Reba McEntire - Whoever's in New England
I saw Reba for the first time when I attended a Conway Twitty show in the mid 80's and she was his opening act. While Reba had been in the business for a long time before that, she was just starting to become well known. She had a few hit singles under her belt, and even then she was a dynamo on stage. If nothing else, Reba is incredible while onstage. She has the ability to draw the audience into her show and make them a part of it. There is a great sense of theatrics and her sense of humor is terrific. I had heard one of her singles on the radio in the very early 80's and fell in love with her music then. Almost 30 years later, I am still a very big fan. This was the album out at the time I caught her show. I believe it was one of her last shows as an opening act.
With the release of this album, Reba was soon a household name and started headlining her own shows. I really liked each song that was on the album. Some of my favorites are, "Can't Stop Now," "Whoever's In New England," "Little Rock" and "One Thin Dime." She can sing a love ballad with enough feeling to bring tears to your eyes. She can dish out the ultimatums to the "other woman" like no one else. I can listen to this album over and over and not get tired of it. There is just something about her voice that draws you in.
It doesn't seem to matter what Reba chooses to do, everything she touches seems to succeed. Reba is one of very few people that I generally like everything they do. I can buy one of her albums and be fairly comfortable that I am going to like the whole thing. She continues to not only record some great albums, but she has been very successful in other areas as well. She has proven she is a very good actress with not only movie and television roles under her belt, but she starred in an award winning Broadway production as well. Reba is truly one of a kind.
Reviewed by: Jolene Downs.
