...Say When Explained

...Say When
Type:Album
Artist:Nicolette Larson
Cover:Nicolette Larson Say When 1985 Album Cover.jpg
Released:March 18, 1985
Studio:Sound Stage Studios and Emerald Studios (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre:Country
Length:31:32
Label:MCA
Producer:
Prev Title:All Dressed Up and No Place to Go
Prev Year:1982
Next Title:Rose of My Heart
Next Year:1986

...Say When is the fifth studio album by American singer Nicolette Larson. It was produced by Emory Gordy Jr. and Tony Brown, and released by MCA Records in 1985.

Background

Having signed with MCA in 1983, ...Say When was Larson's first of two country albums for the label.[1] It peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard Top Country Albums and remained on the chart for twenty weeks.[2] Three singles were released from the album. "Only Love Will Make It Right" was released in January 1985 and reached No. 42 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs.[3] "When You Get a Little Lonely", released in May, reached No. 46.[4] The final single, "Building Bridges", was released in September and peaked at No. 72.[5]

In 2012, Raven Records gave the album its first CD release, as a double-album set with Larson's 1986 follow-up album Rose of My Heart.

Critical reception

Upon release, Billboard considered Larson a "high energy addition to the new breed of today's country artists". They felt the album "spins through a kaleidoscope of material" and picked "When You Get a Little Lonely" as the album's "strong contender".[6] Cash Box commented: "Thoroughly satisfying vocally, melodically and lyrically from start to finish, this latest album is further proof of Larson's consistent versatility as a performer."[7]

In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic felt the album showed Larson "[diving] headfirst into contemporary country". He commented: "The bright, punchy sound is far removed from the lush, hazy SoCal soft rock of her five albums and it's right in line with the crisp sound coming of Nashville in the mid-'80s. The record stands as a strong slice of Reagan-era commercial country."

Personnel

Production

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stephen Thomas Erlewine . Say When/Rose of My Heart - Nicolette Larson | Songs, Reviews, Credits . AllMusic . 2012-06-19 . 2018-09-19.
  2. Web site: Billboard . Nicolette Larson Say When Chart History . Billboard . 2018-09-19.
  3. Web site: Billboard . Nicolette Larson Only Love Will Make It Right Chart History . Billboard . 2018-09-19.
  4. Web site: Billboard . Nicolette Larson When You Get A Little Lonely Chart History . Billboard . 2018-09-19.
  5. Web site: Billboard . Nicolette Larson Building Bridges Chart History . Billboard . 2018-09-19.
  6. Billboard magazine – Reviews: Albums – February 23, 1985 – page 66
  7. Cash Box newspaper – March 16, 1985 – Album Releases – page 10