| The Essential Connie Smith | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compilation album by Connie Smith | ||||
| Released | April 1996 | |||
| Recorded | July 16, 1964 – April 11, 1972 | |||
| Genre | Country, Nashville sound | |||
| Length | 50:41 | |||
| Label | RCA Nashville | |||
| Producer | Bob Ferguson (original sessions) Ethel Gabriel Steve Lindsey |
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| Connie Smith chronology | ||||
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The Essential Connie Smith is a compilation album by American country artist Connie Smith. The album was released in April 1996 on RCA Records and was produced by Bob Ferguson and Ethel Gabriel. The album was a collection of Smith's major hits recorded under RCA Victor Records between 1964 and 1972.
Contents |
The Essential Connie Smith contained twenty tracks of material Connie Smith had recorded for the RCA Label. Out of all the tracks, nineteen were singles ("How Great Thou Art" was the only exception), including Smith's biggest hit, "Once a Day," which spent 8 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Country Chart between 1964 and 1965. In addition, the album also includes Smith's other well-known hits such as, "Cry, Cry, Cry" "Burning a Hole in My Mind," "Just One Time", "I Never Once Stopped Loving You" "The Hurtin's All Over", "If It Ain't Love (Let's Leave It Alone)", and her cover version of Marty Robbins's "Ribbon of Darkness." Allmusic critic, Thom Jurek called the album's production "classic" and credited Smith's original producer, Bob Ferguson and country artist, Bill Anderson for making the compilation, "one of the best collections in the RCA Essential series to come down the pike."[1][2]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [3] |
| CD Universe | [4] |
The Essential Connie Smith gained mainly positive reviews from music critics. Allmusic reviewer, Thom Jurek gave the compilation five out of five stars, giving it the "album pick" out of Smith's other compilations. Jurek praised Smith's voice, stating, "Connie Smith is perhaps the only female singer in the history of country music who can truly claim to be the heiress to Patsy Cline's throne. It's not that there aren't many amazing vocalists in the field, and plenty of legends among them. But in terms of the pure gift of interpretation of taking virtually any song and making it a country song of class and distinction, Smith is it." Jurek further said that all of the album's tracks were "pure honey and silk."[1]
The album gained a less positive review from Slipcue.com, who called the album a, "tepid retrospective." The reviewer said, "eah, it's got a few of the good ones on it, but not enough. If you've never heard Connie Smith before, and you're curious -- yes, this is pretty much the place to start."[5] Thirdly, the compilation was reviewed by CD Universe who gave it four in a half out five stars, saying, ""...The early, swinging sides have stood the test of time....and the closing `How Great Thou Art' points to her future born-again gospel career--as well as being a truly moving delivery of the song..."[6]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Once a Day" | Bill Anderson | 2:17 |
| 2. | "Nobody But a Fool (Would Love You)" | Anderson | 2:30 |
| 3. | "I Can't Remember" | Anderson, Becki Anderson | 2:29 |
| 4. | "Cry, Cry, Cry" | Shirley Wood | 2:33 |
| 5. | "Then and Only Then" | Anderson | 2:33 |
| 6. | "If I Talk to Him" | Dolores Edgin, Priscilla Mitchell | 2:26 |
| 7. | "Ain't Had No Lovin'" | Dallas Frazier | 2:27 |
| 8. | "The Hurtin's All Over" | Harlan Howard | 2:49 |
| 9. | "I Never Once Stopped Loving You" | Anderson, Jan Howard | 2:50 |
| 10. | "You and Your Sweet Love" | Anderson | 2:54 |
| 11. | "Cincinnati, Ohio" | Anderson | 2:11 |
| 12. | "I'll Come Runnin'" | Connie Smith | 2:06 |
| 13. | "Burning a Hole in My Mind" | Cy Coben | 2:23 |
| 14. | "Run Away Little Tears" | Frazier | 2:29 |
| 15. | "Ribbon of Darkness" | Gordon Lightfoot | 2:40 |
| 16. | "Just One Time" | Don Gibson | 2:30 |
| 17. | "Just for What I Am" | Frazier, Arthur Leo Owens | 2:26 |
| 18. | "Love Is the Look You're Looking for" | Rose Lee Maphis | 2:11 |
| 19. | "If It Ain't Love (Let's Leave It Alone)" | Frazier | 2:29 |
| 20. | "How Great Thou Art" | Stuart K. Hine | 4:14 |