State of the Heart is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter, released by Columbia Records on June 13, 1989.

State of the Heart
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 13, 1989
GenreCountry
Length38:21
LabelColumbia Nashville
ProducerMary Chapin Carpenter
John Jennings
Mary Chapin Carpenter chronology
Hometown Girl
(1987)
State of the Heart
(1989)
Shooting Straight in the Dark
(1990)
Singles from State of the Heart
  1. "How Do"
    Released: April 15, 1989
  2. "Never Had It So Good"
    Released: September 2, 1989
  3. "Quittin' Time"
    Released: January 6, 1990
  4. "Something of a Dreamer"
    Released: June 16, 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Q[3]

Featuring a more country sound than her debut Hometown Girl (1987), State of the Heart eventually rose to the No. 28 position on the Billboard's Country Albums chart, with four of its tracks finding places within the Hot Country Singles chart. Chronologically, they were "How Do" at No. 19, "Never Had It So Good" at No. 8, "Quittin' Time" at No. 7, and "Something of a Dreamer" at No. 14.

Track listing

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All songs written by Mary Chapin Carpenter unless noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."How Do" 2:09
2."Something of a Dreamer" 2:56
3."Never Had It So Good"Carpenter, John Jennings4:04
4."Read My Lips" 3:05
5."This Shirt" 3:48
6."Quittin' Time"Robb Royer, Roger Linn3:52
7."Down in Mary's Land" 2:27
8."Goodbye Again" 4:47
9."Too Tired" 2:28
10."Slow Country Dance" 4:00
11."It Don't Bring You" 4:45
Total length:38:21

Credits

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  • Mary Chapin Carpenter, John Jennings – producers
  • Bob Dawson – production assistance, recording, mixing
  • Ted Jensen – mastering

The band

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  • Mary Chapin Carpenter – acoustic guitars, lead & backing vocals
  • John Jennings – electric & acoustic guitars, synthesizers, backing vocals, bass ("Too Tired"), piano ("This Shirt")
  • Peter "Tex Luigi" Bonta – accordion, keyboards, acoustic guitar ("How Do")
  • Jon Carroll – organ, piano, keyboards
  • Rico Petrucelli – bass, fretless bass
  • Robbie Magruder – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

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  • Mike Auldridgedobro, pedal steel ("Slow Country Dance")
  • Tommy Hannum – pedal steel ("How Do")
  • Rickie Simpkins – fiddle, mandolin
  • Shawn Colvin – backing vocals
  • Kim Miller, David Premo, Bruce Myers, Steven Day – string quartet ("Goodbye Again")
  • William Zsembery – French horn
  • Strings written, arranged & conducted by Rico Petrucelli

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ State of the Heart at AllMusic
  2. ^ Hurst, Jack (August 31, 1989). "Mary Chapin Carpenter State of the Heart (Columbia)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  3. ^ "Mary-Chapin Carpenter – State of the Heart CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  4. ^ "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  5. ^ "Mary Chapin Carpenter Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  6. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
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