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Reflections in Blue (Brenda Lee album)

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Reflections in Blue
Studio album by
Brenda Lee
ReleasedOctober 16, 1967 (1967-10-16)
RecordedJune 1967
Genre
LabelDecca
Producer
Brenda Lee chronology
Coming on Strong
(1966) 		Reflections in Blue
(1967) 		For the First Time
(1968)

Reflections in Blue is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released on October 16, 1967, by Decca Records and was her eighteenth studio project. The album was considered a departure from Lee's previous studio projects in its musical style. Many of the tracks incorporated a Blues element and many were covers of previously recorded tracks. The album was met with positive reviews from publications.

Background, recording and content

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Brenda Lee began her recording career in 1956 at Decca Records at age 11. Her early material consisted of Rockabilly material, but as she matured, her music transitioned into pop, where Lee would have her greatest commercial success. She had top ten singles with songs like "All Alone Am I", "Dum Dum" and "I'm Sorry". By the mid-1960s, Lee's chart success waned but she continued recording for Decca.[2] One of her later sixties albums was Reflections in Blue. The album was recorded in June 1967 in sessions produced by Owen Bradley and Charles "Bud" Dant. It was Lee's first studio project with Dant serving as a producer.[3]

According to the album's liner notes, the project shows "a side of Brenda that many of her record fans may not be familiar with".[3] The album was meant to showcase the ballad-influenced side of Lee's artistry as a way to show her maturity as an adult.[3][4] Reflections in Blue consisted of ten tracks.[4] The album was entirely a collection of cover songs. This included tracks like "Am I Blue?", "Can't Help Falling in Love", "Little Girl Blue" and "You'll Never Know".[3][4]

Release and critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic

Reflections in Blue was released by Decca Records on October 16, 1967. It was originally offered as a vinyl LP, with five selections on either side of the record. It was Lee's eighteenth studio album in her career.[3] Decades later, Reflections in Blue was re-released digitally to retailers such as Apple Music.[5] The original LP was offered in both mono and stereo versions as both options were popular by record buyers at the time.[6]

The album was met with positive reviews from publications. Cashbox was quoted as saying the album was "poignant, plaintive and provocative".[1] Jason Ankeny of AllMusic gave the project four and a half (out of five) stars, highlighting Lee's musical shift in the album. He concluded by saying the album "capture the singer at her most moving, transcending the pop and country trappings of her biggest hits to evoke the nocturnal poignancy of Frank Sinatra's landmark sessions with arranger Nelson Riddle."[4]

Track listing

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Side one[3]
No.TitleLength
1."Here's That Rainy Day"3:27
2."You'll Never Know"2:58
3."Baby, Won't You Please Come Home"3:38
4."Can't Help Falling in Love"2:30
5."I'll Only Miss Him When I Think of Him"3:41
Side two[3]
No.TitleLength
1."Am I Blue"2:22
2."If I Had You"4:25
3."Close to You"3:07
4."Little Girl Blue"3:41
5."I Will Wait for You"3:30

Personnel

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All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Reflections in Blue.[3]

  • Owen Bradley – Producer
  • Hal Buksbaum – Cover photo
  • Charles "Bud" Dant – Director, producer

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
Germany October 16, 1967 Vinyl LP Decca Records [7]
North America
  • Vinyl LP (Mono)
  • Vinyl LP (Stereo)
 [3]
Australia 1968 Vinyl LP (Mono) Festival Records [8]
Japan Vinyl LP (Stereo) Decca Records [9]
United Kingdom
  • Vinyl LP (Mono)
  • Vinyl LP (Stereo)
 MCA Records [10]
Japan December 1, 1999 Compact disc
[11]
January 17, 2007 Decca Records [12]
December 17, 2008
  • Decca Records
  • Universal
 [13]
North America circa 2020
  • Music download
  • streaming
 MCA Nashville [5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Album Reviews: Pop Best Best" (PDF). Cashbox: 38. October 28, 1967. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  2. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Brenda Lee Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lee, Brenda (October 16, 1967). "Reflections in Blue (Disc Information)". Decca Records. DL-4941 (Mono); DL-74941 (Stereo).
  4. ^ a b c d Ankeny, Jason. "Reflections in Blue: Brenda Lee: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Reflections in Blue: Album by Brenda Lee". Apple Music. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Decca 4th Qtr: On Mono" (PDF). Cashbox: 8. October 14, 1967. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  7. ^ Lee, Brenda (October 16, 1967). "Reflections in Blue [Germany]". Decca Records. SLK 86045-LP.
  8. ^ Lee, Brenda (1968). "Reflections in Blue [Australia]". Festival Records. DL-32-709.
  9. ^ Lee, Brenda (1968). "Reflections in Blue [Japan]". Decca Records. SDL-10339.
  10. ^ Lee, Brenda (1968). "Reflections in Blue [United Kingdom]". MCA Records. MUP-306 (Mono); MUPS-306 (Stereo).
  11. ^ Lee, Brenda (December 1, 1999). "Reflections in Blue [Japan re-release]". Decca Records/Universal. MVCJ-19228 (CD).
  12. ^ Lee, Brenda (January 17, 2007). "Reflections in Blue [Japan re-release]". Decca Records. UCCU-9333 (CD).
  13. ^ Lee, Brenda (December 17, 2008). "Reflections in Blue [Japan re-release]". Decca Records/Universal. UCCU-9645 (CD).
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