View source for Bless a Brand New Angel

{{Infobox album
| name       = Bless a Brand New Angel
| type       = [[Album]]
| artist     = [[Benny Mardones]]
| cover      = Benny Mardones Bless a Brand New Angel 1998 album cover.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = 1998
| recorded   =
| venue      =
| studio     = [[Capitol Studios]] and Hollywood Sound Recorders (Hollywood, California)
| genre      =
| length     = 38:54
| label      = [[Crave Records|Crave]]
| producer   = [[Joel Diamond]]<br>Jim Ervin<br>[[Maurice Starr]]
| prev_title = Stand By Your Man
| prev_year  = 1996
| next_title = [[A Journey Through Time (album)|A Journey Through Time]]
| next_year  = 2002
}}
'''''Bless a Brand New Angel''''' is the sixth studio album from American singer [[Benny Mardones]], released by [[Crave Records|Crave]] in 1998.
==Background==
Both ''Bless a Brand New Angel'' and its title track (which was released as a single) failed to generate commercial success. As "Bless a Brand New Angel" began generating airplay in the United States, Crave was shut down in July 1998.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bennymardones.com/angel.html|title=Angel|website=Benny Mardones|access-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref> On June 19, 1998, the ''[[Gavin Report]]'' listed "Bless a Brand New Angel" under adult contemporary as "chartbound", with the single having generated 46 reports and 671 spins.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=June 19, 1998|title=New Mainstream: Adult Contemporary|magazine=Gavin Report|page=29}}</ref> In 1999, ''Bless a Brand New Angel'' was reissued as ''Angel'' by [[Fuel 2000]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/angel-mw0000598629 |title=Angel - Benny Mardones; Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref> The title track achieved further airplay, with the ''Gavin Report'' reporting 87 spins and placing the song at No. 35 on their Adult Contemporary chart.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=July 26, 1999|title=GavinAC: Adult Contemporary|magazine=Gavin Report|page=30}}</ref>
==Critical reception==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web|author=Tomas Mureika |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/bless-a-brand-new-angel-mw0000925322 |title=Bless a Brand New Angel - Benny Mardones; Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=June 29, 2020}}</ref>
}}
Tomas Mureika of [[AllMusic]] described ''Bless a Brand New Angel'' as "standard fare" from Mardones, but praised his vocals as "strong". He added: "While it lacks the punch of his 1980s material, ''Bless a Brand New Angel'' contains more soulful rockers in the tradition that Mardones has made solidly his own."<ref name="AllMusic"/> In a review of the title track, [[Larry Flick]] of ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' described it as "meticulously designed for AC playlists". He praised Mardones' "raspy voice" which he felt "makes for a nice contrast against the track's oh-so-pretty piano/string arrangement".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Flick|first=Larry|date=April 25, 1998|title=Reviews & Previews: Singles|magazine=Billboard|page=69}}</ref>
==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| title1          = Bless a Brand New Angel
| writer1         = Judithe Randall, Robin Randall
| length1         = 4:51
| title2          = If I Could Have My Way
| writer2         = [[Leslie Pearl]]
| length2         = 5:11
| title3          = Touch
| writer3         = [[Maurice Starr]]
| length3         = 4:37
| title4          = From Me to You
| writer4         = [[Bobby Eli]], Lee Phillips
| length4         = 3:46
| title5          = You Are My World
| writer5         = [[Benny Mardones]], [[Robert Tepper]]
| length5         = 4:48
| title6          = No Words for Love
| writer6         = Peter Myer
| length6         = 4:13
| title7          = Everything That Touches You
| writer7         = [[Michael Kamen]]
| length7         = 3:29
| title8          = To Make a Long Story Short
| writer8         = [[Van McCoy]]
| length8         = 4:35
| title9          = You're a Part of Me
| writer9         = Mardones, Jim Ervin, Jack Conrad
| length9         = 5:03
| title10         = I Believe in Miracles
| writer10        = [[Barry Mason]], [[Les Reed (songwriter)|Les Reed]]
| length10        = 3:45
}}
== Personnel ==
* Benny Mardones – lead vocals
* Jim Ervin – keyboards, bass, drums, percussion
* Jim Cox – acoustic piano, [[Electric organ|organ]]
* [[Maurice Starr]] – instruments (3), orchestrations (3), backing vocals (3)
* [[Raydio|Charles Fearing]] – guitars
* [[Bruce Watson (American guitarist)|Bruce Watson]] – guitars
* [[Volto!|Lance Morrison]] – bass
* [[Nick Vincent (musician)|Nick Vincent]] – drums
* Tommy Oliver – orchestrations
* Ayanna Bereal – backing vocals
* Troy Clark – backing vocals
* Martika Knight – backing vocals
=== Production ===
* Jim Ervin – executive producer, producer (1, 2, 4-10)
* [[Joel Diamond]] – producer
* Maurice Starr – producer (3)
* Bryan Davis – engineer, mixing
* Dann Thompson – engineer
* Mike Tritter – engineer
* [[Brian Gardner]] – mastering at [[Bernie Grundman Mastering]] (Hollywood, California)
* Joel Zimmerman – art direction
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Benny Mardones}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1998 albums]]
[[Category:Benny Mardones albums]]
[[Category:Crave Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Maurice Starr]]