''Special Delivery'' is the twenty-second solo 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 the ...

artist,

Dottie West Dorothy Marie Marsh West (October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and fellow recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most in ...

. The album was released in 1979 on

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

and was produced by

Randy Goodrum Charles Randolph Goodrum (born July 7, 1947) is an American songwriter, pianist, and producer. Goodrum has written number one songs in each of the four decades since his first number one hit, 1978's "You Needed Me". Goodrum's songs have appeare ...

and Brent Maher. The album came on the heels of two chart-topping West duet albums with

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

and reestablished West as a major solo artist, becoming West's most successful solo album since 1967, thanks in part to three top 15 country hits on the collection, including "

A Lesson in Leavin' "A Lesson in Leavin'", also titled as "Lesson in Leavin"', is a song written by Randy Goodrum and Brent Maher. It was originally recorded in 1979 by American country music singer, Dottie West, for her Special Delivery album. Following several h ...

", the first solo number one record in West's 20-year career.

Background and critical reception

''Special Delivery'' consisted of ten tracks of material and was her first release for Liberty Records (which was previously

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1959, ...

). The album's tenth track was a cover version of Bob Seger's "

We've Got Tonight "We've Got Tonite" is a song written by American rock music artist Bob Seger, from his album '' Stranger in Town'' (1978). The single record charted twice for Seger, and was developed from a prior song that he had written. Further versions chart ...

", which later became a

and Sheena Easton duet in 1983. Producers

and Brent Maher also co-wrote most of the album's tracks, including the singles, "A Lesson in Leavin'," "You Pick Me Up (And Put Me Down)," and "Leavin's for Unbelievers". The album was reviewed by ''

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 ...

s Tom Roland, who gave the release three out of five stars. Roland also found that West's music style seemed to adapt to the new Urban Cowboy musical style, similar to that of Rogers, stating, "Her 'Country Sunshine' is replaced with country-funk and a touch of melancholy." The album was released on a 12-inch

LP album 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 a ...

, containing five tracks on each side of the record.

Release

''Special Deliverys lead single was the opening track, " You Pick Me Up and Put Me Down." The song was released in October 1979, one month before the album, and peaked at #12 on the ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

Hot Country Songs 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 and #50 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart by the end of the year. Upon the November release of ''Special Delivery'', it peaked at #13 on the ''Billboard''

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales a ...

chart. The album's second track, "

" was the second single in February 1980. The song became West's first number one single as a solo artist on the Hot Country Songs chart. In addition, it also peaked at #73 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #42 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. The third and final single, "Leavin's for Unbelievers" was released in June 1980, and peaked at #13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart later in the year.

Track listing

Personnel

–

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

* Brent Maher – producer *

–

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 ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Singles

References

{{Authority control 1980 albums Dottie West albums Liberty Records albums Albums produced by Brent Maher Albums produced by Larry Butler (producer)