Search - Dottie West :: Essential

Dottie: More Than Just a Hottie

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 09/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dottie West's more pop-oriented recordings on Liberty Records from the mid-70s to the early 80s have been available on CD for some time, but her RCA material - which proceeded that tenure - was unfairly missing in action for a long time until this collection was put out in 1996.This collection covers Dottie's first decade as a recording artist (not counting minor label efforts) 1964 - 1974. It leads off with her breakthrough solo hit "Here Comes My Baby" which won West the first "Best Country and Western Female Vocal" Grammy award. It was also written by West (one of six West compositions found here). Along with Loretta Lynn, West was one of the few successful female country artists writing their own material in the 1960s.Also like Lynn, West would reveal many facets of her personal life in her music, as this collection amply demonstrates. "Mommy Can I Still Call Him Daddy" and "Six Weeks Every Summer (Christmas Every Other Year)" offer Dottie the divorced working mom while "Country Girl" and "Country Sunshine" show West being proudly country long before it was cool. Her religious side is also represented by the gospel number "His Eye Is On The Sparrow." West's ability to create hit duets with artitsts as diverse as Jim Reeves, Don Gibson, and sausage king Jimmy Dean lay testament to her strong harmonizing. The enclosed duets are among West's most engaging recordings from this period and foreshadow her most successful work of all: the Liberty duets with Kenny Rogers. Other solo standouts included here are the galloping tale of "Reno" and the humorously deluded "Last Time I Saw Him." In all, you get a twenty-track set of great diversity and high quality from a woman whose eccentric life often overshadowed her music."

Dottie - a legend to true country music fans

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 08/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was the first CD of Dottie's RCA music released on CD, and is an excellent introduction to Dottie's music. It contains all her biggest RCA hits plus three rarities. Eight tracks here also appear on the Legends compilation, including Here comes my baby, Would you hold it against me, Country sunshine, Country girl and my favorite, Paper mansions.



Of the remaining twelve tracks, there is one track I don't like (Mommy can I still call him Daddy, featuring Dottie's then-four year old son) but the others are pure magic, including Me today and her tomorrow, which was previously unreleased.



The rarest previously-released track is Childhood places (a lovely song which suits Dottie - I don't think anybody else could do this song justice) which was released as a single but never appeared on an original album, and I don't remember it ever being on a compilation.



Another rare track is His eye is on the sparrow, from a gospel album that Dottie recorded in the sixties. That was the only solo album of Dottie's music that I never tracked down in my vinyl days.



Love is no excuse was one of two tracks Dottie recorded with Jim Reeves. They were released as the A and B side of a single, intended to showcase a forthcoming album. That album was never recorded, because Jim Reeves died in a plane crash. We can only wonder at what might have been.



Six weeks every summer is a great song about a mother (Dottie) and daughter (Shelly) who are unable to see each other for most of the year. Pop singer Vikki Carr did an excellent cover which is available on one of her CD's that I've reviewed - but Dottie's version is best.



Last time I saw him, a country hit for Dottie, was also a minor pop hit for Diana Ross. I enjoy both versions, but again, Dottie's is best.



Forever yours was first recorded by Tammy Wynette, but her version was not released as a single. Dottie recorded it and had the hit.



This compilation is stunning, even more so to me as it contained three tracks I'd never heard before. For more of my thoughts of Dottie, see my review of her RCA legends CD. Better still, buy at least one of them."

Beautiful Lady, Beautiful Music

James E. Bagley | 11/19/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wonderful collection of Dottie's years on the RCA label, 1963-1975. All the big hits are here - including the Grammy-winning HERE COMES MY BABY and several others that were nominated other times. Only wish there was room for some of her "flops" from the period as some were stunning performances perhaps too sophisticated for country radio at the time (I'm Only a Woman, Lonely Is, etc.) Still, this is a great collection. When is the Country Music Association going to put this lady in their Hall of Fame?? She is an unforgettable talent."