All That Matters is an album by Michael Bolton, released in 1997, and was his first studio album since 1993's The One Thing. Bolton was aided in production by Babyface and Tony Rich, and among the songwriters are Bolton, Diane Warren, Babyface, Lamont Dozier, Gary Burr, and Tony Rich. Bolton’s U.S. fans were puzzled by the album’s title, "All That Matters", until the phrase was found on the bonus track, "When There Are No Words", on the UK version of the album. The two singles from the album, "The Best of Love", and "Safe Place from the Storm" were disappointing in sales and radio play, and fans were disappointed that the songs were performed only a handful of times during Bolton’s 1998 tour in support of the album.
All That Matters | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 4, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1996–97 | |||
Studio | Various
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Genre | R&B, pop rock, adult contemporary, soft rock | |||
Length | 64:34 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Walter Afanasieff, Michael Bolton, Barry J. Eastmond, Jamie Houston, Tony Rich, Guy Roche and Keith Thomas | |||
Michael Bolton chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Entertainment Weekly | C−[2] |
The Guardian | [3] |
Los Angeles Times | [4] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
Bolton recorded the pop version of "Go the Distance" for the soundtrack to the animated film Hercules. The song was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, but ultimately lost both to Celine Dion's hit "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic. "Go the Distance" peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and went to #1 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, Bolton's ninth song to top this chart.[6] The song was also included on the All That Matters album.
Despite the lead single's relative success (#24 on the Hot 100), the album failed to achieve substantial success, partly because subsequent singles from the album failed to make any significant impact on the charts and due to the altering musical tastes (which were in favor of teen-pop at the time). Thus, the album debuted at a disappointing #39 and after some weeks of descending the chart it completely disappeared from the Billboard Top 200.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Safe Place from the Storm" | Michael Bolton, Diane Warren | 5:22 |
2. | "The Best of Love" | Babyface, Bolton | 4:19 |
3. | "Let's Make a Long Story Longer" | Bolton, Jamie Houston | 4:39 |
4. | "A Heart Can Only Be So Strong" | Warren | 5:02 |
5. | "Fallin'" | Tony Rich | 3:47 |
6. | "Forever's Just a Matter of Time" | Bolton, Houston | 4:28 |
7. | "Whenever I Remember Loving You" | Bolton, Garry Burr | 4:26 |
8. | "Show Her the Way" | Bolton, Barry J. Eastmond | 4:42 |
9. | "Why Me" | Babyface, Bolton, Lamont Dozier | 4:36 |
10. | "Can't Get Close Enough to You" | Bolton, Eastmond, Houston | 4:46 |
11. | "Let There Be Love" | Bolton, Houston | 5:23 |
12. | "Pleasure or Pain" | Bolton, Rich, Warren | 4:06 |
13. | "Go the Distance" | Alan Menken, David Zippel | 4:40 |
14. | "When There Are No Words" (bonus track in the UK version) | Bolton, Antonio Jeffries | 4:16 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada)[7] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[8] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |