Country Sunshine: Morello Reissues Four Albums from Late Country Queen Dottie West

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After nearly a decade, Cherry Red's Morello imprint has returned to the discography of late country songstress Dottie West with a new 4-albums-on-2-CDs release. After pairing West's first two RCA albums on CD (1965's Here Comes My Baby and Dottie West Sings) in 2016, Morello has jumped ahead to 1971-1972 for a collection featuring Careless Hands, Have You Heard...Dottie West, I'm Only a Woman, and Country Sunshine.

After penning Jim Reeves' 1963 hit "Is This Me," Dottie auditioned and signed with RCA Victor. The label's Nashville chief, Chet Atkins, took a personal interest in the singer-songwriter and produced her first two albums, with Anita Kerr handling the arrangements. "Here Comes My Baby," co-written by Dottie and her then-husband Bill West, gave her a top ten Country hit and earned her the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Dotte became a mainstay on both RCA's roster and the Country singles chart.

The March 1971 release Careless Hands, Dottie's seventeenth studio album, was recorded at RCA Studio B with producer Jerry Bradley. It was their third collaboration. (The son of legendary producer Owen Bradley, Jerry would replace Chet Atkins as the head of RCA Nashville when the guitarist-producer-artist stepped down in 1973.) Musical support came from the core group of Nashville Cats including Hargus "Pig" Robbins on piano; Harold Bradley, Ray Edenton, and Grady Harman on guitar; Pete Drake on steel; Charlie McCoy on harmonica; and Buddy Harman on drums. The Jordanaires sang background vocals.

Much of the LP was dedicated to familiar crossover covers, including the title track - a 1948 standard by Carl Sigman and Bob Hilliard which was popularized by Mel Tormé. Over Bradley's plush, Nashville Sound backings, West also brought her impassioned vocals to "Release Me" (a 1948 tune that Engelbert Humperdinck took to No. 1 in the U.K. in 1967), Joe South's "Rose Garden" (a chart-topper for Lynn Anderson), Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," Gene MacLellan's "Snowbird" (a 1970 hit for Anne Murray), and Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night." West had reportedly passed on "Help Me," opening the door for Sammi Smith's Grammy-winning hit recording. Dottie's sometime-songwriting partner Red Lane contributed "Yonder Comes a Train."

The October 1971 follow-up Have You Heard...Dottie West added strings (arranged by veteran Bergen White) to the core complement of musicians and The Jordanaires. Once again, Jerry Bradley turned to the cream of the Nashville crop for songs, with onetime West protégé Larry Gatlin's "You're the Other Half of Me" and "Once You Were Mine," Don Gibson's "One More Time" (a 1960 crossover hit for Gibson on RCA), Gene MacLellan's "Put Your Hand in the Hand," also introduced by Anne Murray, Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" (a then-contemporary posthumous hit for Janis Joplin), and Cindy Walker's "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)," best-known in Roy Orbison's rendition. Gospel legend Dottie Rambo wrote "Tiny," and Ms. West herself penned the rueful weeper "Wish I Didn't Love You Anymore." The single hit was Fran Powers' rumination on a divorce, "Six Weeks Every Summer (Christmas Every Other Year)."

Dottie's sole album of 1972, I'm Only a Woman, continued the tried-and-true formula. Once again, a string section was enlisted, and this time, The Nashville Edition joined The Jordanaires for the background vocals. "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "Together Again," hits for Elvis Presley and Buck Owens, respectively, were the most well-known titles on an album that also included songs from returning songwriters Don Gibson ("There's a Big Wheel") and Kris Kristofferson ("Give It Time to Be Tender") as well as heavy hitters Ben Peters ("I'm Only a Woman") and Billy Sherrill ("Your Sweet Love"). Both Bill Rice and Jerry Foster's "Lonely Is" and Peters' title track became moderate Country chart hits.

West explored a new direction on her next album, May 1973's If It's All Right With You/Just What I've Been Looking For, covering the pop hit "Killing Me Softly (With His Song)" and a couple of tracks written by singer-songwriter Kenny O'Dell. His "If It's All Right with You" became Dottie's first Country top 40 hit since 1971 and her first-ever Billboard Hot 100 entry. She followed it up in November with Country Sunshine, the album which concludes this 2CD set. Produced by Chess Records veteran and early Berry Gordy collaborator Billy Davis, the album was built around the title track. Co-written by Billy and Dottie, it first achieved popularity as a Coca-Cola jingle. The more contemporary direction continued with covers of Eagles' "Desperado," Janis Ian's "Jesse," and Paul McCartney's "My Love," all reinvented by Dottie and musicians including "Pig" Robbins; bassist Steve Wariner (whose early career had been championed by West); pianist David Briggs; steel guitarist Weldon Myrick; fiddler Buddy Spicher; banjoist Bobby Thompson; guitarists Chip Young, Dale Sellers, and Jerry Shook; and drummer Larry Londin. Playing to West's strengths as an emotive balladeer, Country Sunshine became her highest-charting album since 1968.

Dottie's career would be revitalized following her move to United Artists/Liberty Records, where she famously teamed for a series of duets with Kenny Rogers including 1981's "What Are We Doin' in Love," a Country No. 1 and Pop No. 14 smash. Tragically, West died in 1991 at the age of 58 after an auto accident. Steve Wariner performed "Amazing Grace" at her funeral, and Kenny Rogers delivered the eulogy.

The booklet for this release features brief liner notes by Tony Byworth. One hopes Morello will continue reissuing West's albums, most of which are still long-unavailable in CD format. Careless Hands/Have You Heard...Dottie West/I'm Only a Woman/Country Sunshine is out now from Cherry Red/Morello. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Dottie West, Careless Hands/Have You Heard...Dottie West/I'm Only a Woman/Country Sunshine (Morello MRLL113D, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

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