Jody Miller - Anthology

24 track 'Best Of' collection from country artist best known for 'Queen of the House' her response to Roger Miller's 'King of the Road'. 2000 release. Standard jewel case. Album Description

Powerhouse Singer in A Pretty Petite Package

Jody Miller could easily be thought of as the Martina McBride of the 1970's but while Jody did not have nearly the success Martina has had in recent years (despite a decent career run of almost 15 years and winning a Grammy in 1965 for Top Female Country Vocalist) she has it all over Martina in terms of a far more powerful, flavorful voice. One of the most remarkable things about Jody is she still sounds "country" even when remaking rock n'roll favorites with her sheen-smooth pop voice. Jody's greatest country success came 1971-1974 with an almost unbroken string of top ten hits, many of them remakes. While the arrangements of her BABY I'M YOURS comes perilously close to being a carbon of Barbara Lewis' original (it's still a magificient track) her HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN turns that moody folk rocker into a Broadway show stopper with ten times the feeling of a song from the Great White Way. But let's not forget her originals, the stunning THERE'S A PARTY GOIN' ON in which Jody recounts life with a adulterous husband with the detachment of a newcaster, the sexy yet wholesome GOOD NEWS, the saucier LOOK AT MINE, the uptown girls "Stand By Your Man" DARLING YOU CAN ALWAYS COME BACK HOME. Yet the gem of the collection is the astonishingly political HOME OF THE BRAVE about small town intolerance to a youngster with a "hippie" bent which is stunningly contemporary today. Jody's misfortune was hitting her peak during the era of the greatest women country stars and there was just too much competition to stay at the very top very long but while she was up there, she hit more than her share of home runs and the music still packs a wallop some thirty years later. September 27, 2005

OH HOW I WISH COUNTRY MUSIC WAS STILL LIKE THIS!!

I'll put Jody Miller up against any of the female "bubblegum" singers of what they call country music today. This collection is fabulous and I agree with the reviewers below that Jody Miller should have ascended the heights of country music stardom in the vein of Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton! She certainly was just as good if not better. Her voice is absolutely marvelous. I agree with the reviewer below who said the outstanding cut on this collection is "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". It is out of this world and I can't stop listening to it!! "Kiss Away" is another outstanding cut! Also worthy of note is "When the New Wears Off of Our Love" and "Look at Mine". Heck, they're all outstanding!! It just makes me wish that Country Music was still like this!! August 28, 2005

Jody is one of the best ever singers...country or pop!!!

I wished many a time for a Jody Miller CD before this one was released, and I was so thankful to get it. I own almost all of her LP vinyl albums and have burned most of the tracks not included here to CD. It is unbelievable that Jody never attained the heights of Martina McBride, Connie Smith, Tammy Wynette, Shania Twain and other gal singers. She is every bit as good or better. I'm a retired professional singer/musician and broadcaster (37 years), and I know music. Jody Miller was as good as they come. She has a true professional singing voice. . .outstanding voice control no matter the range, clarity of lyrics, sings with innermost feeling, innermost infection. And, as if it really mattered, she had the good looks to go with the great voice. She's a sadly overlooked talent. Buy this CD. You'll never regret it!!! -- Norm in Ocala, FL June 1, 2005

WHEN TALENT RULED THE ROOST!

This is a great collection from a great lady with a great voice from an era when talent and not looks ruled the roost!! Not that she didn't have the looks, she certainly did but what makes Jody Miller special is her ability to take a song made popular by other artists and make it her own. Not many people can do this. Case in point: Reba McEntire's disastrous "Starting Over" CD...in no way could she even start to match the originals. But Jody's case is different because she HAD the ability to take classic material and make it her own. Her delivery and phrasing are impeccable. She also had several hits on original material the best of which is "Look at Mine". "Country Girl" is also a great cut! "Reflections" is excellent. Of the covers she does justice to all of them and shines especially on "He's So Fine" and the beautiful "Baby I'm Yours". She is especially touching and poignant on the Shirelle's hit "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and at the end when she softly whispers "Tell Me Baby" right before the last tag on "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" one feels the song because she feels it. The arrangement is exceptional!! A great interpreter of lyrics she knows how to put a song over without going over the top like today's country wannabes. She never quite made it to the upper heights of 70s country like Loretta or Tammy but her talent certainly matched up to all the best! This compilation is a testament to that! March 4, 2005

Queen of the house was also Queen of covers

Jody is remembered (if at all) for Queen of the house, a song set to the tune of Roger Miller's King of the road, which provides an excellent opening to this anthology. Although she occasionally had hits with original songs, most of her success was with country versions of pop hits. While this allowed her to make a career in country music, it means that subsequent generations of fans are less likely to concern themselves with her legacy. For that reason, I was surprised but overjoyed when this anthology was released.

The best of Jody's exquisite covers to be found here include Look at mine (Petula Clark), He's so fine (Chiffons), Baby I'm yours (Barbara Lewis), Be my baby (Ronettes), To know him is to love him (Teddy bears), House of the rising son (traditional song - Jody's version is based on the famous Animals cover), Natural woman (Aretha Franklin) and Will you love me tomorrow (Shirelles).

Among her original songs, my favorite is There's a party going on. What makes this particularly interesting is that Lynn Anderson, whose then-husband Glenn Sutton wrote the song, also recorded it (in her case, on her Listen to a country song album). It is therefore surprising that Jody's version rather than Lynn's was released as a single, but both versions are equally good.

Country girl is a title that has been used for several completely different songs, but this one is the same song that appeared on Olivia Newton John's Long live love album, recorded at about the same time. Another original song, Let's go down to the river, is a duet with Johnny Paycheck.

It is a miracle that this anthology ever appeared. Jody Miller did not change the course of country music history, but her music is very enjoyable. April 6, 2003

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