Born to Sing

Of the nine albums whose tracks are included here, the first and third are available separately as a twofer. That twofer was released only a few months before this box. I've already reviewed that, and as I explained, those are Connie's two best albums from this period - but the others are also of a very high standard, but they contain plenty of covers. I enjoy listening to covers but not everybody gets the same pleasure as I do.

There are some gospel songs, including Wings of a dove, Farther along and When God dips his love in my heart. There are pop songs, including Downtown (Petula), Born a woman (Sandy Posey), The night has a thousand eyes (Bobby Vee) and It's now or never (Elvis). But mostly, there are country songs, many written by Bill Anderson and Dallas Frazier. Among the many country covers here are You ain't woman enough (Loretta Lynn), Ride ride ride (Lynn Anderson) and There goes my everything (Jack Greene, Engelbert Humperdinck and Elvis). Connie also covered Po' folks and I love you drops, both hits for Bill Anderson. Although Bill wrote songs that he allowed others to have hits with, he kept some for himself. Connie loved them so much that she recorded them anyway.

This is a well-presented set, as anybody familiar with Bear Family would expect. If you are already familiar with Connie's music, you will know what to expect. If not, I recommend that you start with The Essential, which I've also reviewed.


Connie Smith's voice is beautiful, but that is not all.   December 6, 2001
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Connie Smith has a beautiful voice, but there is much more which makes her voice the best female voice ever recorded, such as a wider vocal range and greater richness than any other female singer, not to mention her own individual sound and super intensity. However, what makes her voice really stand out is that she has a wide range of vocalizations. That makes her voice THRILLING! One never knows what she will sound like when she sings. In at least one song in this collection she sounds extremely like Patsy Cline, and in another one can hear Connie Francis inside her voice. The other CD of Smith's recordings called "Connie Smith & Miss Smith Goes to Nashville" are of her first and third albums, not first and second. This four CD set has the first few years of Smith's album recordings, but not nearly all of her RCA recordings. It consists of about a dozen of her first albums, a little less than one third of all her recordings. It is a shame country music radio is now owned by giant corporations who will only air recordings by young singers. Connie Smith if aired would show up today's singers as rank amateurs. After listening to this collection one can only scream for MORE! PLEASE TURN ALL HER RECORDS INTO CD'S AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!


It's about time!   March 15, 2001
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This is a long overdue boxed set on the fine work of Connie Smith. It is a complete catalog of her first 3 years with RCA. I beleive it contains material that has not been previously released. This is definately Connie at her finest. The sound is excellent, and the enclosed booklet has a detailed history of Connies career during this time frame as well as a gold mine of photos. If you are already singing Connies praises, you will treasure this goldmine of music. The clarity of Connies voice, the great songs and music will truly provide lasting enjoyment. If you weren't previously a fan of Connies, you will be after hearing this set. A five star rating is not enough, I give it a 10!


Country Legend Connie Smith's RCA Recordings   March 14, 2001
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

For anyone who ever said "I could listen to Connie Smith sing all night," well, here's your chance. Those wonderful obsessives at Bear Family Records have reissued the country great's complete recordings from her heyday in the mid-Sixties, when the singer was tearing up the charts.

Connie Smith was a housewife with two children when she began her recording career under the patronage of singer/songwriter Bill Anderson. Her first single, "Once A Day," was a smash hit, and for the next three years she was one of Nashville's biggest female stars. Smith had a perfect voice for country music, with the tell-tale "sob" in her voice that made many of her songs almost heartbreakingly beautiful. Most tellingly, Smith was even more admired by her peers than her fans. She walked away from a successful career in the Seventies to raise her children and because she grew increasingly uncomfortable with the nature of the music business.

Connie Smith fans once had to search far and wide for her RCA recordings, but they have been more accessible in recent times. RCA released a solid one disc "best of" four years ago and her first two albums were reissued in their entirety in 2000. "Born To Sing" is a four CD box and contains everything she recorded for the label. Its a wonderful package, with first-class sound, and which includes Bear Family's usual comprehensive booklet. Although there is a lot of terrific music here, this boxed set is probably best for Smith's hardcore fans; casual fans should probably stick to the single disc compilation. Still, this is a superior package. Its nice to have all of Connie's RCA classics and rarties available, and to see her receive the recognition she deserves.

Incidentally, Connie Smith is still going strong as of this writing (March 2001). She performs regularly at the Grand Ole Opry, and she recorded a fine CD for Warner Brothers in 1998, produced by her current husband, Marty Stuart