Comments on: Reba McEntire Starter Kit

By: Code

Code — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:57:47 +0000

She thinks his name was john is one my ALL-TIME favourite reba songs!!!!

By: JoeB

JoeB — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:36:24 +0000

“I’m Gonna Take That Mountain” should’ve been a massive, massive smash.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:54:37 +0000

I went to NYC for the first time this weekend (loved it!) and just got back tonight to discover this. Kevin, you’re a brave man trying to narrow a list down to 10. Reba (along with Wynonna/The Judds, MCC and Tanya Tucker) is one of the artists I was waiting to see a Favorite Songs features for. I do agree that 1990′s Rumor Has It to 96′s What If It’s You was her strongest period. I would maybe even start with 87′s The Last One To Know and include Reba and Sweet Sixteen. Anyway, Reba is my all time favorite artist so I’d like to add my two cents. I would excise “Moving Oleta” (sorry, heehee) and “The Fear of Being Alone” and replace them with “I’m Gonna Take That Mountain” and “What If It’s You”. Hey, at least they’re culled from the same albums. Other candidates include One Promise Too Late, Little Rock, Only In My Mind, Fallin’ Out of Love, The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, And Still, & Till You Love Me. Anyway, good job. Thanks again! :)

By: Blake Boldt

Blake Boldt — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:50:40 +0000

I’m with Razor X. The mid-80s were, in my mind, the strongest time for Reba. For My Broken Heart is her best collection overall, though. I just think that even though she was a dominant superstar in the early ’90s (touring, sales, overall image, etc.), the quality of the music was patchy during that period.

My starter kit would be: “Somebody Should Leave,” “Whoever’s in New England,” “Can’t Even Get the Blues,” “Is There Life Out There,” “The Greatest Man I Never Knew.” “Fancy” is a terrific tune, but I thought the anthemic, bombastic production ruined it. I’m likely in the minority on that opinion.

Although it wouldn’t be in my starter kit, I think a very important piece in her catalog is “She Thinks His Name Was John.” At that time (’94), AIDS was still a taboo topic, especially in conservative communities. That song very truthfully captured the sadness (and consequences) of the disease. I applaud the fact that she used her platform to record it. Unfortunately, after its release (and the release of the AIDS-benefit album, Red Hot + Country), topical songs (especially of that ilk) seemed to totally die in country music circles.

By: Joe Ray

Joe Ray — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:08:58 +0000

My top 3 favorite Reba songs…
“The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia”
“Is There Life Out There”
“How Was I To Know”

By: Kevin J. Coyne

Kevin J. Coyne — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:32:39 +0000

It’s interesting that “Moving Oleta” is the track most cited of the ten as non-essential, as it barely made the cut. I think I should’ve gone with “Every Other Weekend” instead, since I was worried about the list ending with a track from 1996.

I peg her peak at the period after Razor X, starting with 1990′s Rumor Has It, reaching the highest point with 1991′s For My Broken Heart, and ending with 1996′s What If It’s You.

The three albums in between weren’t quite as strong, but all had several great moments. And everything else Reba-related, from the music videos to the live performances, were without peer. She was truly a giant back then, the only eighties star to win Entertainer of the Year during the boom years:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKoDdG-vD0Y

By: Canadian Boy

Canadian Boy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:26:41 +0000

Even though I’ve already heard at least half of them before I’m going to listen to them all just because it’s Reba. By the way, is there any chance that a Favorite Songs by Favorite Artists will be dedicated to Ms.McEntire anytime soon?

By: Razor X

Razor X — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:23:33 +0000

On the other hand, I haven’t dug into her pre-90’s albums hardly at all, so there may be some hidden gems. 1984 to 1987 was Reba at her best. Start with My Kind of Country and go straight through to The Last One To Know . I'd even throw in 1989's Sweet Sixteen , though it is more pop-leaning than the others. These are the years and the albums upon which Reba's reptuation were built. I don’t even know this controversial “Moving Oleta” of which we are speaking. It was never released as a single. It was an album cut on 2003's Room to Breathe . I found the theme to be very simiar to "All Dressed Up (With Nowhere to Go)" from 1991's For My Broken Heart , but "All Dressed Up" is a better song.

By: Leeann Ward

Leeann Ward — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:23:57 +0000

Shows how much I know about Reba’s music. I don’t even know this controversial “Moving Oleta” of which we are speaking.

By: Dan Milliken

Dan Milliken — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:18:45 +0000

I really like “Moving Oleta,” but it took some getting used to for me because of its structure, so I don’t know whether it would make my Starter Kit.

Looking over this just confirms for me that I’m a much bigger fan of Reba’s singing than I’ve generally been of her song selection. When it comes down to it, there are only six Reba songs I’ve heard which I unequivocally love: “Somebody Should Leave,” “Whoever’s In New England,” “For My Broken Heart,” “The Greatest Man I Never Knew,” “The Fear of Being Alone,” and “Every Other Weekend.” I feel like there should be more of that caliber given the span of her career. On the other hand, I haven’t dug into her pre-90′s albums hardly at all, so there may be some hidden gems.