) Sundown Heaven Town (2014) Damn Country Music (2015)
Singles from Sundown Heaven Town
"Lookin' for That Girl" Released: January 13, 2014 "Meanwhile Back at Mama's" Released: April 14, 2014 "Shotgun Rider" Released: September 8, 2014 "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools" Released: January 26, 2015

Content

The album has produced two singles in advance of its release: "Lookin' for That Girl" and "Meanwhile Back at Mama's", the latter of which features backing vocals from McGraw's wife, Faith Hill. These singles peaked at numbers 15 and 2, respectively, on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. "Shotgun Rider" was released as the album's third single and became a Number One hit on the Billboard Country Airplay charts. McGraw previously recorded a different song also entitled "Shotgun Rider" on his 2007 album Let It Go. "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools was released as the album's fourth and final single in 2015 and reached the Top 5.

McGraw produced the album with Byron Gallimore, who has produced all of his albums. In an interview with Country Weekly, McGraw stated that, ""I think it’s a good microcosm of what my 20 or so years in music have been, in a lot of ways. You can certainly hear parts of my career throughout all of these songs, as well as the future and where my music is headed. To me, the title of the album is all about that time where you stop doing what you have to do, and start doing what you want to do."[2]

McGraw revealed the album's cover art and track listing on July 28, 2014. One day later, the album was made available for preorder via Amazon MP3 and the iTunes Store.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	71/100[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Billboard	88/100[5]
Newsday	B+[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
USA Today	[8]
Vice (Expert Witness)	[9]

Sundown Heaven Town received positive reviews from critics. According to Metacritic, where they assign a weighted average score out of 100 to ratings and reviews from mainstream critics, Sundown Heaven Town received an average of 71, based on 4 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4] Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine suggested the music "come[s] on smooth and easy but have the foundation to last."[10] Chuck Dauphin saying for Billboard how "the singer stretches a little more than usual... and takes a few musical chances."[5] On behalf of USA Today, Jerry Shriver commenting how the project contains "many wise nuggets on the vet's solid outing."[8] Glenn Gamboa stating for Newsday how it is an "Eclectic collection of country styles that brings (usually) great results."[6] Writing for Rolling Stone, Will Hermes opined "its hit-or-miss" with this project that's "best when he's feeling your pain."[7] On behalf of The Boston Globe, Sarah Rodman found "a solid effort featuring a few stand-out tracks, slightly better than average radio fare, and some pleasant filler", which is done in "a creditable job of sidestepping any naked pandering to trends, balancing authentic country atmosphere with pop polish."[11]

Track listing

Sundown Heaven Town — Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Overrated"	Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Rivers Rutherford	3:28
2.	"City Lights"	Deric Ruttan, Jonathan Singleton	4:19
3.	"Shotgun Rider"	Marv Green, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges	3:56
4.	"Dust"	Rhett Akins, Rodney Clawson, Ben Hayslip	3:46
5.	"Diamond Rings and Old Barstools" (duet with Catherine Dunn)	Barry Dean, Singleton, Luke Laird,	3:18
6.	"Words Are Medicine"	Tom Douglas, David Hodges, Zac Maloy	4:32
7.	"Sick of Me"	Andrew Dorff, Singleton	4:05
8.	"Meanwhile Back at Mama's" (featuring Faith Hill)	Douglas, Jaren Johnston, Jeffrey Steele	3:47
9.	"Keep On Truckin'"	Blair Daly, Tim McGraw, Brad Warren, Brett Warren	3:06
10.	"Last Turn Home"	Eric Arjes, Ryan Hurd, Maren Morris	3:56
11.	"Portland, Maine"	Abe Stoklasa, Donovan Woods	3:43
12.	"Lookin' for That Girl"	Mark Irwin, James T. Slater, Chris Tompkins	4:20
13.	"Still on the Line"	Bob DiPiero, Jon Nite, Steven McMorran	3:52

Sundown Heaven Town — Deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
14.	"Lincoln Continentals and Cadillacs" (featuring Kid Rock)	Clawson, Laird	4:20
15.	"Kids Today"	Daly, Brad Warren, Brett Warren	4:12
16.	"I'm Feelin' You"	Derek George, Brad Warren, Brett Warren	3:27
17.	"The View"	Eric Frederic, Crista Russo, Joe Spargur	3:42
18.	"Black Jacket"	Daly, Brad Warren, Brett Warren	4:12

Personnel

John Acosta – cello Greg Barnhill – background vocals Charlie Bisharat – violin Robert Brophy – viola Paul Bushnell – bass guitar, whistle David Campbell – conductor, string arrangements Perry Coleman – background vocals Dan Dugmore – dobro, acoustic guitar, steel guitar Catherine Dunn – background vocals on "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools" Shannon Forrest – drums, loop programming, percussion Byron Gallimore – electric guitar, keyboards, background vocals

Julian Hallmark – violin Tamara Hallmark – violin Faith Hill – background vocals on "Meanwhile Back at Mama's" Suzie Katayama – string contractor Michael Landau – electric guitar Timothy Landauer – cello Songa Lee – violin Dave Levita – electric guitar Tim McGraw – lead vocals Luke Maurer – viola Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards

Steve Nathan – keyboards Alyssa Park – violin Steve Richards – cello Tereza Stanislov – violin Dave Stone – upright bass Bryan Sutton – banjo, acoustic guitar Sarah Thornblade – violin Ilya Toshinsky – banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin Josefina Vergara – violin Shalini Vajayan – violin Dave Walther – viola John Wittenberg – violin

Chart performance

The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and at number 3 on the Billboard 200, selling over 71,000 copies.[12] The album has sold 299,000 copies in the US as of September 2015.[13]

The album also debuted at number 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart, with 5,500 copies sold in its first week.[14]

Weekly charts

Chart (2014–15)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15]	3
UK Country Albums Chart (Official Charts Company)	1
UK Albums Chart (Official Charts Company)	72[16]
US Billboard 200[17]	3
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[18]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2014)	Position
US Billboard 200[19]	128
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[20]	28

Chart (2015)	Position
US Billboard 200[21]	128
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[22]	28

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
		US Country	US Country Airplay	US	CAN Country	CAN
2014	"Lookin' for That Girl"	18	15	85	30	47
	"Meanwhile Back at Mama's"	7	2	41	1	47
	"Shotgun Rider"	1	1	38	1	54
2015	"Diamond Rings and Old Barstools"	11	3	55	10	78

References

1. "Sundown Heaven Town - Tim McGraw". Allmusic. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
2. Country Music News | Nash Country Daily
3. Tim McGraw’s ‘Sundown Heaven Town’ To Release in September : MusicRow – Nashville's Music Industry Publication – News, Songs From Music City
4. Metacritic. "Critic Reviews for Sundown Heaven Town". CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
5. Dauphin, Chuck (September 16, 2014). "Tim McGraw, 'Sundown Heaven Town': Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
6. Gamboa, Glenn (September 15, 2014). "'Sundown Heaven Town' review: Tim McGraw shows his versatility". Newsday. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
7. Hermes, Will (September 23, 2014). "Tim McGraw's New Album: Sundown Heaven Town". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
8. Shriver, Jerry (September 16, 2014). "Listen Up: Tim McGraw, Barbra Streisand and Train". USA Today. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
9. Christgau, Robert (July 1, 2016). "Expert Witness". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved July 9, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
10. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (September 15, 2014). "Sundown Heaven Town - Tim McGraw | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
11. Rodman, Sarah (September 15, 2014). "Tim McGraw, 'Sundown Heaven Town'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
12. Wade Jessen (September 25, 2014). "Tim McGraw's 'Sundown' Shines at No. 1 on Top Country Albums". Billboard.
13. "Upcoming Releases: Hits Daily Double". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
14. A Journal of Musical ThingsWeekly Music Sales Report and Analysis: 25 September 2014 - A Journal of Musical Things
15. "Tim McGraw Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
16. sundown+heaven+town | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company
17. "Tim McGraw Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
18. "Tim McGraw Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
19. "Billboard 200 Albums: Year-End top-selling albums across all genres". Billboard.
20. "Top Country Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
21. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
22. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2020.