Takin' the Country Back is the seventeenth studio album by American country music artist John Anderson.[2] It was released on July 29, 1997, as his first album for Mercury Records after leaving BNA Records in 1996. The album produced the singles "Somebody Slap Me", which peaked at 22 on Country charts, "Small Town", which peaked at 44, and the title track, which peaked at 41. Also included on the album is a cover of Van Morrison's 1967 hit "Brown Eyed Girl" from his album Blowin' Your Mind!.
| Takin' the Country Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 29, 1997 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | Mercury Records | |||
| Producer | Keith Stegall | |||
| John Anderson chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Takin' the Country Back charted at 19 for country albums and reached 138 on the United States Billboard 200. Allmusic stated that it was "one of John Anderson's best latter-day efforts, thanks to his impassioned vocals and the clean, muscular production from Keith Stegall" despite "suffering" from "uneven material".
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Somebody Slap Me" | Bob McDill, Roger Murrah | 3:24 |
| 2. | "South Moon Under" | John Anderson, George Anderson, Lionel Delmore | 3:10 |
| 3. | "Sara" | J. Anderson, Dave Colwell | 4:55 |
| 4. | "Brown Eyed Girl" | Van Morrison | 3:46 |
| 5. | "Small Town" | Anderson, Gary Scruggs | 4:58 |
| 6. | "Takin' the Country Back" | Marty Stuart, Curtis Wright | 3:30 |
| 7. | "Who's Who" | Wesley Dennis, Michael White | 3:24 |
| 8. | "The Fall" | J. Anderson, Donna Anderson, Michael Anderson | 2:38 |
| 9. | "I Used To Love Her" | J. Anderson, Kent Robbins | 3:15 |
| 10. | "Jump On It" | Pamela Terry, Pat Terry | 3:55 |
| 11. | "ts a Long Way Back" | J. Anderson, Craig Wiseman | 3:14 |
Personnel
edit- John Anderson - lead vocals
- Eddie Bayers - drums
- Paul Franklin - steel guitar
- Brent Mason - electric guitar
- Hargus "Pig" Robbins - keyboards
- John Wesley Ryles - background vocals
- Joe Spivey - fiddle
- John Willis - acoustic guitar
- Glenn Worf - bass guitar
Chart performance
editAlbum
edit| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 19 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 138 |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | ||
| 1997 | "Somebody Slap Me" | 22 | 115 | 35 |
| "Small Town" | 44 | — | — | |
| 1998 | "Takin' the Country Back" | 41 | — | 69 |
References
edit- ^ Owens, Thom. Takin' the Country Back at AllMusic
- ^ "Mi2N.com - Top Country Music Singer, Sammy Sadler Shoots IN AMERICA Country Music Video In Texas Worldwide Release On YouTube Labor Day 2016". www.mi2n.com. Retrieved October 13, 2017.