This Beautiful Mess

Template:Use mdy dates Template:More citations needed {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |Template:Short description|noreplace}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=The Fatherless & the Widow1994Tickets for a Prayer Wheel1996studioThis Beautiful MessSixpence None the Richer - This Beautiful Mess.jpgSixpence None the RicherTemplate:Start dateAlternative rock, pop rock, Christian rock49:39R.E.X.Armand John Petrix|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}

This Beautiful Mess is the second studio album by American band Sixpence None the Richer, released in 1995 (see 1995 in music). The recording was produced by Armand John Petri, who also managed the band from 1993 to 1997.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This Beautiful Mess surpassed 50,000 copies sold during its first year of release and laid the foundation for Sixpence's self-titled breakout album two years later. This Beautiful Mess won the 1996 Dove Award for "Alternative/Modern Rock Album of the Year."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The songs "Within a Room Somewhere" and "I Can't Explain" were both minor hits on the Christian music charts.

Two bands named after this album exist. The first originated in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1996 and went on to become OneRepublic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The second, formed in 1997, is the Dutch rock quintet from the Netherlands.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Critical reception

At the time of the album's release, Sixpence None the Richer were stereotyped as both an indie band and a Christian band, which led to This Beautiful Mess receiving relatively little in the way of attention from the secular or "mainstream" music industries<ref name="texasMonthly">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="cnn">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> — the band's lead vocalist, Leigh Nash, stated during a 1999 interview, "we really knocked ourselves out for [This Beautiful Mess] and it didn’t really go anywhere."<ref name="pollstar">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> — although the attention it did receive was generally positive. The magazine Cross Rhythms highly praised it, saying "This, their second (proper) album, has been eagerly awaited and does not disappoint.",<ref name="crossRhythms"/> and AllMusic gave a moderately favorable review with particular praise going to the songs "Within a Room, Somewhere", calling it "one of the strongest songs of the album," and "Melting Alone," which "keenly expresses the pain of loneliness."<ref name="allMusic"/>

However, following the release of their eponymous album in 1997 and the explosion in popularity of the song "Kiss Me" in 1999, the band began to gather a much larger following outside of the Christian music industry.<ref name=texasMonthly/><ref name=cnn/><ref name=pollstar/><ref name=popEntertainment>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Accordingly, in the years since, This Beautiful Mess has also received more, mostly positive, attention. Alan Parish penned an opinion piece for the online blog Medium, in which he detailed the profound impact the album had on his life, writing, "It was the best complete album I had ever heard, and to this day I consider it my favorite album of all time. [...] The internal emotions and thoughts this album spurred in me gave me a confidence and self-worth I had never before experienced."<ref name=medium>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Jesus Freak Hideout noted that the album was a step up from their previous work and that the addition of three new members since then made Sixpence None the Richer "a full band," and ultimately summarized the album as "a must for fans of 90s alternative rock, and jangle pop, and those digging deeper into the history of Contemporary Christian Music."<ref name=jesusFreak>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personnel

• Leigh Nash – vocals
• Matt Slocum – guitars, cello
• Tess Wiley – guitars, vocals
• J.J. Plasencio – bass
• Dale Baker – drums

Production

• Armand John Petri – producer, engineer, mixing
• Bryan Lenox – basic track engineer, mixing
• Scott Lenox – assistant engineer
• Aaron Swihart – assistant engineer
• Tyler Bacon – executive producer
• Gavin Morkel – executive producer
• Duncan Stanbury – mastering
• Jeff Spencer – digital prepress, design assistant at Nosegrind Creative
• Kim Thomas – cover painting
• Chris Taylor – title
• Ben Pearson – photography