Dottie West: Careless Hands/Have You Heard/I’m Only A Woman/Country Sunshine, 2CD

Four classic Dottie West albums recorded between 1971 and 1973.

Appearing on CD for the first time.

‘Careless Hands’ (1971) displayed the singer as a vocalist well-attuned to the Nashville sound. Produced by Jerry Bradley, it comprised mainly of covers of country/pop standards such as ‘Rose Garden’, ‘Help Me Make It Through The Night’, ‘Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)’, ‘Snowbird’ and ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’.

Jerry Bradley continued the mix of covers and new songs for the singer’s next two albums; ‘Have You Heard’ features ‘Me And Bobby McGee’ and ‘Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)’, while ‘I’m Only A Woman’ included the two pop standards ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’ and the Buck Owens’ classic ‘Together Again’.

‘Country Sunshine’ brought a change of producer in Billy Davis. The title track secured international attention when featured in Coca Cola promotions, the album presented a more diverse selection of songs including The Eagles’ ‘Desperado’, Janis Ian’s ‘Jesse’ and ‘My Love’ by Paul McCartney’s Wings.

Possessing one of the finest voices in country music, Dottie West enjoyed acclaim from industry peers and the public alike. In a career that could be likened to a country song, Dottie West enjoyed success but also experienced poverty and tragedy in her life. She was born 11th October 1932 and died following a motor accident on 4th September 1991 aged just 58. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2018.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE

CARELESS HANDS

1  CARELESS HANDS

2  SNOWBIRD

3  ONLY A FOOL

4  ROSE GARDEN

5  HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT

6  YONDER COMES A SUCKER

7  RELEASE ME (AND LET ME LOVE AGAIN)

8  YOUR LOVE TAKES CARE OF ME

9  I’M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY

10  ONLY ONE THING LEFT TO DO

HAVE YOU HEARD

11  YOU’RE THE OTHER HALF OF ME

12  JUST ONE TIME

13  ONCE YOU WERE MINE

14  PUT YOUR HAND IN THE HAND

15  ME AND BOBBY McGEE

16  SIX WEEKS EVERY SUMMER (CHRISTMAS EVERY OTHER YEAR)

17  WISH I DIDN’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE

18  TINY

19  NO LOVE AT ALL

DREAM BABY (HOW LONG MUST I DREAM)

DISC TWO

I’M ONLY A WOMAN

1  I’M ONLY A WOMAN

2  YOUR SWEET LOVE

3  BABY, I TRIED

4 ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT

5  LONELY IS

6  THERE’S A BIG WHEEL

7  THAT’S ALL THAT’S LEFT OF MY BABY

8  TOGETHER AGAIN

9  TOO MUCH OF LOVING YOU

10  GIVE IT TIME TO BE TENDER

COUNTRY SUNSHINE

11  MY MIND’S GONE TO MEMPHIS

12  YOU TAKE ME HOME, HONEY

13  WE HAD IT ALL

14  MY LOVE

15  DESPERADO

16  JESSE

17  THE LADY

18  COUNTRY SUNSHINE

19  HELP ME

20  IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME