He Set My Life to Music explained

He Set My Life to Music
Type:studio
Artist:Barbara Mandrell
Cover:Barbara Mandrell-He Set My Life to Music.jpg
Released:September 6, 1982
Recorded:May 1982
Studio:Woodland Studios, Nashville, TN; except "Through It All" at Weddington Studios, North Hollywood, California
Genre:Gospel, Inspirational
Length:36:29
Label:MCA
Producer:Tom Collins
Prev Title:...In Black & White
Prev Year:1982
Next Title:Spun Gold
Next Year:1983

He Set My Life to Music is the twelfth solo studio album by American country music artist, Barbara Mandrell. It was released in September 1982 on MCA Records and was produced by Tom Collins. The album was Mandrell's second studio album of the year and her first recording of Inspirational music.

Background and content

As described by Bill Carpenter of AllMusic, He Set My Life to Music is a "contemporary gospel album." The album contains 10 tracks of mainly cover versions of a series of gospel and inspirational standards. It includes covers of songs such as "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", and Dottie Rambo's "I Will Glory in the Cross". The album included four duets with mainly Gospel artists. "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" was recorded with B.J. Thomas, "I Turn to Him" with The Blackwood Brothers, "I Will Glory in the Cross" with Dottie Rambo, and "Through It All" with Andrae Crouch.[1]

Release

The album was re-released many years later under the Universal Special Products. Carpenter gave the album three out of five stars. He Set My Life to Music reached number 59 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, and did not spawn any singles. For her performance, Mandrell won the Grammy award for Best Inspirational Performance in 1983. The album also won Mandrell an award for "Album by a Secular Artist" at the 1983 Dove Awards.[2]

The album was released on an LP, with five songs on each side of the record. The album was also released on compact disc in 1991.[1]

Track listing

Side one
  1. "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" – (Charles Converse, Joseph Scriven) 3:24
  2. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"/"Swing Chariot" – (Wallace Willis; adapted and arranged by Barbara Mandrell and Tom Collins) 2:55
  3. "I Turn to Him" – (W.T. Davidson) 3:14
  4. "I Will Glory in the Cross" – (Dottie Rambo) 4:14
    • with Dottie Rambo
  5. "Through It All" – (Andrae Crouch) 3:31
    • with Andrae Crouch
Side two
  1. "He Set My Life to Music" – (Kye Fleming, Dennis Morgan) 4:36
  2. "He Grew the Tree" – (Chuck Lawrence) 3:56
  3. "Out of the Mouths of Babes" (Adapted and arranged by Barbara Mandrell and Tom Collins) – 2:22
  4. "I'm Yours, Lord" – (Gary Chapman) 2:27
  5. "Then, Now, and Forever" (Adapted and arranged by Barbara Mandrell and Tom Collins) – 5:50

Notes and References

  1. Web site: He Set My Life to Music by Barbara Mandrell. Rate Your Music. 10 January 2010.
  2. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r93099/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}} ''He Set My Life to Music'' > Awards]. Allmusic. 10 January 2010.