''Love Is the Foundation'' is the twenty-third solo studio 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 August 13, 1973, by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

Critical reception

In the August 25, 1973 issue, ''

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 that said, "For the never-ending stream of Loretta Lynn fans, here's another fine album to add to her never-ending string of good ones. Good variety of material and lots of Loretta." The review also noted "What Sundown Does to You", "Hey Loretta", and "You're Still Lovin' Me" as the best cuts on the album. '' Cashbox'' also published a review in their August 25 issue which said, "This is the sort of album you put on the turntable and walk away. It plays itself. It's instant programming. "What Sundown Does to You", is a heavy mover. "Satin Sheets" is a case where Loretta's vocals reach down your throat and pull your heart, twist it, and wring it out. Whew! She does Kristofferson's "Why Me", and Shel Silverstein's "Hey Loretta", and "Five Fingers Left", which she wrote herself and which is a very strong personal statement. Loretta is a strong lady, with a strong voice, but her smile strikes deep into your heart. This LP captures all of that."

Commercial performance

The album peaked at No. 1 on the US ''

'' Hot Country LP's chart and No. 183 on the US ''Billboard'' Top LP's & Tape chart. The album's first single, " Love Is the Foundation", was released in April 1973 and peaked at No. 1 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart. It also peaked at No. 1 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Country Singles chart in Canada. The second single, " Hey Loretta", was released in October 1973 and peaked at No. 3 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart and No. 1 on the ''RPM'' Country Singles chart in Canada.

Recording

Recording sessions for the album took place at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, on March 5, 27 and 28, 1973. One additional session followed on May 31. "Five Fingers Left" was recorded on December 8, 1969, during a session for 1970's '' Loretta Lynn Writes 'Em and Sings 'Em''.

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes and Decca recording session records. *Willie Ackerman – drums *Harold Bradley – bass guitar *Owen Bradley – producer *Ray Edenton – electric guitar *Lawrence Fried – photography *Lloyd Green – steel guitar *Buddy Harman – drums *Darrell Johnson - mastering *The Jordanaires – background vocals *Jerry Kennedy – guitar *Billy Linneman – bass *Loretta Lynn – lead vocals *

Grady Martin Thomas Grady Martin (January 17, 1929 – December 3, 2001) was an American session guitarist in country music and rockabilly. A member of The Nashville A-Team, he played guitar on hits such as Marty Robbins' "El Paso", Loretta Lynn's " Coal ...

– guitar *Charlie McCoy – harmonica, vibes *Bob Moore – bass *Hargus Robbins – piano *Hal Rugg – steel *Jerry Shook – guitar *Kenny Starr – liner notes *Pete Wade – guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

References

{{Authority control 1973 albums Loretta Lynn albums Albums produced by Owen Bradley MCA Records albums