''Heavenly Place'' is the fourth studio album and major label debut by

Jaci Velasquez Jacquelyn Davette "Jaci" Velasquez (; born October 15, 1979) is an American actress and contemporary Christian and Latin pop singer and songwriter, performing in both English and Spanish. Velasquez has sold almost three million albums in the U ...

. It released on May 13, 1996 on

Myrrh Records __NOTOC__ Myrrh Records (also known as Myrrh Worship) was an American Christian music record label. According to ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music'', the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for contemporary Christian m ...

. Prior to this album, Velasquez had released three independent albums between the ages of 9 and 14: ''My Favorite Songs'' (1988), ''Help Me'' (1992), and ''Keep the Fire Burning'' (1994).https://www.discogs.com/release/7027614-JACI-Keep-The-Fire-Burning

Critical reception

Rodney Batdorf wrote in his

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

review that "''Heavenly Place'' is an impressive debut album from the 16-year old singer." This album includes five radio singles, including "On My Knees," which won a GMA

Dove Award for Song of the Year The GMA Dove Awards Song of the Year is one of the two main categories (along with Songwriter of the Year) which have been given since the 1st GMA Dove Awards in 1969. The following is a list of the winning songs and the songwriter(s) who receiv ...

in 1998.

Track listing

*Track information and credits taken from the album's liner notes.

Personnel

– lead vocals, backing vocals (1–4, 6, 10) * Mark Heimmerman – keyboards (1–3, 5–10), drum programming (1, 2, 5–8), backing vocals (3, 4, 10), additional arrangements (4), keyboard programming (7), acoustic piano (9) * Phil Naish – acoustic piano (4) * George CocchinI – guitars (1, 2, 7) *

Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer, studio guitarist, and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004 ...

– guitars (2–6, 9, 10) * Jackie Street – bass (1–7, 9, 10) * Scott Williamson – drums (2–4, 6, 9, 10) *

Terry McMillan Terry McMillan (born October 18, 1951) is an American novelist known for her vivid portrayals of African American women's lives, relationships, and journeys of self-discovery. Her best-selling works, including ''Waiting to Exhale'' and ''How S ...

– percussion (1–5, 7, 9) * Bobby Taylor –

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

(4) * David Hamilton – string arrangements and conductor (4) * Carl Gorodetzky – concertmaster (4) *

The Nashville String Machine Nashville String Machine is a musical collective comprising session musicians, based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Members of the group have been credited on records dating from 1972 to the present, although the group was formally formed ...

– strings (4) * Sally Jumper – backing vocals (3, 4, 9) * Chris Rodriguez – lead vocals (5), backing vocals (5, 7), guitars (8) *

Nicole C. Mullen Aileen Nicole Coleman-Mullen, known professionally as Nicole C. Mullen, (born January 3, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and choreographer. She was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. Personal life During Mullen's first marriage, ...

– backing vocals (7) * D.L. Turnedge – backing vocals (7) Production * Judith Cotton Volz – executive producer, A&R direction * Mark Heimmerman – producer (1–3, 5–10), additional production (4) * Phil Naish – producer (4) * Joe Baldridge – engineer (1–3, 5–10), mixing * Eric Elwell – engineer (1–3, 5–10) * Todd Robbins – engineer (1–3, 5–10) * Ronnie Brookshire – engineer (4) * Dave Dillbeck – assistant engineer (4) * Dean Jamison – assistant engineer (4) * Joe Costa – mix assistant * Mike Wrucke – mix assistant * Fun Attic Studio, Franklin, Tennessee – recording location (1–3, 5–10) * Dark Horse Recording Studio, Franklin, Tennessee – recording location (1–3, 5–10) * Studio at Mole End, Franklin, Tennessee – recording location (4) * Great Circle Sound, Nashville, Tennessee – strings recording location (4) * House of David and Battery Studios, Nashville, Tennessee – mixing locations * Hank Williams – mastering at Master Mix, Nashville, Tennessee * Kathi Dement – A&R coordination * PJ Heimmerman – production manager (1–3, 5–10) * Bridgett Evans O'Lannerghty – production coordinator (4) * Christy Coxe – art direction * Firehouse 101 Art + Design – design * Matthew Barnes – photography

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1996 debut albums Jaci Velasquez albums Myrrh Records albums