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| Released | June 1, 2004 | |||
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| Length | 37:37 | |||
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Softly and Tenderly is a studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released on June 1, 2005, on Madacy Entertainment and TWI Records. The album was Anderson's 39th studio recording and was his third album collection of gospel music.
Softly & Tenderly was Anderson's third collection of gospel recordings. His first album was released in 1968 titled I Can Do Nothing Alone . Anderson recorded the title track of the latter album for his 2005 collection. He spoke of his decision to record a new gospel project in 2005. "I was going into the studio last winter to do a new country record, and Jack Johnson came to me and said, 'We've gotten quite a few calls out in the marketplace for some country gospel'," he recalled. [2] The album consisted of 11 tracks. Many of the songs included on the project were covers of popular gospel and Christian songs. This included "Love Lifted Me", "I Saw the Light" and "Life's Railway to Heaven". [2]
Softly & Tenderly was released on June 1, 2004, via TWI Records. The latter label was Anderson's own recording company, which issued the album on a compact disc. [3] The album was later licensed through Madacy Entertainment. The album was sold at major retailers including Wal-Mart and Target. [2] The album did not chart on any publication at the time of its release, including Billboard . [4] In his review, Allmusic's Steve Leggett gave the album three out of five possible stars. "He's done a little of everything, including gospel, as this brief set shows, featuring Anderson's gentle vocal style on several country gospel classics like 'The Old Rugged Cross,' 'I Saw the Light,' 'Life's Railway to Heaven,' and 'Farther Along.' [1]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" | 3:20 | |
| 2. | "Softly and Tenderly" | Will L. Thompson | 3:32 |
| 3. | "The Old Rugged Cross" | George Bennard | 3:20 |
| 4. | "I Saw the Light" | Hank Williams | 2:41 |
| 5. | "I Can Do Nothing Alone" | Bill Anderson | 3:37 |
| 6. | "Life's Railway to Heaven" | Charles Davis Tillman | 3:46 |
| 7. | "Sweet Hour of Prayer" | William Batchelder Bradbury | 3:34 |
| 8. | "Where Could I Go But to the Lord?" | James B. Coats | 3:00 |
| 9. | "Farther Along" | Traditional | 4:14 |
| 10. | "Somebody Touched Me/This Little Light of Mine/Do Lord" | Various | 3:18 |
| 11. | "Love Lifted Me" | Traditional | 3:15 |
All credits are adapted from Allmusic. [5]
Musical and technical personnel
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | June 1, 2004 | Compact disc |
| [3] |
Lynn Rene Anderson, was an American country singer and television personality. Her signature recording crossover hit, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She had five number one and 18 Top-10 hit singles on the Billboard country songs chart. She is regarded as one of country music's most significant performers.
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.
James William Anderson III, known professionally as Bill Anderson, is an American country music singer and songwriter. His soft-spoken singing voice was given the nickname "Whispering Bill" by music critics and writers. As a songwriter, his compositions have been covered by various music artists since the late 1950s, including Ray Price and George Strait.
"A Lot of Things Different"' is a song composed by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson and songwriter Dean Dillon. It was recorded in two separate versions. The first version was recorded by Anderson himself in 2001. A version by Kenny Chesney appeared one year later on his 2002 album and was later released as a single.
For Loving You is a studio album released by the American country music artists Bill Anderson and Jan Howard in February 1968 on Decca Records. The album was their first collaborative album, setting the trend for a series of studio albums over the next few years. The album's title track, "For Loving You", was the lead single and became a number 1 hit on the Billboard country songs chart.
Bright Lights and Country Music is a studio album by Bill Anderson and the Po' Boys. It was released in November 1965 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was Anderson's first studio album to include dual credit with his band, The Po' Boys. It was his fourth studio album overall. The album included one single release, the title track. This song became a major hit on the Billboard country charts. The album itself also reached charting positions on Billboard shortly after its release.
I Can Do Nothing Alone is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released in June 1967 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was Anderson's seventh studio record and his first album to consist entirely of gospel music. Although the album did not produce any singles, it made peak positions on the Billboard country albums chart.
Where Have All Our Heroes Gone is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released in December 1970 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. It was Anderson's fifteenth studio album as a recording artist and his third studio album released in 1970. The album's title track became a major hit on the Billboard country chart. The album itself would also reach peak positions on the Billboard country albums chart.
Always Remember is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released in April 1971 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. His sixteenth studio effort, it was also Anderson's only studio album to be released in 1971. The title track became a single and a top ten hit on the Billboard country chart. The album would also reach peak positions on the albums chart too.
Billy Boy & Mary Lou is a studio album by American country music artists Bill Anderson and Mary Lou Turner. It was released in June 1977 on MCA Records and was produced by Buddy Killen. It was the duo's second studio album together since pairing up as a duet team in the mid 1970s. The album produced two singles between 1977 and 1978. It would be the duo's final studio album together.
Country Music Heaven is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released in February 1993 on Curb Records and was produced by Mike Johnson. His 34th studio album, the project also marked Anderson's second release for the Curb label. The album was a collection of gospel recordings, which totaled to 12 tracks.
Greatest Songs is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released November 19, 1996 on Curb Records. It was his 35th studio recording in his career as a recording artist. It was also his third album issued for the Curb label. Although titled Greatest Songs, the album actually contained re-recordings of songs originally recorded in decades prior.
A Lot of Things Different is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released on August 7, 2001 via TWI Records and Varèse Sarabande. The album was Anderson's 37th studio recording and his first to be released on his own record label (TWI). It contained ten tracks, all of which Anderson took part in composing.
The Way I Feel is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released on June 14, 2005 on TWI Records and the Varèse Sarabande label. The project was produced by Anderson himself, along with three additional producers. The album was Anderson's 40th studio recording in his music career and contained ten self-penned tracks. Included among the album's material was the song "Whiskey Lullaby", which was first a hit for Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss.
Whisperin' Bluegrass is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released on October 23, 2007 via Madacy Entertainment and was produced by Steve Ivey. The project was Anderson's 41st studio recording in his career and his first album containing bluegrass music. A total of 16 tracks were included on the project, many of which were covers of songs previously recorded by others. It received positive reviews upon its release.
Songwriter is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released via TWI Records in May 2010. The project was co-produced by Bill Anderson and Rex Schnelle. It was Anderson's 42nd studio album in his recording career and contained a total of 12 tracks.
Life! is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released on March 4, 2014 via TWI Records. It was Anderson's 43rd studio release and contained a total of ten tracks. The project was Anderson's first studio album in four years and one of several he issued on his own record label.
Anderson is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released on September 14, 2018 via TWI Records. The project was co-produced by Anderson, Peter Cooper and Thomm Jutz. Consisting of 11 tracks, the album was Anderson's 44th studio release in recording career. It contained one single that was released following the album. It is Anderson's most recent album to date.
Bridges is a studio album by American country artist Lynn Anderson. It was released on June 9, 2015, via Center Sound Productions and was produced by Bill VornDick. Bridges was Anderson's 37th studio recording of her career and her first album of gospel music. The album contained a variety of new and older gospel tracks. It was released a month prior to her death, making Bridges the final studio release in Anderson's career. The album also contained one single release.
The albums discography of American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson contains 45 studio albums, three live albums, 12 compilation albums, four extended plays and one box set. He first signed with Decca Records in 1958 and started releasing singles which became major hits. However, Anderson's first album was not released until 1962. Entitled Bill Anderson Sings Country Heart Songs, the package was a compilation release containing his major hits up to that point. His debut studio release, Still, followed upon the success of its title track in 1963. The release peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 36 on the Billboard 200, his only album to chart the latter survey. Over the next decade, Anderson released several albums per year, many of which reached the top ten on the Billboard country albums chart. His second studio release, Bill Anderson Sings (1964), reached number seven on the chart for example. In 1966, his fifth studio album, I Love You Drops, reached number one the country albums list. In 1967, Anderson recorded his first album of gospel music called I Can Do Nothing Alone, which reached number 23 on the country albums survey. His eighth studio record, For Loving You (1968), was a collaborative project with Jan Howard. It reached number six on the country albums chart.