''God Bless America Again'' is the twentieth solo studio album and third

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

album by American country music singer-songwriter

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as " You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My M ...

. It was released on June 5, 1972, by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

. This was Lynn's last album of religious material for 25 years. Her next gospel album would be 1997's ''

All Time Gospel Favorites ''All Time Gospel Favorites'' is the fortieth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released in August 1997, by Heartland Music. It was only sold for a limited time. It was re-released on May 25, 2004, ...

''. The title song was cowritten by

Bobby Bare Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for the songs "Marie Laveau", " Detroit City" and "500 Miles Away from Home". He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician. Early ca ...

and has led some to mislabel this release as a collection of patriotic songs. Largely consisting of new material, the album also includes a few well-known songs, including "Softly and Tenderly", "Just a Closer Walk with Thee", “Just a Little Talk with Jesus”, “I Feel Like Traveling On“ and "If God Is Dead (Who's That Living in My Soul)". Lynn wrote two songs for the album, "Working for the Lord" and "I Pray My Way Out of Trouble".

Critical reception

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 ...

'' published a review in the July 1, 1972 issue that said, "With material that proves show stoppers in her concert appearances, Miss Lynn has a powerful sales item in these strong performances. Among the top cuts are the title tune as well as "Working for the Lord", "If God Is Dead", "I Feel Like Traveling On", and "I Pray My Way Out of Trouble"." In the June 17 issue, '' Cashbox'' published a review saying, "America was truly blessed with new hope and resources at the time that "God Bless America" was written, and if this country ever needed a blessing again, it’s here and now. Most fortunately, the blessing bestowed upon us with this album is Loretta Lynn’s pure and true country talent, delivering, eleven songs revolving around the theme of our proud American heritage and its future. Listen to "Six Feet of Sod" and "Livin' in God's Country" and watch the Stars and Stripes wave in time to the music."

Commercial performance

The album peaked at No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country LP's chart.

Recording

Recording sessions for the album took place two years before the album was released. The first session was on April 8, 1970, at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Two additional sessions followed on July 15 and August 12.

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes and Decca recording session records. *Harold Bradley – bass guitar, electric bass guitar *Owen Bradley – producer *Ray Edenton – guitar *Buddy Harman – drums *Junior Huskey – bass *Darrell Johnson – mastering *The Jordanaires – background vocals *Loretta Lynn – lead vocals *Oliver Lynn – liner notes *Grady Martin – guitar *Hargus Robbins – piano *Hal Rugg – steel guitar, dobro *Conway Twitty – recitation on "God Bless America Again" *Pete Wade – guitar

Charts

References

{{Authority control Loretta Lynn albums Albums produced by Owen Bradley Decca Records albums