Christopher Cross (album)


Christopher Cross is the self-titled debut album by Christopher Cross, released in December 1979. Recorded in mid-1979, the album was one of the early digitally recorded albums, utilizing the 3M Digital Recording System. In 1981, it won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, infamously beating Pink Floyd's The Wall and it has been noted for being one of the most influential soft rock albums of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Reception

According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the album was "a huge hit and widely acclaimed, at least among industry professionals, leading to multi-platinum success and Grammys." In his retrospective review for AllMusic, Erlewine says that while its success as a soft rock album has little cachet with most listeners, it "remains one of the best mainstream albums of its time" because of consistent song quality and Cross's skillful musicianship: "Yes, he does favor sentimentality and can be very sweet on the ballads, but his melodicism is rich and construction tight, so there's a sturdy foundation for the classy professional gloss provided by his studio pros and friends, including indelible backing vocals by Michael McDonald."
In retrospective appraisals, Christopher Cross is regarded as a key release of yacht rock music. For Spin in 2009, Chuck Eddy lists it among the genre's eight essential albums. Vinyl Me, Please magazine's Timothy Malcolm includes it in his 2017 list of the 10 best yacht rock albums, explaining that, "It’s actually a sonic outlier for the yacht rock genre, heavy on acoustic guitar and strings. But its message fits the genre, and yeah, it’s still undeniably smooth." For The Vinyl District's online publication in 2018, Michael H. Little calls it the genre's best album as well as one of its smoothest, crediting it for making Cross "the face of soft rock".

Track listing

All tracks composed by Christopher Cross.
  1. "Say You'll Be Mine" – 2:53
  2. "I Really Don't Know Anymore" – 3:49
  3. "Spinning" – 3:59
  4. "Never Be the Same" – 4:40
  5. "Poor Shirley" – 4:20
  6. "Ride Like the Wind" – 4:30
  7. "The Light Is On" – 4:07
  8. "Sailing" – 4:14
  9. "Minstrel Gigolo" – 6:00

    Personnel

Album – Billboard
Singles – Billboard
YearSingleChartPosition
1980"Ride Like the Wind"Pop Singles2
1980"Sailing"Pop Singles1
1980"Never Be the Same"Adult Contemporary1
1980"Never Be the Same"Pop Singles15
1981"Say You'll Be Mine"Pop Singles20

Certifications

Accolades

Grammy Awards
YearCategoryWinner
1981Album of the YearChristopher Cross
1981Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist"Sailing"
1981Record of the Year"Sailing"
1981Song of the Year"Sailing"
1981Best New ArtistChristopher Cross