| Country Girl | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Jody Miller | ||||
| Released | February 1975 (1975-02) | |||
| Recorded | October 1973–November 1974 | |||
| Studio | Columbia (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Jody Miller chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Country Girl | ||||
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Country Girl is a studio album by American singer Jody Miller. It was released in February 1975 via Epic Records and contained ten tracks of material. It was the eleventh studio album of Miller's career and was an album of country recordings. Among the recordings were two singles that reached the American country songs chart: the title track and "The Best in Me". Country Girl was met with favorable reviews from critics.
Background, recording and content
Jody Miller had her most successful period while being marketed as a country music artist. During the early 1970s, she had top ten hits with remakes of the songs "He's So Fine" and "Baby I'm Yours". Although her commercial appeal began to decline by the mid seventies, she remained with Epic Records through 1979. Among her mid 1970s albums was the studio album Country Girl. It was recorded in sessions between October 1973 and November 1974 at the Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. While some production featured Billy Sherrill, the album was mostly produced by Norro Wilson. Miller recalled working with Wilson on her official website: "He is so full of talent, it was such a joy to record with him."
Country Girl consisted of ten tracks. Many of the album's recordings were new tracks including the title song, "The Best in Me", "Papa's Wagon", "Love Love Love" and "Jimmy's Roses". Norro Wilson composed two of the new songs: "He Took Me for a Ride" and "I'm Alright Till I SeeYou (Then I Fall Apart)". Some selections were covers of charting Billboard country singles like Dottie West's "House of Love". Other selections were covers of Billboard pop singles like Olivia Newton-John's chart-topping "I Honestly Love You".
Release and critical reception
Country Girl was released in February 1975 by Epic Records. It was the eleventh studio album in Miller's career. Epic distributed the disc as a vinyl LP, featuring five songs on each side of the record. Billboard magazine praised Miller's voice, commenting "Oh how this lady can sing". The magazine also called the song selections as being "fine material" along with "excellent production". Cashbox magazine praised many of the album's new recordings, calling "I'm Alright 'Til I See You" as being "soul-deep". "Jody is not an unfamiliar name to country music and her latest LP will give her reason to enjoy more success," they concluded.
Chart performance and singles
Country Girl reached the number 49 position on the American Billboard Top Country Albums chart in 1975. It was Miller's lowest-charting album on Billboard and the final to chart in her career. Two singles were also spawned from Country Girl. The first was the title track, which Epic originally issued as a single in October 1974. It reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The second and final single spawned from the album was "The Best in Me". It released by Epic in February 1975. It peaked at number 78 on the Billboard country chart in 1975.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Country Girl" |
| 2:20 |
| 2. | "The Best in Me" | D. Hall | 2:40 |
| 3. | "Love, Love, Love" |
| 2:05 |
| 4. | "House of Love" | K. O'Dell | 2:31 |
| 5. | "In the Name of Love" |
| 2:10 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "He Took Me for a Ride" |
| 2:52 |
| 2. | "I'm Alright Till I See You (Then I Fall Apart)" |
| 3:52 |
| 3. | "Papa's Wagon" | C. Taylor | 2:53 |
| 4. | "I Honestly Love You" | 3:41 | |
| 5. | "Jimmy's Roses" |
| 3:22 |
Personnel
All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Country Girl.
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Musical personnel
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Technical personnel
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Charts
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) | 49 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | February 1975 | Vinyl LP | Epic Records |
References
- ^ "Country Girl: Jody Miller: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- Brennan, Sandra. "Jody Miller Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ Miller, Jody (February 1975). "Country Girl (Liner Notes)". Epic Records. KE-33349 (LP).
- "Discography (click on 'Country Girl')". Jody Miller Music.com. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. various.
- Whitburn, Joel (2000). Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955-1999. Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research. p. various.
- "Billboard's Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. February 22, 1975. p. 64. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- "Cashbox Country Reviews: LP's" (PDF). Cashbox. February 22, 1975. p. 38. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Hot Country Albums, 1964-2007. Record Research, Inc. p. 301. ISBN 978-0898201734.
- Miller, Jody (October 1974). ""Country Girl"/"Safe in These Lovin' Arms of Mine" (7" vinyl single)". Epic Records. 8-50042.
- Miller, Jody (February 1975). ""The Best in Me"/"I'm Alright 'Til I See You (Then I Fall Apart)" (7" vinyl single)". Epic Records. 8-50079.
| Jody Miller | |
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| Discography | |
| Studio albums |
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| Singles |
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