Reba McEntire's second Christmas album is a departure from 1988's Merry Christmas to You. Secret of Giving features more down-to-earth, pop-country tracks that reflect her decidedly contemporary country style of the '90s. Cheerful and sincere, McEntire shows her usual eloquence on songs like "This Christmas," "Up on the Housetop," "This Is My Prayer for You," and "The Angels Sang." The lyrics in "Mary, Did You Know?" may be a little precious, but McEntire won't lose an   [ read more ]

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McEntire possesses one of the most undeniably emotional voices in country music -- one well-phrased word in her Oklahoma accent can start hearts breaking. The overwhelming number of ballads on It's Your Call take maximum advantage of that talent, especially on "Straight From You" and "The Heart Won't Lie," a duet with labelmate Vince Gill. While It's Your Call may have the same intensity of emotion as the double-platinum For My Broken Heart, it lacks similar depth -- taken as a wh   [ read more ]

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In the field of country music, where most artists are not also songwriters, there is a constant search among the Nashville publishing houses for that one song that will not only catapult a singer to the top of the charts, but also define a career. After a slow build lasting nearly a decade, Reba McEntire became an established country star in the mid-'80s, winning the Female Vocalist of the Year award from the Country Music Association in 1984 and again in 1985. But she had never had even a Top Ten    [ read more ]

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Since most country artists do not write their own songs, they can have more trouble maintaining the quality of their records than keeping a string of hits going. Reba McEntire broke through to massive success -- recognized by the Country Music Association with its 1986 Entertainer of the Year Award -- with the chart-topping Whoever's in New England, featuring the career-making title song. The album represented the perfection of an approach she and producer Jimmy Bowen had been taking for a coupl   [ read more ]

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American Legends: Best of the Early Years is a decent Reba McEntire retrospective encompassing her earliest tracks recorded for Mercury in the '80s, including "(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven," "Only You (And You Alone)," and her first number one country hit, "Can't Even Get the Blues No More." If you're looking for a post-1984 collection containing McEntire's MCA country-pop hits, check out Greatest Hits and Greatest Hits, Vol. 2. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide

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Four years seems to have done Reba McEntire some good. On her first studio album in four years, she resurrects her passion for country music that seemed to have been missing on her previous album. She sings all 12 tracks like she's happy to be home in country music. From the longing of "My Sister" to the soulfulness of the title track, McEntire reminds listeners why they missed her. She's always good for the affecting story-songs and doesn't disappoint with "Moving Oleta" and {&"Somebody."   [ read more ]

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Merry Christmas to You is (naturally) a traditional Christmas album for Reba McEntire, mostly featuring textured acoustic guitar and light percussion (several selections were arranged by McEntire). Alongside tender holiday classics like "Away in a Manger," "O Holy Night," "Silent Night," and "On This Day," she reaches deep into her song bag for "The Christmas Guest" by Grandpa Jones. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

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Reba McEntire's 13th regular studio album Reba shocked some fans and critics by taking a distinct pop crossover direction after several years during which she maintained that she was a neo-traditionalist country artist. On Reba, the fiddles and steel guitars were banned from the studio as McEntire made like Aretha Franklin singing "Respect." The album topped the Billboard country charts for eight weeks, but McEntire seems to have felt that she should reassure her country    [ read more ]

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What If It's You doesn't offer any new tricks from Reba McEntire, but it is nevertheless an excellent reminder of her deep talents as a vocalist. The album is slightly uneven, but at its best -- such as on the single "The Fear of Being Alone," "She's Calling it Love" and "I'd Rather Ride Around with You" -- it is as good as anything McEntire has ever done. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide

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To stir interest in her record as well as Brooks & Dunn's, Reba McEntire recorded a duet with the duo called "If You See Him/If You See Her," and both artists named their respective new albums after the song. It was a way to draw attention for both parties, since they were no longer new guns -- they were veterans in danger of losing ground to younger musicians. Brooks & Dunn happened to deliver an enjoyable, albeit workmanlike, album, while McEntire remains a powerful, charismatic vocalist, b   [ read more ]

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It's hard to believe, but 2005's double-disc #1's is the first multi-disc retrospective of Reba McEntire's career, which has had several single-disc sets prior to this. While this, like many similarly titled collections, does not strictly follow the rules set up in its title -- not counting the two new songs that open up each disc here, there are 11 songs among these 35 tracks that did not hit number one in Billboard's country charts -- it's hard to complain about this. After all, #1's includ   [ read more ]

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This 1994 album, Read My Mind, is another wonderful offering of songs performed by the gifted country singer Reba McEntire. Half of the tunes on this album became hits. Many carry a deep emotional impact, with themes that move from a wife confronting a cheating husband in "I Won't Stand in Line" to lost love in "And Still" to a young woman dealing with AIDS while her friends and family face her nearing death in "She Thinks His Name Was John." There are also a couple of good everyday love {   [ read more ]

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