American Country Songs

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American Country Songs
American Country Songs.png
Studio album by
Helen Merrill
ReleasedNovember 1959 (1959-11)
Genre Country
Length32:43
Label Atco
Helen Merrill chronology
You've Got a Date with the Blues
(1959)		American Country Songs
(1959)		Parole e musica
(1960)

American Country Songs is the seventh studio album by American singer Helen Merrill, released in November 1959 through Atco Records. [1] For the album, the singer chose not the usual jazz, but country material, recording twelve songs, four of which belong to the founder of the genre, Hank Williams.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Tom Hull – on the Web B [4]

Billboard magazine wrote: "The jazz thrush turns to a series of smartly selected country tunes for her latest album. They're rendered in lush, pop fashion with excellent ork support from Chuck Sagle. Such chestnuts as 'Half As Much,' 'You Win Again' and 'Cold, Cold Heart' are included. Package is highlighted by a lovely cover photo of the lark. Sound is excellent." [5] Cash Box magazine noted how Miss Merrill, a mostly jazz singer, chose a dozen excellent songs and translated them into her own personal language of sophistication. [6] Ralph J. Gleason from HiFi/Stereo Review stated that Miss Merrill is the last person he would imagine performing country music by Hank Williams, however, in his opinion, already in the first track she proves that she has a natural approach to these songs and as a result it turns out one of the best collections of this kind of material. [7]

Track listing

  1. "Maybe Tomorrow" (Don Everly, Phil Everly) – 2:35
  2. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (Hank Williams) – 2:09
  3. "You Don't Know Me" (Cindy Walker, Eddy Arnold) – 2:19
  4. "Condemned Without Trial" (Don Robertson, Hal Blair) – 2:26
  5. "You Win Again" (Hank Williams) – 2:25
  6. "I'm Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail" (Harty Taylor, Karl Davis) – 4:17
  7. "A Heart Full of Love" (Eddy Arnold, Ray Soehnel, Steve Nelson) – 3:02
  8. "Cold, Cold Heart" (Hank Williams) – 2:37
  9. "Devoted to You" (Boudleaux Bryant) – 2:19
  10. "My Heart Would Know" (Hank Williams) – 2:25
  11. "Any Time" (Herbert Lawson) – 2:39
  12. "Half as Much" (Curley Williams) – 2:28

References

  1. ↑ "Variety Is the Spice of the ATCO LP Line..." Billboard . Vol. 71, no. 48. New York: Billboard Publications Inc. November 30, 1959. p. 30. ISSN   0006-2510.
  2. ↑ "American Country Songs - Helen Merrill | Album". AllMusic . Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). "Merrill, Helen". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5 (4th ed.). New York: Muze UK Ltd. p. 718. ISBN   978-0-19-531373-4.
  4. ↑ Hull, Tom (July 5, 2021). "Music Week". tomhull.com. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Audition New and Outstanding LP's". Billboard . Vol. 72, no. 1. New York: Billboard Publications Inc. January 4, 1960. p. 39. ISSN   0006-2510.
  6. ↑ "The Cash Box Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box . New York: The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc. January 2, 1960. p. 32. ISSN   0008-7289.
  7. ↑ Gleason, Ralph J. (March 1960). "Entertainment" (PDF). HiFi/Stereo Review . Vol. 4, no. 3. New York: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. p. 121. ISSN   0039-1220.
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