The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album
| The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by Whitney Houston | ||||
| Released | November 26, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | January – February 1996 | |||
| Genre | Gospel, soul, R&B | |||
| Length | 62:20 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Producer | Whitney Houston (also executive), Mervyn Warren, Ricky Minor, Steve Lipson, Babyface, David Foster | |||
| Whitney Houston chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− |
| The New York Times | (Positive) |
| Rolling Stone | |
The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album is the soundtrack to the 1996 film of the same name and features songs performed by Whitney Houston, who also stars in the film. It is the best-selling gospel album of all time, and has sold an estimated 8 million copies worldwide.
The lead single, "I Believe in You and Me" (a cover of The Four Tops classic), became a top five hit in the U.S. and was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards, as well as for Best R&B Album.
"Step by Step" was another hit single, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "My Heart Is Calling" became the soundtrack's final release.
"Lay Aside Every Weight", covered and performed by Georgia Mass Choir and Whitney Houston, appears in the film but not on the motion picture soundtrack for unknown reasons.
Released on November 26, 1996, The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on the issue dated December 14, 1996, selling 90,500 units in the first week. On its second week, the album jumped to number four on the chart with the Greatest Gainer mark, and the following week reached number three, which was the album's peak position. The album also debuted at number eight on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, and in three weeks later, peaked at the number one and remained there for two weeks, becoming her fourth number one album on the chart. It stayed for a total of 38 weeks, 49 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and the Top R&B Albums chart respectively.
In addition, The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack was more successful on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart than on any other chart. The album debuted straight at number one on the chart and spent 26 consecutive weeks at the top from December 14, 1996 to June 7, 1997. It remained on the chart for 117 weeks. Eventually the album became number one gospel album on the 1997 Billboard Top Gospel Albums year-end chart and also "Best-selling gospel recording" by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) in 1996-1997. It was certified 3× Platinum for shipping 3 million copies in the United States alone by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 30, 1998. According to the Nielsen SoundScan, as of 2012, the gospel album has sold 2,627,000 copies in the United States alone. It has sold over 8 million copies Worldwide to date.
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