Feels So Right (Brenda Lee album)

Last updated
Feels So Right
Brenda Lee--Feels So Right.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 1985 (1985-08)
StudioEmerald Studios
Genre Country [1] [2]
Label MCA
Producer
Brenda Lee chronology
The Winning Hand
(1982)
Feels So Right
(1985)
Brenda Lee
(1991)
Singles from Feels So Right
  1. "I'm Takin' My Time"
    Released: July 1985
  2. "Why You Been Gone So Long"
    Released: December 1985
  3. "Two Hearts"
    Released: March 1986

Feels So Right is a studio album by American singer, Brenda Lee. It was released by MCA Records in August 1985 and was her thirty first studio album. The ten-track collection was Lee's final for MCA, which would drop her from their roster in 1986 in-part due to the album's lack of success, according to Lee herself. Despite this, the album received critical acclaim from Billboard , Cash Box and Saturday Review magazines. Three singles were spawned, two of which reached positions outside the US country songs top 40.

Contents

Background

During the 1960s, Brenda had a string of pop hits that made her one of the best-selling music artists of the decade. She then made a successful transition into country music in the 1970s and had a continued string of hits that reached the top ten and top 40 into the mid 1980s. Most of these recordings were made for MCA Records and Feels So Right would prove to be Lee's final for the label. [3] In 1984, Jimmy Bowen became the new President of MCA and was known for his "aggressive" approach to record production. [4] According to Lee, Bowen rejected a studio album she made with producer Jerry Crutchfield. Worried about Bowen dropping her from MCA, Lee searched for a new producer. She then performed at songwriter's birthday and was introduced to Emory Gordy Jr., who was interested in working with her. According to Lee, Bowen was enthusiastic about Gordy serving as Lee's producer and they began making her next album. [5]

Recording and content

Feels So Right was recorded at Emerald Studios in Nashville, Tennessee with Emory Gordy Jr. and David Hungate serving as co-producers. The project consisted of ten tracks. [6] The recordings were cut in an uptempo style [1] [2] featuring session musicians from different fields, including Larrie Londin (Elvis Presley's drummer), Richard Bennett (Neil Diamond's band leader) and Nicolette Larson (a recording artist of the era). In Lee's book, an MCA employee recounted that Lee performed all the vocals live in the studio and with "perfect pitch". [5] Of its tracks, two were written by Mickey Newbury: "That Was the Way It Was Then" and "Why You Been Gone So Long". [6]

Release and critical reception

Feels So Right was released by MCA Records in August 1985 and was her thirty first studio album. The label offered it in two formats: a vinyl LP or a cassette. [6] Upon its release, it received a positive critical response. Billboard found the album had a modern sound that proved Lee still was a relevant performer. "This package proves there's nothing dated in this lady's approach," they concluded. [2] Cash Box similarly wrote, "Lee’s voice is still one of the most powerful in the business, and the songs on this album will give her plenty of excellent choices for singles and for new additions to her already hit-laden stage show." [1] Saturday Review found the album had a lot of "careful preparation" that resulted in "amazing staying power" for Lee's music. [7]

Singles and promotion

Three singles resulted from the album, beginning with "I'm Takin' My Time" (released by MCA in July 1985). [8] Debuting on the US Hot Country Songs chart in August 1985, it spent nine weeks there and rose to the number 54 position. [9] The second single was issued in December 1985: "Why You Been Gone So Long". [10] Billboard described the tune as a "rockabilly revamping" of Newbury's original composition. [11] Making its debut on the US Hot Country Songs chart on December 21, 1985, it spent 12 weeks there and peaked at the number 50 position on April 19, 1986. It would be among Lee's final charting US country singles in her career. [9] Its third single was "Two Hearts" (issued in March 1986). [12] Lee claimed that because the album was not a success, Bowen ultimately dropped her from MCA in 1986, along with several other veteran artists on the label like Barbara Mandrell and Don Williams. Lee also claimed that despite MCA investing a large sum of money into the making of Feels So Right, it was not given proper promotion. [5]

Track listing

Side one [6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Roll Back the Rug"3:11
2."How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" Holland–Dozier–Holland 3:17
3."It'll Be Me"3:04
4."He Can't Make Your Kind of Love"
  • T. Skinner
  • J. L. Wallace
3:07
5."That Was the Way It Was Then" M. Newbury 3:43
Side two [6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Why You Been Gone So Long"M. Newbury2:47
2."Two Hearts"
3:34
3."I'm Takin' My Time"
2:41
4."Loving Arms" T. Jans 3:04
5."Feels So Right" P. Kennerley 4:48

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Feels So Right. [6]

Release history

Release history and formats for Feels So Right
RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
VariousAugust 1985
  • Vinyl LP
  • cassette
MCA Records [6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Country: Album Releases" (PDF). Cash Box . August 31, 1985. p. 33. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Reviews: Country Picks" (PDF). Billboard . August 31, 1985. p. 82. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  3. Larkin, Colin, ed. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. University of Michigan/Muze. p. 3170. ISBN   978-0333741344.
  4. "Bowen Assumes Presidency At MCA/Nashville Division" (PDF). Radio & Records . June 8, 1984. p. 3. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Lee, Brenda; Oermann, Robert K.; Clay, Julie (2002). Little Miss Dynamite: the life and times of Brenda Lee . Hyperion. pp. 252–255. ISBN   9780786866441.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lee, Brenda (August 1985). "Feels So Right (Disc Information)". MCA Records . MCA-5626 (LP); MCAC-5626 (Cassette).
  7. "Review: Feels So Right". Saturday Review . Vol. 12, no. 1–2. 1986. p. 94.
  8. Lee, Brenda (July 1985). ""I'm Takin' My Time"/"That Was the Way It Was Then" (7" vinyl single)". MCA Records . MCA-52654.
  9. 1 2 "Brenda Lee Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  10. Lee, Brenda (December 1985). ""Why You Been Gone So Long"/"He Can't Make Your Kind of Love" (7" vinyl single)". MCA Records . MCA-52720.
  11. "Singles: Country" (PDF). Billboard . November 30, 1985. p. 57. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  12. Lee, Brenda (March 1986). ""Two Hearts"/"Loving Arms (7" vinyl single)". MCA Records . MCA-52804.