Brenda is a studio album by American singer, Brenda Lee. It was released in March 1973 by MCA Records and was her twenty second studio album. The project reunited her with producer, Owen Bradley, who recorded her first top ten US country single called "Nobody Wins". The song helped identify Lee for the first time with the country music market where she would have several top ten singles. Brenda was met with a mostly positive critical reception and reached the top ten of the US country albums survey.
Brenda Lee was among the top-selling pop music artists of the 1960s, recording a series of singles under the production of Owen Bradley. Songs like "I'm Sorry", "Emotions" and "Break It to Me Gently" reached the US top ten.[4] Lee began experimenting with different record producers in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but found little success with new styles. According to Lee, she approached her record label and insisted working again with Bradley, and the label agreed. Lee reunited with Bradley beginning in 1971 with songs that made brief US chart appearances. She was then given with the Kris Kristofferson-penned, "Nobody Wins"[5] which became a US top ten country single.[6] Lee would go on to have six more top ten US country singles during the decade and she became identified with the country market.[4] "Nobody Wins" would then appear on her next studio project in 1973.[1]
Recording and content
Brenda was recorded at Owen Bradley's studio, Bradley's Barn, located in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.[7] The album contained a total of 11 tracks.[2] Several cover tunes were included as part of the project including "I Can See Clearly Now", "Sweet Memories" and "Run to Me".[1] New recordings were also part of the project, including Johnny Christopher's "Always on My Mind". The song became a greater commercial success for Willie Nelson.[5] Many of the album's tracks were ballads recorded in a pop style in an effort to bring back Lee's fans of her 1960s music. Among examples of songs recorded in a ballad format was "Here I Am Again".[3]
Brenda was given a positive critical response following its release. Billboard magazine named the album among its "Pick LP's" in March 1973, highlighting its use of ballads and Lee's vocal delivery. "This is broad, round sounding music capitalising on her ballad skills and her penchant for finding songs with punch. Brenda remains as smooth as silk," they concluded. The publication also highlighted four tracks as the project's "best cuts", including "Run to Me" and "I'm a Memory".[3]Cash Box magazine believed the album was bringing Lee's music back "on the right track again" with country-infused recordings. They also wrote, "Little Miss Dynamite strikes again with this superlative country collection that should interest many others beyond the realm of country music."[1] It was given a two-star rating AllMusic as well.[2]
Release, chart performance and singles
Brenda was released by MCA Records in March 1973 and was the twenty second studio album of her career. It was also the first album issued by MCA. The album was offered as either a vinyl LP or an 8-track cartridge.[7]Brenda was the first of Lee's albums to reach the US Top Country Albums chart. Debuting on the survey on April 17, 1973, the album spent 17 weeks there, rising to the number seven position on June 9. It was one of four albums by Lee to make the US country albums top ten in her career and the first of 11 to reach the chart altogether.[9] In addition, Brenda reached a position outside the US Billboard 200 all-genre survey, climbing to number 206 in 1973.[10] Two singles were included on the project. The first was Lee's version of "Always on My Mind", which was issued in June 1972.[11] The song only rose to the number 45 position on the US Hot Country Songs chart in 1972.[6] Its most successful single was "Nobody Wins", which was issued in January 1973.[12] The song became her first US top ten single on the Country Songs chart, rising to number five in 1973.[6] It also made the US Hot 100, peaking at number 70.[13] It also went to the number one position on Canada's RPM Country Tracks chart around the same period.[14]
↑ Whitburn, Joel (1997). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Albums, 1964-1997. Record Research Inc. ISBN978-0898201246.
1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Albums Includes Every Album that Made the Billboard 200 Chart: 50 Year History of the Rock Era. Record Research, Inc. p.591. ISBN978-0898201666.
↑ Lee, Brenda (March 1973). "Brenda [various countries]". MCA Records. LP: MUPS-485 (U.K.); MAPPS-6551 (Germany and New Zealand); MCA-305/MCALP-600-049 (Brazil).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
