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Christopher Cross is the debut album by singer-songwriter 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.[2]

Christopher Cross
Studio album by Christopher Cross
Released	20 December 1979
Recorded	July 1979
Studio	Warner Bros. Recording Studios (North Hollywood, California) Pecan Street Studios (Austin, Texas)
Genre	Soft rock yacht rock
Length	38:32
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Michael Omartian
Christopher Cross chronology
Christopher Cross (1979) Another Page (1983)
Singles from Christopher Cross
"Ride Like the Wind" Released: February 15, 1980 "Sailing" Released: June 15, 1980 "Never Be the Same" Released: October 1980

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Cited as one of the most influential soft rock albums of the late 1970s and early 1980s,[3][4] it won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist, with Cross becoming the first artist to win the four major categories in the same year — a feat not replicated until Billie Eilish in 2020.[5]

Reception

According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the album was "a huge hit and widely acclaimed, at least among industry professionals (critics didn't give it a second listen), 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."[1]

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.[6] 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 (a fool searching for inner peace), and yeah, it’s still undeniably smooth."[7] 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".[8]

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" (Duet with Valerie Carter) – 3:59
4. "Never Be the Same" – 4:40
5. "Poor Shirley" – 4:20
6. "Ride Like the Wind" – 4:32
7. "The Light Is On" – 4:07
8. "Sailing" – 4:14
9. "Minstrel Gigolo" – 6:00
10. "Mary Ann" (Bonus Track On The 2012 Japanese Remastered CD) – 2:52

'Mary Ann' was originally written for the YAMAHA World Music Festival in Japan and released in 1980 as a Japan only single.

Personnel

Production

• Producer – Michael Omartian
• Assistant Producer – Michael Ostin
• Engineer and Mixing – Chet Himes
• Second Engineer – Stuart Gitlin
• Mastering – Bobby Hata
• Artwork – Danny Henderson and James Flournoy Holmes
• Design – James Flournoy Holmes and Wonder Graphics
• Flamingo Concept – Jim Newhouse

Charts

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[15]	2× Platinum	140,000^
France (SNEP)[16]	Platinum	300,000*
Germany (BVMI)[17]	Gold	250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[18]	Gold	50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[19]	Gold	7,500^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[20]	Gold	50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Platinum	300,000^
United States (RIAA)[22]	5× Platinum	5,000,000^
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

Cross, the album and the hit "Sailing" won the following Grammy Awards:[23][24][25]

Year	Category	Winner
1981	Album of the Year	Christopher Cross
	Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)	"Sailing"
	Record of the Year
	Song of the Year
	Best New Artist	Christopher Cross

References

External links

• The 45 version of "Sailing" on YouTube
• "Ride Like The Wind" Promo Video
• Album playlist

На других языках

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[de] Christopher Cross (Album)

Christopher Cross ist das Debütalbum des US-amerikanischen Singer-Songwriters Christopher Cross.

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- [en] Christopher Cross (album)

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[it] Christopher Cross (album)

Christopher Cross è l'album d'esordio del cantautore statunitense Christopher Cross, uscito nel 1979. Considerato uno dei dischi più rappresentativi del genere soft rock, nel 1981 vinse il Grammy Award come miglior album dell'anno.

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