Fresh Horses (album) explained

Fresh Horses is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on November 21, 1995. Fresh Horses peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, and number one on the Top Country Albums chart.

The album had a worldwide radio ban until it was available to buy. Only the two singles issued ("She's Every Woman" and "The Fever") were allowed to be played before this date, the latter of which was a new country-rock version of a 1993 Aerosmith song. In 2020 it was certified 8× Platinum by the RIAA, signifying 8 million copies shipped in the US, making it his only pre-Chris Gaines studio album to not be certified diamond or higher.

Background

Brooks commented on the album, saying:

Track listing

“The Limited Series” (1998) version of the album inserted a cover of Bob Dylan’s “To Make You Feel My Love” between tracks 7 and 8. This cover was originally part of the soundtrack to Hope Floats.

Personnel

• Susan Ashton – backing vocals on "She's Every Woman"
• Sam Bacco – percussion on "She's Every Woman"
• Bruce Bouton – pedal steel guitar except "The Fever"
• Garth Brooks – lead and backing vocals
• Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar except "The Fever"
• Charles Cochran – string arrangements on "That Ol' Wind" and "The Change"
• Mike Chapman – bass guitar
• Ed Foote – hurdy-gurdy on "Ireland"
• Rob Hajacos – fiddle except "The Change" and "She's Every Woman"
• Gordon Kennedy – electric guitar on "The Old Stuff" and "The Fever"
• Chris Leuzinger – electric guitar
• Milton Sledge – drums; percussion on "The Fever" and "Ireland"
• Bobby Wood – keyboards except "The Fever"
• Trisha Yearwood – backing vocals on "The Old Stuff", "Cowboys and Angels", "Rollin'", "The Beaches of Cheyenne" and "It's Midnight Cinderella"
• Nashville String Machine – string orchestra on "That Ol' Wind" and "The Change"

Charts

Fresh Horses peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200, and number one on the Top Country Albums, becoming his sixth Country number-one album. Fresh Horses has been certified 8× Platinum by the RIAA.

Weekly charts

Chart (1995–97)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (RPM)	7
Canadian Country Albums (RPM)	1
European Albums (Billboard)[1]	24
Irish Albums (IRMA)[2]	1
Zimbabwean Albums Chart[3]	19

Year-end charts

1995 year-end chart performance for Fresh Horses!Chart (1995)!Position

Australian Albums (ARIA)[4]	83

Chart (1996)	Position
US Billboard 200[5]	7
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[6]	2

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hits of the World – Eurochart. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 9 December 1995. 43.
2. Hits of the World – Ireland. garth brooks.. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 16 December 1995. 21 July 2012. 85.
3. • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
4. Web site: The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums 1995 (page 2). imgur.com. May 21, 2022.
5. Web site: Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996. Billboard. September 19, 2021.
6. Web site: Top Country Albums – Year-End 1996. Billboard. September 19, 2021.
7. Web site: Top Country Albums – Year-End 1997. Billboard. September 19, 2021.