Connie Smith - Essential (20 tracks) +Album Reviews

Classic sixties country

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 09/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Connie had a very powerful voice but knew how to use it to best effect. This collection does not quite live up to it's title - it omits Where is my castle?, one of her best hits - but it's still by far the strongest hits collection available of Connie's music. Where is my castle? can be found on Super hits, but anybody wanting that track may be better waiting to see if it is on Connie's next compilation, probably in the RCA country legends series.Apart from that omission, all Connie's big hits are here, including Once a day (her first and biggest hit), Ain't had no lovin', Cincinatti Ohio, Just one time, I never once stopped loving you and so many others.This is classic sixties country at it's best, with prominent steel guitar, but ultimately it is Connie's voice that stands out. I enjoy her music so much that I bought the Bear Family boxed set, but it only covers the first half of her career at RCA, so even it doesn't contain all the hits to be found here.For anybody who is interested in sixties country, this is essential. Connie was not as big a star as Tammy or Loretta, but she could have been a bigger star than both of them, as her voice has much more pop appeal than theirs. She was not interested in crossover success and has no regrets, even now. She was, and is, just a simple country lady with a very special voice, letting the quality of her music stand on it's own merit."

Essential - Yes It Is

J. M. Zuurbier | Canada | 07/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The liner notes of the CD read: 'Dolly Parton once said "There's really only three female singers in the world: Streisand, Ronstadt and Connie Smith. The rest of us are just pretending." A nice observation by Parton, Connie Smith does possess one of the more unique and beautiful voices in country music today. ESSENTIAL SERIES does a good job of covering Connie Smith's lengthly career. This is a good place to start your Connie Smith collection. There's quite a few hits here, "Run Away Little Tears", "I Can't Remember", "Love Is The Look You're Looking For", "You and Your Sweet Love", I never Once Stopped Loving You", "If It Aint Love (Lets Leave It Alone)", "Just One Time", "Once A Day", "The Hurtin's All Over" and more. There's also a great biography of her in the liner notes. 20 hits in total. Overall you can't lose with classics like these. This is essential for your collection!"

This Connie Smith CD is a "must have" for any genuine CW fan

Linden Johnson | Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada | 08/13/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Connie Smith when I was about 14 years old, she was about 17 then. I was totally enamored by the voice that this beautiful Country girl had. The innocent cry in her voice captures the soul of any "real" country fan. Her natural beauty, her genuine personality all combined with that voice.......I don't know what else to say other thean I feel that we on this planet Earth have been blessed to experience the presence of Miss Connie Smith."

There Is Something About Connie !

Mcgivern Owen L | NY, NY USA | 05/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Essential Connie Smith" is accurately titled. Connie had 39 Billboard hits from 1964-1978. After that, country music went off the deep end. This CD captures 19 of her best, or at least most commercially successful, releases. With the exception of one Gospel track, all achieved Top 20 status on the charts. They include her version of standards as Gordon Lightfoot's "Ribbon of Darkness" and "Cry, Cry, Cry". High points are "The Hurtin's All Over", "Run Away Little Tears" and especially a pleading "Just For What I Am". Every male in a relationship with a female should listen to that one! When this woman pleads, I listen! In her distinctively strong, enthusiastic yet thoroughly feminine voice, I imagined that Connie was singing to me-one on one. I would urge country fans unfamiliar with Connie to try this CD. I have tracks by Tammy, Dottie West, Brenda Lee and Skeeter Davis. While I love those ladies, Connie tops them all. Bottom line: There is just something about this woman and her music."

"The Essential Connie Smith" / Essential to your collection

Mcgivern Owen L | 06/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Connie Smith is one of my three favorite female country singers. Unlike her flashy, Vegas-like contemporaries, she sings the country music I like, the way I like to hear it sung. Simple, heartfelt, and without the overwhelming arrangements that are commonplace in today's music.Her voice is pure, clear, strong. Her enunciation, impeccable. She captured my attention the first time that I heard "Once A Day," her first hit.Throughout her career, she's been blessed with the best producers and first rate material from such songwriters as Bill Anderson and Dallas Frazier. I always thought that she would have had crossover success if pop music hadn't changed so radically in the late 60s.Indeed, she was one of RCA Victor's golden girls in the 60s and early 70s, and this compilation collects her hits for the label from that period.So, if you're unfamiliar with the artistry of Connie Smith, buy this CD, and prepare yourself to be embraced vocally by one of the loveliest voices in country music."

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