In this week's episode, we're featuring Reba McEntire's second album for MCA: "My Kind Of Country" (1984). After being plucked from the rodeo arena in 1974, Mercury Records took McEntire and turned her into a recording professional. Her signing with MCA in the early 80s was meant to cement her as a country superstar. However her first MCA release stalled. Reba was no fool - sensing a shift away from the post-Urban Cowboy polish, she rejected the country-pop offerings being pushed by the executives and instead, went digging in her own record collection for inspiration. She pulled out some of the best that the 50s and 60s had to offer, enlisted producer Jimmy Bowen, added fiddlers Johnny Gimble and Mark O'Connor along with steelers Sonny Garrish and Doyle Grisham. With that team, "My Kind Of Country" was born and Reba was afforded two singles for two Number One hits. With that team, Jimmy Bowen (who also produced George Strait around the same time) collaborated with Reba and her gut instinct for traditional country and did indeed cement McEntire as a bona fide country star. Highlights include two Ray Price covers in "I Want To Hear It From You" and "Don't You Believe Him", a revamped version of Carl Smith's 1956 hit "Before I Met You" and the reserved lovelorn ballad "How Blue".
Ray Price - Sometimes A Rose
George Jones - Love Bug
Mel Tillis - Stateside
James Carothers - Still Country, Still King: A Tribute To George Jones
Justin Tubb - Justin Tubb (Self Titled)
Kristyn Harris - Down The Trail
Wayne Kemp - Wayne Kemp (Self Titled)
Laura Cash - Awake But Dreaming
David Ball - Thinkin' Problem
Merle Haggard - A Tribute To The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World
Tracy Byrd - Love Lessons
Dolly Parton - The Grass Is Blue
Bobby Marquez - The Cowboy Way
Weldon Henson - Honky Tonk Frontier
Starday Country & Western Golden Hit Parade
Jack Guthrie - His Greatest Songs
Randy Travis - Old 8x10
Skeets McDonald - Call Me Skeets!
Jim Owen - A Song For Us All: A Salute To Hank Williams
Scott Southworth - Hey Hillbilly Singer!
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