Just Singin'

Last updated
Just Singin'
Billie Jo Spears--Just Singin'.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 1971 (1971-02)
RecordedNovember 1970 (1970-11)
Studio Jack Clement Recording (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre Country [1]
Label Capitol
Producer George Richey
Billie Jo Spears chronology
Country Girl
(1970)
Just Singin'
(1971)
Blanket on the Ground
(1975)

Just Singin is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1971 via Capitol Records and contained ten tracks. The album featured mostly cover recordings of popular country songs from the time period. Just Singin' was met with mixed reviews from critics following its release. It was her final album with the Capitol label.

Contents

Background and recording

Billie Jo Spears broke through to country music success with 1969's "Mr. Walker, It's All Over". The song reached the top ten of the country charts and a series of recordings followed in its wake on Capitol Records. Several studio albums followed between 1969 and 1971 on the Capitol label including 1971's Just Singin'. [2] [3] The album was recorded in November 1970 at the Jack Clement Recording Studio, located in Nashville, Tennessee. The recording sessions were produced by George Richey, [4] who had produced Spears's previous two albums. [3]

Content

Just Singin consisted of ten tracks. Most of the disc's recordings were covers of popular country songs from the era. [1] Included were covers of three number one Billboard country songs: Leon Payne's "I Love You Because", Sammi Smith's "Help Me Make It Through the Night", Ray Price's chart-topping "For the Good Times". Several other charting Billboard country singles were also covered by Spears: Faron Young's "Goin' Steady", Tammy Wynette's "Apartment No. 9", Anne Murray's "Snowbird" and Ferlin Husky's "Heavenly Sunshine". [5] Three new tracks were also included: "When You Hurt Me More Than I Love You", "I Just Can't Get Enough of You" and "Trying to See". [4]

Release and critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Just Singin was released by Capitol Records in February 1971. It was the sixth studio album of Spears's career. It was distributed as a vinyl LP, with five recordings on either side of the disc. [4] No singles were issued from the album and it would prove unsuccessful. Spears would be dropped from Capitol Records the following year. [3] Just Singin received mixed reviews from critics. Billboard commented that "the tunes are strong" and highlighted several covers featured on the disc. [6] Alan Cackett of Country Music People found the album was "handled with poise and professionalism". [3] Meanwhile, Richie Unterberger of AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars. "Billie Jo Spears' 1972 album Just Singin perhaps relies too heavily on covers of big country hits to make the kind of individual impact this richly talented vocalist deserved." [1]

Track listing

Side one [4] [5]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."Snowbird" Gene MacLellan Anne Murray 2:11
2."Apartment No. 9" Bobby Austin 2:41
3."For the Good Times" Kris Kristofferson Ray Price 3:45
4."When You Hurt Me More (Than I Love You)"Jerry FosterBillie Jo Spears2:27
5."Heavenly Sunshine" Ferlin Husky 2:30
Side two [4] [5]
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artistLength
1."Trying to See" Bobby Braddock Billie Jo Spears2:10
2."Help Me Make It Through the Night"Kristofferson Sammi Smith 2:46
3."I Can't Get Enough of You"Jimmy PeppersBillie Jo Spears2:27
4."I Love You Because" Leon Payne Leon Payne2:52
5."Goin' Steady" Faron Young Faron Young2:15

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
North AmericaFebruary 1971VinylCapitol Records [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Jo Spears</span> American country music singer (1938–2011)

Billie Jo Spears was an American country music singer. She was known for a series of singles whose characters often represented women in assertive positions. Among these recordings was a song about sexual harassment, and a song about rekindling sexual desire ".

<i>Ode to Billie Joe</i> (album) 1967 studio album by Bobbie Gentry

Ode to Billie Joe is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry. It was released on August 21, 1967, by Capitol Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billie Jo Spears discography</span>

The discography of American country artist, Billie Jo Spears, contains 24 studio albums, 14 compilation albums, one video album, 53 singles, one charting song and has appeared on one album. Spears's first singles were issued at United Artists Records before switching to Capitol Records. The 1969 single, "Mr. Walker, It's All Over", reached the top ten on the American and Canadian country songs charts. An album of the same name followed that reached the top 30 on the American country albums chart. Her remaining years with Capitol Records failed to prove any further commercial success. The label issued four more studio albums by Spears through 1971, along with four more top 40 singles.

<i>Blanket on the Ground</i> (album) 1975 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

Blanket on the Ground is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1975 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. It was the seventh studio album of Spears's music career and her first with the United Artists label. The disc featured mostly ballads, many of which were cover tunes. The album was anchored by its title track, which topped the American country chart and became a pop commercial success in several countries. The disc itself reached the top five of the American country albums chart as well. AllMusic later gave the disc four out of five stars.

<i>Billie Jo</i> 1975 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

Billie Jo is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in October 1975 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. A mixture of new recordings and cover tunes were featured on the disc. Among them were the singles, "Stay Away from the Apple Tree" and "Silver Wings and Golden Rings". Both singles reached the top 20 of the North American country charts in 1975. The album itself reached the top 50 of the American country albums chart. It was the eighth studio album of Spears's career and her second with the United Artists label.

<i>I Will Survive</i> (Billie Jo Spears album) 1979 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

I Will Survive is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in May 1979 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. It was the fifteenth studio album of her career. The album project was contained new recordings, along with several cover tunes. Among these covers was Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". Spears's version was released as the album's lead single, reaching the top 50 of the UK pop chart, the top 30 of the American country chart and the top ten of the Canadian country chart. It was followed by two more singles that year. The album was given positive reviews by critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Walker, It's All Over</span> 1969 single by Billie Jo Spears

"Mr. Walker, It's All Over" is a song written by Gene Crysler that was originally recorded by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released as a single via Capitol Records and reached the top ten of North American country charts in 1969. It also reached charting positions on the North American pop charts. The song described how a New York City secretary fought sexual harassment and discrimination in the work place. It became Spears's breakthrough commercial success and was followed by a corresponding album of the same name.

"Daddy, I Love You" is a song recorded by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was written by Jerry Foster and Bill Rice. Released as a single in 1969, it reached the top 40 of the American country chart, along with charting on the Canadian country chart. It was included on Spears's studio album titled With Love, Billie Jo Spears.

"I Stayed Long Enough" is a song written and originally recorded by American country artist, Tammy Wynette. It first appeared as an album track on Wynette's 1969 album, Stand by Your Man. It was then recorded and released as a single by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. Her version reached the top 40 of the American country chart in 1970.

<i>Mr. Walker, Its All Over!</i> 1969 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

Mr. Walker, It's All Over! is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in May 1969 on Capitol Records. It was the second studio album of Spears's career and her second with Capitol. The disc contained 11 tracks that mixed both original material with cover tunes. The title track was the only single featured on the disc. The song reached the top ten of the North American country charts, while also climbing to minor chart positions on the pop charts. The album itself reached charting positions on the American country survey. AllMusic gave the disc four of five stars in its review of the album.

<i>Miss Sincerity</i> 1969 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

Miss Sincerity is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released in November 1969 via Capitol Records and contained ten tracks. The disc featured several covers of popular songs of the era, along with several songs about social issues. Among the latter was the track "Stepchild", which was the only single included. Miss Sincerity was Spears's second to make the American country albums chart and was reviewed favorably by critics.

<i>Country Girl</i> (1970 Billie Jo Spears album) 1970 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

Country Girl is a studio album by American country artist, Billie Jo Spears. It was released on Capitol Records in August 1970 and contained ten tracks. It was the fifth studio album of Spears's career and featured original material along with cover tunes. Among its new recordings was the top 20 country single, "Marty Gray". The album received positive reviews from critics following its release.

<i>What Ive Got in Mind</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

What I've Got in Mind is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in June 1976 via United Artists Records and was the ninth studio album of her career. The disc contained a total of ten tracks, mixing both original recordings with cover tunes. Among its tracks were three singles: the title track, "Misty Blue" and "Sing Me an Old Fashioned Song". Both the title song and "Misty Blue" reached the top five of the North American country charts. "Sing Me an Old Fashioned Song" was released overseas where it made chart positions internationally. The album itself reached the top ten on the American country albums chart and the top 50 of the UK Albums chart. Country Music People gave the disc a positive review.

<i>Im Not Easy</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

I'm Not Easy is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in November 1976 via United Artists Records and contained 11 tracks. The disc featured many ballads, along with some uptempo tracks. Of its tracks, two singles were spawned: "Never Did Like Whiskey" and the title track. Both reached top 20 positions on the American country charts between 1976 and 1977. The disc itself charted on the American country albums chart and received mainly positive reviews from music publications.

<i>The Voice of Billie Jo Spears</i> 1968 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

The Voice of Billie Jo Spears is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in November 1968 via Capitol Records and contained 11 tracks. The disc mixed both new recordings with original material and featured her first charting single: "He's Got More Love on His Little Finger". It was the debut studio album of Spears's career and received positive reviews from critics.

<i>If You Want Me</i> (Billie Jo Spears album) 1977 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

If You Want Me is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. In the United Kingdom, the album was titled as Every Time I Sing a Love Song It was released on United Artists Records in June 1977 and contained ten tracks. Most of the album's material were new recordings, along with some cover tunes. It was the twelfth studio album of her career. Two singles were included on the disc: the title track and "Too Much Is Not Enough". Both reached the top ten and top 20 of the North American country charts in 1977. The album itself also charted on the American country albums survey. It received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Lonely Hearts Club</i> (Billie Jo Spears album) 1978 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

Lonely Hearts Club is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1978 via United Artists Records and contained 11 tracks. The album featured mostly new recordings, which included three singles: the title track, "I've Got to Go" "'57 Chevrolet". All three recordings reached the top 20 of the American country chart, while also reaching top positions in Canada. The album itself reached the American country albums chart. Lonely Hearts Club was met with positive reviews from critics.

<i>Love Aint Gonna Wait for Us</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

Love Ain't Gonna Wait for Us is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in October 1978 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. The disc featured mostly new recordings, along with several cover tunes. It featured a country pop production, overseen by Larry Butler. Two singles were spawned from the album: the title track and a cover of "Yesterday". It received a positive reception from Cashbox magazine.

<i>Standing Tall</i> (Billie Jo Spears album) 1980 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

Standing Tall is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in February 1980 via United Artists Records and contained ten tracks. The collection contained cover songs along with new material. Of its new recordings were two singles: the title track and "Natural Attraction". The title tune was a top 20 single on the American country chart and a top ten single on the Canadian country chart. The album reached the top 70 of the American country albums chart and received positive reviews from critics.

<i>Country Girl</i> (1981 Billie Jo Spears album) 1981 studio album by Billie Jo Spears

Country Girl is a studio album by American country artist Billie Jo Spears. It was released in 1981 via Warwick Records and contained 20 songs. The majority of the album's material were new recordings, along with three previously released songs. Most of the tracks were covers of previously cut material. It was later certified gold in the United Kingdom, where it was primarily sold. It would reach the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Unterberger, Richie. "Just Singin: Billie Jo Spears: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  2. Huey, Steve. "Billie Jo Spears: Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Cackett, Alan (November 1978). "Billie Jo Spears". Country Music People Magazine. Vol. 9, no. 11.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Spears, Billie Jo (February 1971). "Just Singin (Disc Information)". Capitol Records . ST-688.
  5. 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN   978-0-89820-177-2.
  6. "Billboard Album Reviews". Billboard . Vol. 83, no. 9. February 27, 1971. p. 36. Retrieved 12 February 2023.