Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches

Last updated
Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches
Connie Smith--Love Prison Wisdom and Heartaches.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 11, 2024 (2024-04-11)
StudioEast Iris Studios
Genre Traditional country [1]
Label Fat Possum
Producer Marty Stuart
Connie Smith chronology
The Cry of the Heart
(2021)
Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches
(2024)

Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches is a studio album by American country artist Connie Smith. It was released on April 11, 2024, via Fat Possum Records. It is the 37th solo studio album in Smith's recording career and is a collection of 12 tracks. The album contains covers of songs previously recorded by artists. Since its release, the album has received positive reviews from critics.

Contents

Background

Connie Smith has been considered among country music's most "underrated" and "influential" artists. She first became known for a string of top ten singles beginning with 1964's eight-week number one US country song "Once a Day". After her commercial success waned in the late 1970s, she settled into domestic life but continued to sporadically return to her country career. This was in part due to the personal and professional collaboration she developed with Marty Stuart beginning in the 1990s. Since 1998, she has released four studio albums with her most recent being 2021's The Cry of the Heart (issued on Fat Possum Records). [2] Fat Possum would also release Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches. [3]

Recording and content

Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches was produced by Smith's husband and musical collaborator Marty Stuart. [3] [4] It was recorded at East Iris Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. [5] Unlike her most recent album projects, the collection is a series of cover songs. However, Smith herself did not describe the album as a covers disc. "I’m singing on behalf of my friends. Hoping to share them while passing along their songs." [3] The album features songs first recorded by Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, George Jones and Dottie West. [1]

Release and critical reception

Love, Wisdom, Prison and Heartaches was given a surprise digital release on April 11, 2024. [1] The physical version of the album will be released on May 24, 2024. [6] The album has since received positive reviews. Billboard wrote, "Smith’s voice is still an instrument of formidable power and style, while this gorgeous record is an essential listen for fans of old-school country." [1] The Kingsport Times-News gave the disc a positive review as well, commenting, "Embedded within the tears and fears and aching breaking heart of Smith’s new album stands like a statue the quest for hope." [7]

Track listing

Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches [8] [5]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Other Side of You"William Broadwell Morgan3:00
2."Once More"Robert James Owens2:34
3."One of These Days"Vince Matthews2:15
4."If You Won't Tell on Me (I Won't Tell on You)" Dallas Frazier 2:45
5."Drifting and Dreaming of You" Jesse McReynolds 3:07
6."Country Girl"3:01
7."World of Forgotten People" Loretta Lynn 2:09
8."Seattle"2:56
9."The Fugitive"
3:23
10."End of the World"2:44
11."Beneath Still Waters"Frazier3:11
12."The Wayward Wind"
3:23

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches. All session players are credited under the title "musician". [5]

Musical personnel

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
North AmericaApril 11, 2024
  • Music download
  • streaming
Fat Possum Records [8]
May 24, 2024
  • Compact disc
  • vinyl LP
[6] [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connie Smith</span> American country music artist (born 1941)

Connie Smith is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her contralto vocals have been described by music writers as significant and influential to the women of country music. A similarity has been noted between her vocal style and the stylings of country vocalist Patsy Cline. Other performers have cited Smith as influence on their own singing styles, which has been reflected in quotes and interviews over the years.

<i>Connie Smith</i> (1998 album) 1998 studio album by Connie Smith

Connie Smith is thirty-fourth solo studio album by American country singer Connie Smith. It was released on October 6, 1998, via Warner Bros. Records and contained ten tracks. Nine of the songs were penned by Smith herself, along with artist and performer, Marty Stuart. It was Stuart who also produced the album. The eponymous collection was Smith's first mainstream studio album of new material in 20 years. Smith had returned to recording after raising her children while in semi-retirement. The album received a positive response from critics. No singles were released from the album and instead received promotion elsewhere.

<i>Cute n Country</i> 1965 studio album by Connie Smith

Cute 'n' Country is the second studio album by American country music artist Connie Smith. It was released in October 1965 by RCA Victor and contained 12 tracks. Cute 'n' Country contained a mixture of original songs and cover versions by other country artists. Featured on the album was the top ten single "I Can't Remember". Cute 'n' Country was Smith's second album to top the Billboard country LP's chart.

<i>I Love Charley Brown</i> 1968 studio album by Connie Smith

I Love Charley Brown is the tenth studio album by American country singer Connie Smith, released in April 1968 by RCA Victor. The album reached the top 20 of the American country albums chart. It was described as a collection of pop-inspired country songs. Included were four cuts written by Smith's longtime songwriting collaborator, Dallas Frazier. Among his cuts was one of the album's three singles, "Run Away Little Tears". Along with Frazier's cut, the two additional singles included reached the top ten of the American country songs chart. The album was met with favorable reviews from critics.

<i>Sunshine and Rain</i> 1968 studio album by Connie Smith

Sunshine and Rain is the eleventh studio album by American country singer Connie Smith, released in October 1968 by RCA Victor. Sunshine and Rain featured an assortment of both new material and covers of songs by other country artists. The album reached the top 40 of the American country albums chart and received a favorable review from Billboard magazine following its release.

<i>Connies Country</i> 1969 studio album by Connie Smith

Connie's Country is the twelfth studio album by American country singer Connie Smith, released in April 1969 by RCA Victor. The pop-inspired project included a mixture of original and cover songs. The album 'Connie's Country' was a hit, with a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's 'Ribbon of Darkness' reaching the top 20 on the American country songs chart. The album itself was also successful, placing in the top 20 on the American country albums chart. Critics praised the album for its quality and song selection.

<i>I Never Once Stopped Loving You</i> 1970 studio album by Connie Smith

I Never Once Stopped Loving You is the fourteenth solo studio album by American country singer Connie Smith, released in September 1970 by RCA Victor. The collection mixed original material with covers of previously-recorded songs. Three singles were included on the album: "You and Your Sweet Love", the title track and "Louisiana Man". Both "You and Your Sweet Love" and the title track reached the top ten on the American country songs chart in 1970. The album itself charted in the top 20 of the American country LP's survey. Billboard magazine gave the LP a positive response following its original release.

<i>Just One Time</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Connie Smith

Just One Time is the sixteenth solo studio album by American country singer Connie Smith, released in June 1971 by RCA Victor. The album was named for the lead single of the same name, which reached the top five of the North American country charts in 1971. The album itself would chart in the top 20 of the American country LP's chart following its release. Additionally, Billboard magazine gave the project a positive reception when reviewing it in 1971.

<i>Come Along and Walk with Me</i> 1971 studio album by Connie Smith

Come Along and Walk with Me is seventeenth solo studio album by American country singer Connie Smith, released in October 1971 by RCA Victor. The album was Smith’s third collection of gospel songs. The disc included original songs and covers of songs first cut by other artists. Among the song included on the project were three by gospel performer Dottie Rambo. Following its release, Billboard gave the album a positive review.

<i>If It Aint Love and Other Great Dallas Frazier Songs</i> 1972 studio album by Connie Smith

"If It Ain't Love" and Other Great Dallas Frazier Songs is nineteenth solo studio album by American country singer Connie Smith, released in July 1972 by RCA Victor. The album is a collection of songs composed by songwriter Dallas Frazier. Three of these songs were duets between Smith and Frazier himself. The album's title track was spawned as a single in 1972 and reached the top ten of the American country chart. The album itself reached the top 20 of the American country LP's chart and it received a positive review from Billboard magazine.

<i>Thats the Way Love Goes</i> (Connie Smith album) 1974 studio album by Connie Smith

That's the Way Love Goes is the twenty-second solo studio album by American country singer Connie Smith. It was released in March 1974 on Columbia Records and contained 11 tracks. The album included both original material and covers of songs first recorded by other music artists. Two singles were released from the album. "Ain't Love a Good Thing" reached the top ten of the American country songs chart and became her nineteenth top ten single in her career.

<i>Connie Smith Sings Hank Williams Gospel</i> 1975 studio album by Connie Smith

Connie Smith Sings Hank Williams Gospel is the twenty-fifth solo studio album by American country singer Connie Smith. It was released in May 1975 via Columbia Records and contained 11 tracks. The project was a tribute to Hank Williams and was considered the first tribute gospel album of his material. Smith had found over half of the album's material through previously-unreleased recordings. The album would make a brief chart appearance on the American Country LP's survey in 1975.

<i>Long Line of Heartaches</i> 2011 studio album by Connie Smith

Long Line of Heartaches is the thirty-fifth solo studio album by American country artist Connie Smith. It was released August 23, 2011, through Sugar Hill Records and produced by Smith's husband, Marty Stuart. It is her first album of new solo material since 1998, and her second since 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connie Smith albums discography</span>

The albums discography of Connie Smith, an American country artist, consists of 40 studio albums, one live album, 14 compilation albums, three box sets, and 26 other appearances. After the success of her 1964 single "Once a Day", Smith's self-titled debut album was released in March 1965 on RCA Victor Records. The album reached number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums, spending thirty weeks on the chart, while also becoming her only album to reach the Billboard 200 list (#105). Smith's next two secular albums, Cute 'n' Country and Miss Smith Goes to Nashville went to number one and number two respectively between 1965 and 1966. In September 1966 Smith released her fifth studio album, Born to Sing, which was her third album to reach the top spot on the Billboard country albums chart. Due to Smith's popularity, RCA Victor issued five albums between 1967 and 1968 including Downtown Country (1967), Connie Smith Sings Bill Anderson (1967), and I Love Charley Brown (1968). In 1969, Smith collaborated with country artist Nat Stuckey on the album Young Love.

<i>Heartaches and Tears</i> 1962 studio album by Jean Shepard

Heartaches and Tears is a studio album by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released by Capitol Records in March 1962 with a total of 12 tracks. The tracks mixed both new material and cover tunes. Among its new tracks was the single "How Long Does It Hurt ". It was the fourth studio album of her career and fifth overall. The album was met with positive reviews from publications.

<i>Written in Song</i> 2017 studio album by Jeannie Seely

Written In Song is the sixteenth studio album by American country artist Jeannie Seely. It was released on January 13, 2017 on Cheyenne Records and was produced by Seely. It is her first studio release in six years and the second to be issued on her own label. The album consisted of songs Seely composed for other artists. There are also several songs included that had not been released before.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World of Forgotten People</span> 1962 single by Loretta Lynn

"World of Forgotten People" is a song written and originally recorded by American country singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released as a single in 1962 via Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was among Lynn's first single releases in her career and would be the start of a series of single releases during her career.

<i>The Cry of the Heart</i> (album) 2021 studio album by Connie Smith

The Cry of the Heart is the thirty-sixth solo studio album by American country music singer Connie Smith. It was released on August 20, 2021, via Fat Possum Records. It is Smith's third album to be produced by her husband, Marty Stuart. The album is also Smith's first studio album in a decade. It comprises a total of 11 tracks, three of which were penned by Smith and Stuart. the album features recordings penned by Merle Haggard, Melba Montgomery and Carl Jackson. Three tracks are covers of songs previously released as singles by country artists. The album received positive reception from critics and journalists following its release.

<i>Cream of the Crop</i> (Wanda Jackson album) 1968 studio album by Wanda Jackson and The Party Timers

Cream of the Crop is a studio album by American recording artist Wanda Jackson and her band The Party Timers. It was released in August 1968 via Capitol Records and contained 12 tracks. It was the twelfth studio album of Jackson's career and her second to give equal billing to The Party Timers. The project included three single releases, all of which reached charting positions on the North American country music sales chart. The album itself also reached charting positions in North America. Cream of the Crop received a positive review following its original release.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Nicholson, Jessica. "8 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Shaboozey, Riley Green, Morgan Wade & More". Billboard . Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  2. Bush, John. "Connie Smith Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Connie Smith - Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches". Fat Possum Records . Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  4. Edwards, Clayton (April 11, 2024). "New Country and Americana Albums for April 12, 2024: New Music from Connie Smith, ERNEST, and More". American Songwriter . Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Connie (May 24, 2024). "Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches (Liner Notes)". Fat Possum Records . FP1837-2 (CD); FP-1837 (LP).
  6. 1 2 "Country Music Hall of Fame Artist Connie Smith Releases Her 55th Album, LOVE, PRISON, WISDOM AND HEARTACHES". The Country Note. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  7. Netherland, Tom (April 19, 2024). "Records and Roots: Connie Smith delivers with new album". Kingsport Times-News . Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches -- album by Connie Smith". Apple Music . Retrieved 21 April 2024.