Customer Reviews

Born to Sing

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

This boxed set contains everything Connie recorded from 1964 to 1967. Bear Family sets sometimes include lots of alternate takes, these are limited in this box to two alternative versions of I'll come running and one alternate version of Burning a hole in my mind, although it does include four French language tracks, which are versions of her American country hits. Because this set stops at 1967 and there is no certainty of a sequel, it does not replace your hits collection, although this was Connie's most successful period so a lot of her own hits are here, including Once a day, Ain't had no lovin' and Cincinnati Ohio.

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.

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

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!

Let me start by saying I've been a fan of Old Time(Classic)Country for some time now.The King of Country George Jones,Willie,Merle,Loretta,Waylon,Johnny,Dolly,etc...
Well I've only just discovered the very finest female voice in Country in the last six months. How she escaped me for all this time is a wonder. Well, good things do indeed come to those who wait. And Connie Smith certainly was well the wait. I first bought The Essential Connie Smith,and was knocked off my feet by this down home angel. After listening to the twenty songs off The Essential over and over. I knew I had to have more of Connie's music. And the Four CD Box Set Born To Sing most definitely fits the bill. Connie's voice is pure heaven. This is a real Country girl! What a voice. If you love Country music, especially Country of days gone by. You will love this terrific box set. I highly recommend it!

Très beau coffret de cette artiste féminine de country-music. Un seul défaut : le prix est un peu trop élevé même si cela vient des USA. Superbe programme de chanons intimistes. A écouter forcément.

This set contains over a hundred tracks of Connie's early career at RCA Victor. She is one of the great song stylists of country music--indeed of music--and this set will show you why. Bear Family has done its usual wonderful packaging job, complete with LP-sized booklet. (I have three of their Marty Robbins boxes also, and highly recommend them, as well.)

I heard Connie Smith back on Chestnut Street, Helena, MT... you talk about Po' Folks! Ha, we really did grow up near the train tracks (I just realized I should ask my mom why that was). Seriously, I remember enjoying the sound of the trains that were passing late at night. We feared the neighborhood bullies (Rusty, George, Two-teeth... sorry if it isn't p.c. but it's just the way it was; does it ring a bell?) and we had some awareness that we weren't completely secure, but that just seemed normal. I mean, doesn't every kid have to deal with the "playground bully"? Nevertheless, my parents enjoyed music and I remember listening to theirs before we ever even got OUR first album that was all our own music (can anyone say, "DeFranco Family"???). First it was over a HUGE hi-fi stereo. Hey, it had real wood (how often do you see that anymore?). I remember sitting on the floor with one ear turned feverishly into the soft-spot in the fabric that covered the open space where the actual speaker was. After that, it was the 8-track player. Looking back, what a nuisance!!! Yet then, it seemed great. Okay, so with all of this, I still listen to a few of those old artists by choice... CONNIE SMITH is at the top of that list. Granted, some of these songs are horribly corny and I really can't take them all on a steady diet. Nevertheless, the ones that were good then, are still good. This collection has some that I haven't heard in years... some of my favorites, and some I'd forgotten about entirely. Indeed, they must be favorites if I'm willing to wade into unfamiliar waters and spend so much money on the hope that amongst the unknown titles I will yet find some new gems.

I am TRULY a second generation FAN, to this day, of Charlie Pride, Charlie Rich, The Seekers(!), and CONNIE SMITH... er... okay, make a little room for some of The Statler Brothers, as well.

If you are brand new to Connie Smith, I encourage you to not be put-off by the parade of "heart-break but I'll suck-it-up" songs, or the "he's done me wrong, but he's my man" songs; or even the somewhat gaggy-if-taken-all-together-southern religious songs (I can say that without prejudice because I really am a professing Christian who loves the Word of God). Some of the formerly unknown songs I've heard so far in this collection make me want to turn the volume REAL low lest someone over-hear; but then I hear the familiar favorites, the forgotten favorites, and an occasional NEW song that I want to hear again and the volume comes back up. I'd love to know which ones the brand-new inductee might have an immediate affinity for. And keep in mind, despite the corny lyrics of some, and the predictable and sometimes annoying accompaniment, Connie really has a lovely voice.

I sweated as I bought this set twice. Once for myself and again for my very dear mother (who first introduced me to Connie Smith), but I guess I feel right now as though I'm glad I went ahead and spent the money. Happy Birthday (somewhat late), Mom. I love you. By the way, we did get out of that Po' Folks neighborhood by the railroad tracks; but we are DYING to take a tour through that old home; right Sissy??