Killin' Time (Clint Black album)

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Killin' Time
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 2, 1989
Recorded1988
StudioDigital Services, Houston, Texas; Eleven-Eleven Sound, House of David, Sound Stage, Woodland Studios, Reflections, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre
Length30:35
LabelRCA Nashville
ProducerJames Stroud, Mark Wright
Clint Black chronology
Killin' Time
(1989)
Put Yourself in My Shoes
(1990)
Singles from Killin' Time
  1. "A Better Man"
    Released: February 18, 1989
  2. "Killin' Time"
    Released: July 15, 1989
  3. "Nobody's Home"
    Released: October 1989
  4. "Walkin' Away"
    Released: February 19, 1990
  5. "Nothing's News"
    Released: June 18, 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]
Q[5]
Rolling Stone[6]

Killin' Time is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Clint Black. It was released on May 2, 1989, by RCA Nashville. The album, buoyed by the chart-topping success of its first four singles, was a huge hit upon its release, and established Black as one of the biggest new stars in country music. The album is currently certified triple platinum by the RIAA.

"A Better Man", "Nothing's News", "Walking Away", "Nobody's Home", and "Killin' Time" were all huge hit songs. All of these except "Nothing's News" reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart, while "Nothing's News" reached No. 3. In addition, "A Better Man" and "Nobody's Home" were declared the Number One songs of 1989 and 1990, respectively, according to Billboard.

Critical reception[edit]

The Los Angeles Times wrote that "Black has a winning vocal style that evokes a very young Merle Haggard at times, and musically he can Western swing just as hard as fellow Texan George Strait, which he proves on the delightful 'Straight From the Factory'."[7]

Musical style and composition[edit]

Killin' Time has been described musically as neotraditional country,[6][2][3] Texas country,[1] Western swing.[7] It has been compared to the musical style of classic country music artists such as Merle Haggard and as neotraditional country contemporaries such as George Strait and Randy Travis.[2][6][5]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Clint Black and Hayden Nicholas except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Straight from the Factory" 2:18
2."A Better Man" 3:04
3."Nobody's Home"Black3:29
4."Walkin' Away"Black, Nicholas, Dick Gay2:47
5."You're Gonna Leave Me Again" 3:43
6."I'll Be Gone" (Omitted from LP/Cassette version) 2:28
7."Nothing's News"Black3:02
8."Winding Down"Black3:38
9."Killin' Time" (Track 6 on LP/Cassette version) 2:47
10."Live and Learn"Black3:14

Personnel[edit]

Band[edit]

  • Clint Black – acoustic guitar, harmonica, lead vocals, background vocals
  • Dick Gay – drums
  • Rob Hajacos – fiddle
  • Jana King – background vocals
  • Randy McCormick – keyboards
  • Craig Morris – background vocals
  • Hayden Nicholas – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals
  • Mark O'Connor – fiddle
  • John Permenter – fiddle
  • Jeff Peterson – Dobro, steel guitar
  • Jim Photoglo – background vocals
  • Donna Rhodes – background vocals
  • Brent Rowan – electric guitar
  • Harry Stinson – background vocals
  • Wendy Waldman – background vocals
  • Jake Willemain – bass guitar
  • Reggie Young - electric guitar

Production[edit]

Chart positions[edit]

Singles[edit]

Year Single Peak positions
US Country CAN Country
1989 "A Better Man" 1 1
"Killin' Time" 1 1
"Nobody's Home" 1 1
1990 "Walkin' Away" 1 1
"Nothing's News" 3 1

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[15] Platinum 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[16] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Mansfield, Brian. Killin' Time at AllMusic
  2. ^ a b c Hurst, Jack (May 4, 1989). "Clint Black Killin' Time (RCA)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Archived from the original on July 10, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. pp. 641–642.
  5. ^ a b "Clint Black - Killin' Time CD Album". CD Universe. Archived from the original on December 23, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c Gleason, Holly (August 24, 1989). "Clint Black: Killin' Time : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 30, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Black Is Bountiful". Los Angeles Times. July 9, 1989. Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  8. ^ "Clint Black Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  9. ^ "Clint Black Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  13. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Clint Black – Killin' Time". Music Canada. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "American album certifications – Clint Black – Killin' Time". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 3, 2021.