The Metropolitan Hotel
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Hotel is the sixth studio album released by American country music
artist Chely Wright
. It was her first album for the Dualtone
label, after a failed deal with the Vivaton! label. This album produced four singles, of which two were Top 40 hits on the country music charts: the number 40 "Back of the Bottom Drawer" and "The Bumper of My SUV" at number 35. The third and fourth singles ("The River" and a cover of Chuck Berry
's "You Never Can Tell", respectively), both failed to chart. Wright left Dualtone after the release of this album.
Strings
on "Back of the Bottom Drawer" and "The River" performed by the Nashville String Machine
, conducted and arranged by Steve W. Maldin. Strings on "Between a Mother and a Child" performed and arranged by Jonathan Yudkin.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Chely Wright
Chely Wright
Richell Rene "Chely" Wright is an American country music artist and, starting in 2010, gay rights activist. On the strength of her debut album in 1994, the Academy of Country Music named her Top New Female Vocalist in 1995. Wright's first Top 40 country hit came in 1997 with "Shut Up and Drive"...
. It was her first album for the Dualtone
Dualtone Records
Dualtone Music Group, Inc. is an independent entertainment companybased in Nashville, TN. The staunchly independent label has beennominated for thirteen GRAMMY awards, garnering three wins...
label, after a failed deal with the Vivaton! label. This album produced four singles, of which two were Top 40 hits on the country music charts: the number 40 "Back of the Bottom Drawer" and "The Bumper of My SUV" at number 35. The third and fourth singles ("The River" and a cover of Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
's "You Never Can Tell", respectively), both failed to chart. Wright left Dualtone after the release of this album.
Track listing
- "It's the Song" (Bonnie Baker, Katrina ElamKatrina ElamKatrina Ruth Elam is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Universal South Records in 2004, she released her self-titled debut album that year, charting in the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks with the #29 "No End in Sight" and the #59 "I Want a Cowboy"...
) – 3:57 - "Back of the Bottom Drawer" (Liz RoseLiz RoseLiz Rose is an American country music songwriter best known for her work with Taylor Swift. She has co-written several of Swift's songs and singles, including "White Horse," "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "You Belong with Me," which won her and Swift a Grammy Award in 2009.-Biography:Liz Rose was...
, Chely Wright) – 3:43 - "I Got Him Ready for You" (Wright) – 3:19
- "The River" (Wright) – 6:29
- "Just the Way We Do It" (Brett BeaversBrett BeaversBrett Beavers, born in Waco, Texas, is an American country music songwriter and producer and the co-author of the book Something Worth Leaving Behind.-Background:...
, Wright) – 3:39 - "The Bumper of My SUVThe Bumper of My SUV"The Bumper of My SUV" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music artist Chely Wright. It was released in November 2004 as the second single from her 2004 album The Metropolitan Hotel...
" (Wright) – 4:41 - "Your Shirt" (Lisa Drew, Pound Lamb) – 3:54
- "Between a Mother and a Child" (Wright) – 4:09
- "Southside of Lonesome" (Wright) – 4:00
- "Wheels" (Stephony Smith, Wright) – 3:43
- "C'est La Vie (You Never Can Tell)You Never Can Tell (song)"You Never Can Tell" also occasionally referred to as "C'est La Vie" is a rock and roll song by Chuck Berry. It was composed while he was in prison for intent to commit a sex crime. The song was originally released in 1964 on the album St...
" (Chuck BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
) – 3:13 - "What If I Can't Say No Again" (Ed Hill, David Frasier, Josh KearJosh KearJoshua Peter "Josh" Kear is an American songwriter. His credits include Carrie Underwood's number-one "Before He Cheats," for which Kear won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2007 and Lady Antebellum's number-one "Need You Now," for which Kear won an Academy of Country Music Award for Best...
) – 4:11
Personnel
As listed in liner notes.- Steve Brewster – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Tom Bukovac – 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...
- Jimmy Carter – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Eric Darken – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Chip Davis – background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- Stuart DuncanStuart DuncanStuart Duncan is a bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar and banjo. Born in Quantico, Virginia and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school band, he has been a member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band since 1985, and is a much-in-demand session musician...
– 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... - Shannon Forrest – drums
- Vince GillVince GillVincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
– background vocals - Tony Harrell – 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...
- 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... - Mark Hill – bass guitar
- Sean Hurley – bass guitar
- Travis Javis – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Jeff King – electric guitar
- Chris McHugh – drums
- Greg Morrow – drums
- Gordon Mote – piano, keyboards
- James T. Olsen – electric guitar
- Russ Pahl – 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...
- Billy Panda – acoustic guitar
- Scotty Sanders – steel guitar
- Bryan SuttonBryan SuttonBryan Sutton is an American musician. Primarily known as a flatpicked acoustic guitar player, Sutton also plays many other instruments including mandolin, banjo, and electric guitar....
– acoustic guitar - Michael Hart Thompson – electric guitar
- Emily WestEmily WestEmily Nemmers is an American country music artist who records under the name Emily West. Signed to Capitol Records Nashville, she debuted on Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in early 2008 with the single "Rocks in Your Shoes". This song peaked at #39 early in the year, and is the first single...
– background vocals - John D. Willis – acoustic guitar
- Jonathan Yudkin – mandolin
Strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
on "Back of the Bottom Drawer" and "The River" performed by the Nashville String Machine
Nashville String Machine
Nashville String Machine is a musical collective comprising session musicians and has been credited on recordings as far back as 1974. The Nashville String Machine's composition varies from project to project. It has appeared as large as an orchestra, or as small as a duo.-Notable members:Being a...
, conducted and arranged by Steve W. Maldin. Strings on "Between a Mother and a Child" performed and arranged by Jonathan Yudkin.
Chart performance
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 96 |
| U.S. Billboard Independent Albums | 7 |