''Love Notes'' is a studio album by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

artist

Janie Fricke Jane Marie Fricke ( ; born December 19, 1947), known professionally as Janie Fricke, is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and clothing designer. She has placed seventeen Single (music), singles in the top ten of the ...

. It was released in March 1979 via Columbia Records and contained ten tracks. It was the second album released in Fricke's music career and included three

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

that charted in both the United States and Canada. The album was met with favorable reviews from writers and critics.

Background and content

Janie Fricke would eventually have a string of top ten and number one country singles during the 1980s. Prior to that, she first signed a recording contract with Columbia Records after working as a background singer in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. Her first Columbia single nearly reached the top 20 in 1977 called " What're You Doing Tonight". She would continue releasing music during this period including 1979's ''Love Notes''. Fricke recorded the album in two sessions between August and December 1978. Sessions were held at the Columbia Studio in Nashville and she was produced by

Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Gl ...

. The album was a collection of ten tracks. It included Fricke's self-composed track "River Blue". It also included a cover of

Ann Cole Ann Cole (born Cynthia Coleman; January 24 or 29, 1934 – November 1986) was an American R&B and gospel singer who has been described as "a genuinely great soul singer who had the misfortune to be too far ahead of her time". She had several m ...

's "

Got My Mojo Working "Got My Mojo Working" is a blues song written by Preston "Red" Foster and first recorded by R&B singer Ann Cole in 1956. Foster's lyrics describe several amulets or talismans, called ''mojo'', which are associated with hoodoo, an early African ...

" and a track written by Billy Sherrill called "Let Me Love You Goodbye".

Release, reception and singles

''Love Notes'' was originally released in March 1979 on Columbia Records. It was originally offered as a

vinyl LP The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and ...

, containing five tracks on either side of the record. It was later available to digital and streaming platforms, including

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

. The disc was Fricke's second studio album issued in her recording career and her second with Columbia. The album was met with a favorable review from '' Billboard'' magazine in 1979 who highlighted its eclectic mix of traditional country and country pop. Critics also praised her vocal ability and phrasing. The disc was also given three out of five stars from

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 databa ...

. Three singles were spawned from ''Love Notes''. The first was "Playin' Hard to Get", which was released in October 1978. The song peaked at number 22 on the American ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart after 22 weeks. "I'll Love Away Your Troubles for Awhile" was released as a single in February 1979. It became the highest-peaking single from the record, reaching number 14 on the ''Billboard'' country chart. The third and final single was "Let's Try Again", which was released in June 1979. The single peaked at number 28 on the ''Billboard'' country survey. All three singles also reached the Canadian ''

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 Songs chart. "I'll Love Your Troubles Away for Awhile" became the biggest hit of the singles in Canada, peaking at number four on the chart in 1979.

Track listings

Vinyl version

Digital version

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

of ''Love Notes''. Technical personnel * Lou Bradley – engineer * Bill Justis – arrangement *

Norman Seeff Norman Seeff (born March 5, 1939, in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a photographer and filmmaker. Since moving to the United States in 1969, his work has been focused on the exploration of human creativity and the inner dynamics of the creative ...

– photography * Billy Sherrill – producer * Virginia Team – art direction

Release history

References

{{Janie Fricke 1979 albums Albums produced by Billy Sherrill Columbia Records albums Janie Fricke albums