Acoustic Sessions and More

Official album cover

***Acoustic Sessions and More*** is a live album by American-Romanian singer-songwriter Nicholas Stewart, released in the United States on November 24, 1997 by Sunrise Records. Following the success of Stewart's debut album and the growing critical commentary on his lack of concert tours and unsubstantial televised performances, Sunrise organized a live performance show at the Kaufman Astoria Studios, New York on August 8, 1997. Performances were recorded and compiled into a live album.

Upon release, the live album garnered generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented Stewart's raw live vocals and his versatility through his performances. Commercially, the album was a massive success, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, with a total of 800,000 copies sold, his biggest sales week that time, and stayed on the top spot for seven nonconsecutive weeks. It was certified 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of twelve million copies within the United States. Additionally, the live album experienced strong success in several international markets, such as the Netherlands, Australia, United Kingdom, and New Zealand, where it reached number one. *Acoustic Sessions and More* peaked within the top-three in Canada and Japan.

To promote the album before its release, fan-favorite "Runaround Sue" was released as an airplay-only single. Due to its critical success, the song became popular and even reached top three on the US Radio Songs Chart but was ineligible to chart on the Hot 100 due to Billboard rules. To prolong the dominance of the album, "Come Together" was released as the second single of the album. It peaked at #6 on the US Radio Chart but was also ineligible to chart on the Hot 100 same case as "Runaround Sue".

## Background

After the success of Stewart's eponymous debut studio album, critics began wondering whether Stewart would finally embark on a worldwide tour, having not toured to promote the album. During several televised interviews, Stewart claimed that he did not tour out of fear of the long travel times and distances, as well as the strain on his voice performing his songs back-to-back. To solidify his status as a live artist, Stewart decided to release a live album showcasing stripped versions of some of his songs from his debut album and covers. In an effort to showcase something new, he decided to just perform two original songs and mostly covers from old songs, recreated.

## Packaging and release

The tracklist includes three original songs from Stewart's debut album and six covers from old songs. After the release of its first single "Runaround Sue", anticipation of the live album soon began to spike. Fans from around the United States made multiple requests for the song to be played on radios, and later gained popularity outside the country. Stewart's version was met with critical acclaim and extended popularity, leading to it being played more often than usual. *Acoustic Sessions and More* was released first in the United States on November 24, 1997, and was released internationally on June 15, 1998.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings
 AllMusic
 *The Rolling Stone Album Guide* | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

*Acoustic Sessions and More* received critical acclaim from music critics. Aside from the praise Stewart received for his raw live vocals, critics also praised his versatility during the session, performing different styles of songs and his ability to sing proper high notes. The improvement of his vocal tone was also distinguished compared to the recordings of his debut album. Tom Hibbert of *Q* said that as an acoustic ensemble, Stewart sounded "most moving, possessed of a ragged glory". *Rolling Stone* writer Barbara O'Dair found the record "stirring and occasionally brilliant" with "spare and gorgeous spots everywhere", highlighting Stewart's energy on "I Can't Get No (Satisfaction)", his masterful guitar riff on "Free Bird", and the singer's unaccompanied performance of "Bette Davis Eyes". In *Entertainment Weekly*, David Browne highlighted Stewart's rendition of "Like A Virgin", praising his performance with romantic maturity and a smart, slow-jam sexiness. Ben Thompson from *Mojo* also praised the record's production, highlighting the lively bongo drums used in upbeat tracks.

### Retrospective

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine said *Acoustic Sessions and More* was "fearlessly confessional", as it found Stewart "on the verge of discovering a new sound and style". Jason Mendelsohn from *PopMatters* believed its intimate folk rock quality was radical from Stewart, "as crass of a business move as it was" by his record label.

## Commercial performance

### North America

*Acoustic Sessions and More* became Stewart's second #1 album, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, with a total of 800,000 copies sold, his biggest sales week that time, and stayed on the top spot for seven nonconsecutive weeks. In total, the album spent 52 weeks on the top ten region and 153 weeks on the chart. It was certified 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of twelve million copies within the United States. In Canada, it debuted at #2, with 15,000 copies sold and to date, it was certified 2x Platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), denoting shipments of 200,000 units throughout the country.

### Other regions

The album was a massive success outside North America and became the one of the best-selling live albums of all time, with over 24 million copies sold worldwide. In Europe, it led for six consecutive weeks and was certified 6x Platinum by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). In United Kingdom, it debuted at #1 and was certified 5x Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In Australia, it debuted at #1, selling 45,000 copies on first week of selling. It was certified 2x Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments over 140,000 copies. The album even sold strongly in Asian with over 4 million copies sold on the region. It was certified 2x Million by Record Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) denoting shipments of 2,000,000 units.

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Nicholas Stewart except where noted.

## Charts

**Peak chart positions for *Acoustic Sessions and More***

 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)
 Canada Top Albums/CDs (*RPM*)
 Canadian Albums (*The Record*)
 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)
 European Albums (Top 100)
 French Albums (SNEP)
 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)
 Japanese Albums (Oricon)
 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)
 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)
 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)
 UK Albums (OCC)
 US *Billboard* 200

### Year-end charts

**Year-end chart positions for *Acoustic Sessions and More***