Louise Mandrell – “Louise Mandrell”
This one goes back to when I first started out collecting, probably in one of my first major record hauls that I had done at 18 or 19 years old. I didn’t know who Louise Mandrell was, nor did I know who her sister, Barbara, was at that point. I saw an album that looked interesting and bought it. 14 years later, here we are spinning it for the first time.
“You Never Cross My Mind” starts the album, and this being my first time listening to either of the Mandrell sisters, I will say that Louise does have a very nice voice, and the occasional steel guitar in the background is a nice touch. It is a nice song to open the album to. “Put It On Me” comes next, it starts off slowly before the song really takes off and Louise delivers some nice country vocals. “Beggin’ For Mercy” comes next, and it’s an another upbeat country song, it has good musicianship and the vocals are good. “I Thought You’d Never Ask” comes next, and it’s one of the three duets that Louise recorded with her then husband, R.C. Bannon, and together they deliver some great vocals that compliment each other. We close out the A-Side with the song “The Pleasure’s All Mine” which is another duet with R.C. Bannon, and it’s a slower one, and I’m really waiting to hear them do some vocal harmonies together, hopefully on the next track.
The B-Side opens with Louise and R.C. doing a cover of “Reunited” and you know, I’ve only ever heard the original version of this song, but I am expecting some great country vocal harmonies and some steel guitar. The chorus comes, and so do the harmonies, is it better than the original? No. But it’s still good. “Everlasting Love” comes next, and it’s kind of got like that disco vibe to it, but still country, but it is a good sound and I am very much enjoying this one. “I Never Loved Anyone Like I Love You” follows up next, and it seems to start with that disco sound again, and I got to say that Louise does have a fantastic voice. Definitely feels like a disco song. “Wake Me Up” comes next, and we go back into that country sound, so far this album has been pretty enjoyable so far. Good purchase 18 year old me. “Love Insurance” closes out the album, and we’re back to more of that country pop sound (or is it pop country? Did that term exist back in 1981?) It’s a good way to close out the album.
Credits:
Produced by Buddy Killen
Recorded at Soundshop Studio, Nashville
Mastered at CBS Recording Studios on the CBS DisComputer System, Nashville, TN
Photography by Dick Zimmerman
R.C. Bannon appears through the courtesy of Columbia Records
Catalog Number:
FE 37424
Released:
1981
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