Mercury
1981
Heart to Heart
About This Album
Reba McEntire's gradually developing career marked another milestone with the honky tonk ballad "Today All Over Again," which was her first single to peak in the Top Five of the country charts. Mercury Records naturally included it on her next album, Heart to Heart, released as the single was on its way up, and that connection enabled the LP to be McEntire's first to reach the country album chart after her previous three albums had failed. The ten-song collection with a running time under 30 minutes (standard for country LPs) demonstrated that McEntire remained a promising, but not yet accomplished country artist. "Today All Over Again" was the most traditional sounding track, but producer Jerry Kennedy was able to take some stylistic risks with McEntire because her distinct Oklahoma accent and personable, throaty delivery made everything she sang sound country, no matter what arrangement was backing her. Thus, the string-filled "There Ain't No Love," essentially a soft pop ballad, seemed as authentically country as "How Does It Feel to Be Free," which McEntire sang with only a piano as accompaniment. And while she definitely put emotion into her voice, McEntire was able to give a relatively understated reading to the sad story-song "Small Two-Bedroom Starter" that prevented it from becoming overly sentimental.
Track List

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