''Foxy Lady'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-actress

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

, released in July 1972 by

Kapp Records Kapp Records was an independent record label started in 1954 by David Kapp, brother of Jack Kapp (who set up American Decca Records in 1934). David Kapp founded his own label after stints with Decca and RCA Victor. Kapp licensed its records to L ...

. Following the commercial success of the previous album '' Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves'', Cher again collaborated with

Snuff Garrett Thomas Lesslie Garrett (July 5, 1938 – December 16, 2015) known as Snuff Garrett or Tommy Garrett, was an American record producer whose most famous work was during the 1960s and 1970s. Early years Garrett was born in Dallas, Texas, United ...

(producer), Al Capp (arrangements) and her then-husband

Sonny Bono Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono (; February 16, 1935 – January 5, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and politician who came to fame in partnership with his second wife Cher as the popular singing duo Sonny & Cher. A member of the Republica ...

(co-producer). ''Foxy Lady'' was also the second and last record for Kapp. The album was also promoted on Cher's successful ''

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour ''The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour'' was an American variety show that starred American pop singers Sonny Bono and Cher, who were married to each other at the time. The show ran on CBS in the United States, and premiered in August 1971. The show was ...

'' show. After its release, it was well received by critics, but unlike her previous effort ''Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves'', had only moderate chart and sales success.

Album information

When it was released, ''Foxy Lady'' was on the charts with two other Cher-related albums: Cher's '' Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves'' and

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

's comeback album '' All I Ever Need Is You''. This period was very successful for Cher, in which she established herself as a solo recording artist and also as a TV personality on (''

''). During this period

helped with Cher's records. ''Foxy Lady'' was produced mainly by Garrett; Bono was a co-producer for only three tracks: "

A Song for You "A Song for You" is a song written and originally recorded by rock singer and pianist Leon Russell for his first solo album '' Leon Russell'', which was released in 1970 on Shelter Records. A slow, pained plea for forgiveness and understandin ...

", a remake of Cher's 1969

Atco Atco or ATCO may refer to: Businesses * ATCO, a Canadian diversified company involved in manufacturing, utilities, energy and technologies ** ATCO Electric, a subsidiary of the above company * Atco (British mower company), a mower manufacturing com ...

single "The First Time", penned by Bono, and "Don't Hide Your Love", the last single released from the album. These collaborations were so stress filled that Garrett resigned as producer after the album was finished. Bono then went on to produce Cher's next album ''

Bittersweet White Light ''Bittersweet White Light'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Cher. The album was released in April 1973 by MCA. It was the last solo Cher album to be produced by then-performing partner and husband Sonny Bono. While many fans conside ...

'' ( MCA), which would be a commercial flop. Garrett was then approached to return to record ''

Half-Breed Half-breed is a term, now considered offensive, used to describe anyone who is of mixed race; although, in the United States, it usually refers to people who are half Native American and half European/white. Use by governments United States In ...

''; he accepted with the condition that Bono not be involved. The

opening track An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

of the album is "

Living in a House Divided "Living In A House Divided" is a song by American entertainer Cher, released as the lead single from her album ''Foxy Lady''. The song's lyrics discuss the separation of a couple, as a rather poignant descriptor of Cher's marriage to then-husband ...

", a song about

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

, but the album as a whole wasn't able to maintain the success of Cher's other early 1970s solo records. The album contains two covers, "A Song for You" and Hoyt Axton's "

Never Been to Spain "Never Been to Spain" is a song written by Hoyt Axton, originally released on his 1971 LP ''Joy to the World'' and later that year performed by Three Dog Night, with Cory Wells on lead vocal. It was featured on their 1971 album '' Harmony''. The ...

"; the latter had been a top-five hit in the US for rock band

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup ...

before "

The Way of Love "The Way of Love" is a song written by Jacques ("Jack") Dieval, with English lyrics by Al Stillman. It was originally a 1960 French song titled "J'ai le mal de toi", and it was first recorded in English by Kathy Kirby in 1965. The best-known Englis ...

". On this album, Cher again collaborated with Bob Stone, who had previously written the song "

Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves" is a song by American singer and actress Cher from her 1971 seventh studio album '' Chér'' (eventually reissued under the title ''Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves''). Kapp Records, a division of MCA Records, released it as ...

". Two songs from the album were also later covered by American singer

Maureen McGovern Maureen Therese McGovern (born July 27, 1949) is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her renditions of the songs " The Morning After" from the 1972 film '' The Poseidon Adventure''; "We May Never Love Like This Again" from ''T ...

for her 1973 debut album '' The Morning After''. In 1976, when Cher was busy with the ''

'' TV show, a line of

dolls A doll is a model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are found ...

was released by

Mego Corporation The Mego Corporation was an American toy company that in its original iteration was first founded in 1954. Originally known as a purveyor of dime store toys, in 1971 the company shifted direction and became famous for producing licensed dolls (i ...

. One outfit was dedicated to the album. The ''Foxy Lady'' outfit is in two pieces, a pink metallic with an overlaid black lace. This outfit also includes a black cape. In 1993, ''Foxy Lady'' and Cher's 1971 album ''Cher'' were reissued onto one CD called ''Cher/Foxy Lady'', which features all tracks from both albums. The original ''Foxy Lady'' album in its entirety remains unreleased on compact disc.

Critical reception

''Foxy Lady'' has received positive reviews from music critics. Joe Viglione of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said retrospectively of the songs that "the other titles here display Cher's rich expression and the superb production work of Sonny Bono and Snuff Garrett.", and called ''Foxy Lady'' "an impressive collection of ten songs which holds up years later with more staying power than when it was first released." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' praised the album saying that it "is dynamite work and will take her right up the charts once again" and described it as "a sure and speedy chart-topper for the "Foxy Lady"." Despite good sales of the first single, "Living in a House Divided", the album wasn't appreciated by the public, and unlike its predecessor, the record had limited success. The war between Garrett and Bono may have damaged the sales of the record.

Commercial performance

''Foxy Lady'' debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 at number one hundred twenty at the end of July, and after two weeks came in at #57. The highest position reached was at #43. The album also entered the

Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...

and debuted at number seventy-five in late August, at a time when

's album '' All I Ever Need Is You'' was also on the chart, and reached its highest position (#39) in September. The album remained in the chart for fourteen weeks and exited in late November.

Singles

" was the first single released. It peaked in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at #22 and in the

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

at #2. It peaked in the Canadian Single Chart at #17. Shortly after, a second single was released, "

Don't Hide Your Love "Don't Hide Your Love" is a song released by American singer-actress Cher as the second single released from the album ''Foxy Lady''. The song was written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. It hit number 46 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and nu ...

", that entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at #46.

Track listing

Personnel

*Cher -

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

- record producer on "Song for You", "The First Time" and "Don't Hide Your Love";

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

*Lenny Roberts -

sound engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

Al Capps Allan Alfonzo Capps (April 26, 1939 – June 7, 2018) was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist. Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, he produced and arranged albums for popular artists such as Cher, ...

- arrangement assistance *

Gene Page Eugene Edgar Page Jr. (September 13, 1939 – August 24, 1998) was an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. His sound can be heard in the arrangements he did for Jeffer ...

- arrangement assistance *

Michel Rubini Michel Rubini (born December 3, 1942) is an American musician, conductor, arranger, producer, songwriter and composer. A professional classical pianist since early childhood, he was a prolific session musician of the 1960s and '70s, part of a gro ...

- arrangement assistance *Virginia Clark -

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foxy Lady 1972 albums Cher albums Albums arranged by Gene Page Albums produced by Snuff Garrett Albums produced by Sonny Bono MCA Records albums Articles containing video clips