''My Life'' was the twenty-fourth studio album of

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Ronnie Milsap Ronnie Lee Milsap (born Ronald Lee Millsaps; January 16, 1943) is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country music's most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s. Nearly completely blind from birth, ...

. It was released in 2006, marking his return to

RCA Nashville RCA Nashville is an American country music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is distributed by Sony Music Nashville which is part of Sony Music. Current artists *Kane Brown *Andrew Jannakos *Miranda Lambert *Niko Moon (RCA/River Hou ...

, after a departure in 1991 following ''

Back to the Grindstone ''Back to the Grindstone'' is the twentieth studio album by American country music artist Ronnie Milsap, released on March 12, 1991. The album produced four singles, three of which reached the top ten on the Billboard country singles chart, inc ...

''. Two singles were released from the album including "Local Girls" and "You Don't Know My Love", the latter did not chart but the former reached 54 on country charts, Milsap's first activity on the chart since the release of "Time, Love and Money" from his 2000 compilation album ''40 #1 Hits''. The track "If It's Gonna Rain" was previously recorded by country music artist

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...

on his 2000 self-named album.

Content

''My Life'' starts off with the track, "You Don't Know My Love", which Milsap released as his second single from the album. Described by about.com as "a little funky," the song is "upbeat" while describing "stable love." The third track "My Life", shares its name with the album, and is reflective, finding the performer "reminiscing about his life." Allmusic remarked that the song had "nostalgic undertones" and was perfect for an individual in their sixties. Milsap was 61 upon the album's release. The fourth track, "If It's Gonna Rain", was written by songwriter

Dean Dillon Dean Dillon (born Larry Dean Flynn; March 26, 1955) is an American country musician and songwriter. Between 1982 and 1993, he recorded six studio albums on various labels, and charted several singles on the '' Billboard'' country charts. Since 1 ...

among others. Dillon is best known for his collaborations with George Strait, who had recorded the song six years prior to Milsap. "Rain" is a ballad that centers around lost love, repeating the chorus, "If It's Gonna Rain, Let it pour'" throughout the song. The next track, "Time Keeps Slipping Away" is described as "catchy" by about.com. The song discusses the fast-paced life of 21st century America. The seventh track, "A Day in the Life of America", is described by allmusic.com as a "chronicling of mundane everyday events that borders on the depressing." The song discusses such activities as waiting in traffic, drinking coffee, microwaving dinner, checking e-mail, watching

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

in a day, and then proceeding to repeat the cycle the following day, while commenting that it's "just a day, a day in the life of America". The ninth track, "Local Girls" was released as a single, charting at No. 54. The song describes a man's visit to a tropical location, and his discovery of a "local girl", whom he ultimately marries. A video was released with the track. It features Milsap performing the song in a party setting.Videos : Ronnie Milsap : Local Girls
CMT.

Reception

The record peaked at No. 46 on the country albums chart, Milsap's first appearance on the chart since ''Back to the Grindstone''.

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 ...

gave the album four stars, describing it as "bright and tuneful and relaxed as the best of ilsap'searly- 980scrossover albums" remaining "true" to his "strengths as a country-pop hitmaker." The tracks "A Day in the Life of America" and "My Life" are cited as addressing "American life in the early 2000s."Erlewine, Stephen.

My Life My Life may refer to: Autobiographies * ''Mein Leben'' (Wagner) (''My Life''), by Richard Wagner, 1870 * ''My Life'' (Clinton autobiography), by Bill Clinton, 2004 * ''My Life'' (Meir autobiography), by Golda Meir, 1973 * ''My Life'' (Mosley a ...

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...

gave the album five stars, commenting that Milsap's voice "has remained virtually unchanged since he hit the airwaves in the early

970s The 970s decade ran from January 1, 970, to December 31, 979. Significant people * Mar Abdisho I, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, held position 963–986 * Eric the Red (950–1003), Norse Explorer * Richard I of Normandy (933–9 ...

"Downs, Jolene
Ronnie Milsap - My Life

about.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...

Track listing

Personnel

* Jamie Brantley –

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

, background vocals * Thomas Cain – background vocals *

Melodie Crittenden Melodie Crittenden (born 1968) is an American country and Christian music artist. Her first album was recorded at the age of nine in Norman, Oklahoma, and was titled ''Melodie Sings''. She traveled around Oklahoma with her family band "The Crit ...

– background vocals *

Stuart Duncan Stuart Duncan (born April 14, 1964) is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and banjo. Life Duncan was born in Quantico, Virginia, and raised in Santa Paula, California, where he played in the school band. He ...

– baritone ukulele,

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

* Rodney Edmondson –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Jason Eskridge – background vocals * Warren Gowers –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, background vocals * Adam Hampton –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...

, background vocals * Rhonda Hampton – background vocals * Greenwood Hart –

congas The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest) ...

, acoustic guitar, jews harp,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Jypsi Jypsi (pronounced "gypsy") was an American country music vocal group composed of four siblings, all with the surname Rische: Amber-Dawn (fiddle, vocals), Frank (guitar, vocals), Lillie Mae (lead vocals), and Scarlett (mandolin, electric mandolin). ...

– background vocals on "You Don't Know My Love" *

Shane Keister Shane Keister is an American musician. He is known for his work as a studio musician, writer, arranger and producer. He plays synthesizer, piano, Hammond B3, Synclavier, Fairlight CMI, Fender Rhodes, and others. History Keister was born in Hunti ...

–

clavinet The Clavinet is an electrically amplified clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds by a rubber pad striking a point on a tension ...

, keyboards, Hammond organ, piano,

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

Brent Mason Brent Mason (born July 13, 1959) is an American, Nashville, Tennessee-based recording studio guitarist and songwriter, performing primarily country music. Guitar World Magazine listed him as one of the "Top Ten Session Guitarists of All Time". ...

– electric guitar,

gut string guitar The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

– lead vocals * Matt Rovey – background vocals *

John Wesley Ryles John Wesley Ryles (born December 2, 1950) is an American country music artist. Ryles recorded a string of hit country songs, beginning in 1968 when he was still a teenager, and continuing through the 1980s. He no longer records as a headline ar ...

– background vocals * D. Vincent Williams – background vocals *

Lonnie Wilson Lonnie Wilson is an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer, known primarily for his work in country music. Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Wilson was originally the lead singer of the band Bandana, which charted ten singles on the Hot C ...

– drums *

Glenn Worf Glenn Worf is an American bassist known mainly for his work as a session musician. He has recorded with many major country music acts and also tours with Mark Knopfler. Early life and education Worf was born in Dayton, Ohio, and grew up in Madis ...

– bass guitar

Chart

Singles

References

{{Authority control 2006 albums Ronnie Milsap albums RCA Records albums Albums produced by Keith Stegall