Jackie DeShannon Are you ready for this?

This is one of the best Jackie DeShannon albums from the 1960s. The Supremes' influence is very obvious but it makes enjoyable listening. She embraces the girl group sound here. These are my favorite tracks from the album. I like the cover too. It definitely embraces the 1960s.

Connie Smith Miss Smith Goes to Nashville

I never liked country music the first twenty years of my life. Then in my early 20's I started to give it a chance. At first it was the Louvin Brothers Then it was Dolly Parton. I found a really scratchy copy of this in a thrift store. I listened to it all the time and realized I had become a fan of the genre. It was just that I didn't care for the arrangements of country music of the present. I think this album is one of the best examples of the Nashville Sound in the 1960s. It's upbeat and fun. Connie Smith has one of the strongest female country vocals that have ever been recorded. She's my favorite country female singer. I've been a fan for the past twenty three years.

Zdenka Vuckovic Kronologija

This collection covers Zdenka Vuckocic's music in the 1960s when she was a teenager. Her voice was cute and delightful. When she grew up people pretty much stopped listening although the quality of her music didn't change. There are several covers here (from the likes of Mina and Neil Sedaka) and many songs that were performed at festivals. This collection is on Spotify. Croatia had several good singers in the 1960s and I will go over more of them eventually.

Barbara Fairchild A Sweeter Love

I played "The Teddy Bear Song" when I was 19 in the car once. My dad rolled his eyes and said, "You've got to be kidding me." I think it's funny but I like the song. It was the hit of Barbara Fairchild's career and this album. It talks about how she wished she were a teddy bear because her life has become a disappointment. This is one of Barbara Fairchild's best albums and it was made in the prime of her career. Billy Sherill sure could spot talent. He discovered Tammy Wynette, Tanya Tucker, and Barbara. The upbeat numbers are the best of the album. I also really like "Thanks for the Mem'ries." This is on Spotify. For the longest time the only thing I could find of Barbara Fairchild was an out of print cd and one of her rerecording her hits. I'm glad she has availability now.

Marie McDonald The Body Sings

As an actress Marie McDonald wasn't much. Marie came across as usually stiff but in her defense the majority of the time she was nothing more than a set decoration. Her nickname as the album illustrates was called "The Body." However, she also was a singer, a fact that is usually neglected. She started out singing for Tommy Dorsey in the 40's. (I'd love to hear these recordings by the way.) Then she made this sole lp in the 50's, an excellent a la Julie London effort. Marie understands the lyrics and wraps herself around them. She manages to breathe new life in overdone standards like Embraceable You. The best songs have to be Paradise and He took me by a storm. It's not perfect though. The background singers tend to bring things down sometimes.