| Takin' the Country Back | |
| Type: | Studio album |
| Artist: | John Anderson |
| Cover: | Takin the country back.jpg |
| Released: | July 29, 1997 |
| Genre: | Country |
| Label: | Mercury Records |
| Producer: | Keith Stegall |
| Prev Title: | Greatest Hits |
| Prev Year: | 1996 |
| Next Title: | The Encore Collection |
| Next Year: | 1997 |
Takin' the Country Back is the seventeenth studio album by American country music artist John Anderson.[1] It was released on July 29, 1997, as his first album for Mercury Records after leaving BNA Records in 1996. The album produced the singles "Somebody Slap Me", which peaked at 22 on Country charts, "Small Town", which peaked at 44, and the title track, which peaked at 41. Also included on the album is a cover of Van Morrison's 1967 hit "Brown Eyed Girl" from his album Blowin' Your Mind!.
Takin' the Country Back charted at 19 for country albums and reached 138 on the United States Billboard 200. Allmusic stated that it was "one of John Anderson's best latter-day efforts, thanks to his impassioned vocals and the clean, muscular production from Keith Stegall" despite "suffering" from "uneven material".
| Chart (1997) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 19 | |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 138 |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | |||
| 1997 | "Somebody Slap Me" | 22 | 115 | 35 | |
| "Small Town" | 44 | — | — | ||
| 1998 | "Takin' the Country Back" | 41 | — | 69 | |