''A Real Good Woman'' is a

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American country singer Jean Shepard. It was released in October 1968 by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

and was her twelfth studio album. It consisted of 12 tracks, two of which were originally singles: "An Old Bridge" and the title track. The latter was a top 40 single on the US country chart. ''A Real Good Woman'' received positive reviews by music publications following its release.

Background, recording and content

Jean Shepard first rose to country music stardom in the 1950s and would have 20 years of chart records. In the 1950s honky tonk era, she had top ten singles with " A Dear John Letter" and " A Satisfied Mind". During the 1960s, her career regained momentum with further top ten singles like " Second Fiddle (To an Old Guitar)" and "

If Teardrops Were Silver "If Teardrops Were Silver" is a single by American country music artist Jean Shepard. Released in June 1966, it was released on the album, ''Heart, We Did All We Could''. The song reached #10 on the ''Billboard A billboard (also called a h ...

". During sixties alone, Shepard had 15 US top 40 country singles. ''A Real Good Woman'' was among her studio albums released during the 1960s. Recorded with producer Billy Graves, sessions were held in March 1968 at the Columbia Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. ''A Real Good Woman'' consisted of 12 tracks. Included were two songs written by Mel Tillis: "All Right (I'll Sign the Papers)" and "All the Time". Also featured was Tom Paxton's " The Last Thing on My Mind".

Release, critical reception, chart performance and singles

''A Real Good Woman'' was released by Capitol Records in October 1968. It was distributed as a vinyl LP and an 8-track cartridge, with six songs on each side of the record. It marked the twelfth album of Shepard's career. Shepard's vocal delivery received a positive reception from music publications. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote, "The distinctive style of Jean Shepard makes virtually every one of these cuts and outstanding performance." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' rated it four stars and commented, "Jean Shepard is not only a real good woman, she is a real good vocalist, a fact this album attests to." It was given a three out of five star rating from AllMusic.''A Real Good Woman'' became Shepard's eighth studio album to make the US ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums, reaching number 32 in 1968. Two singles were included on the disc. "An Old Bridge" was originally issued in January 1968 and reached number 52 on the US

country songs Country song may refer to: *National anthem, known as a "country song" in some languages * "Country Song" (Jake Bugg song), a 2011 song by British singer songwriter Jake Bugg * "Country Song" (Pink Floyd song), an untitled song by Pink Floyd from th ...

chart. It was followed in May 1968 by the title track, which reached number 32 on the US country songs chart.

Background, recording and content

Release, critical reception, chart performance and singles

Track listing

Chart performance

Release history

References