Coming On Strong (Brenda Lee album)

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Coming on Strong
Studio album by
Brenda Lee
ReleasedNovember 28, 1966 (1966-11-28)
RecordedAugust–September 1966
StudioBradley's Barn
Genre
LabelDecca
ProducerOwen Bradley
Brenda Lee chronology
10 Golden Years
(1966) 		Coming on Strong
(1966) 		Reflections in Blue
(1967)
Singles from Coming on Strong
  1. "Coming on Strong"
    Released: September 1966

Coming on Strong is a studio album by American singer Brenda Lee. It was released on November 28, 1966, via Decca Records and was her seventeenth studio project. The album consisted of ten tracks, many of which were covers of songs recorded by other artists. The album's title track was the only single included. It reached the top 20 on the US record chart and the top ten of the Canadian record chart. The album itself also made the US chart following its release. Coming Strong received mixed reviews from critics following its release.

Background, recording and content[edit]

Considered a "child prodigy", Brenda Lee was signed to Decca Records as a preteen and recorded predominantly as a Rockabilly artist. In her teens, she graduated to pop material and would have her greatest commercial success. Songs like "I'm Sorry", "Dum Dum", "Break It to Me Gently" and "All Alone Am I" were top ten US chart songs. As the decade progressed, Lee's commercial success began to wane. Yet, her singles managed to reach the top 20 in the US while also being popular in other countries. Her last US top 20 entry was the 1966 single "Coming on Strong".[3] Her album of the same name was released in 1966 and featured the song.[1]

Coming on Strong was recorded at Bradley's Barn, a studio located in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. The studio was owned by Owen Bradley who was also the album's producer. Sessions for the album were held between August and September 1966.[4] The album project consisted of 12 tracks.[1] A variety of music styles were represented on the album.[5] Many of the album's material were cover songs of recent singles by other artists. This included Lee's rendition of "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me", "What Now My Love", "Crying Time" and "Uptight (Everything's Alright)".[2][1]

Release and critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic

Coming on Strong was released by Decca Records on November 28, 1966. It was the seventeenth studio project in Lee's career. The album was distributed as a vinyl LP, with six selections on both sides of the record.[4] Coming on Strong was met with mixed reviews from critics. Billboard called the album an "exceptional package" and found that Lee "adds her own magic" to the cover songs on the track listing.[2] Cashbox magazine also gave Coming on Strong a positive review. In referencing her vocal performance, the magazine wrote, "The perennial top selling artist has done it again".[5] Meanwhile, AllMusic only rated the album 2.5 out of 5 possible stars. Critic Greg Adams found the album project to be "an underwhelming collection of adult contemporary material with a heavy emphasis on ballads". Furthermore, Adams concluded, "'Coming on Strong' is an excellent single that shows that Brenda Lee could still hit with quality material, but the remainder of the album is too middle-of-the-road in its execution to be fully satisfying."[1]

Chart performance and singles[edit]

Coming on Strong reached the number 94 position on the US Billboard 200 record chart in 1966. It was Lee's second studio album to consecutively reach the number 94 position the chart. It was also her third album (including her 1966 compilation 10 Golden Years) to make the Billboard 200 in 1966. It was also among Lee's lowest charting releases that made the Billboard 200.[6] The title track was the album's only single included. The single was originally released by Decca in September 1966.[7] The song was Lee's last top 20 entry on the US Hot 100, reaching the number 11 position.[8] Internationally, it reached number 76 in Australia[9] while reaching the top ten in Canada, peaking at number nine.[10]

Track listing[edit]

Side one[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Coming on Strong"David Wilkins2:00
2."You Don't Have to Say You Love Me"
2:53
3."Summer Wind"
2:12
4."Kiss Away"
2:52
5."Call Me"Tony Hatch2:30
6."What Now My Love"
2:00
Side two[4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Uptight (Everything's Alright)"
2:06
2."Crying Time"Buck Owens3:12
3."Strangers in the Night"
2:29
4."Sweet Dreams (Of You)"Don Gibson2:51
5."You've Got Your Troubles"
2:32
6."Somewhere"
2:04

Personnel[edit]

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Coming on Strong.[4]

  • Owen Bradley – Producer
  • Cliff Parman – Arrangements
  • Bill McElhiney – Arrangements

Chart performance[edit]

Chart (1966) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[11] 94

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
 November 28, 1966
  • Vinyl LP (Mono)
  • Vinyl LP (Stereo)
 Festival Records [12]
Japan Vinyl LP (Stereo) Decca Records [13]
North America
  • Vinyl LP (Mono)
  • Vinyl LP (Stereo)
 [4]
United Kingdom Brunswick Records [14]
Brazil 1967 Vinyl LP (Mono) Decca Records [15]
Singapore 1968 Vinyl LP (Stereo) Life Records [16]
Japan 1975 Vinyl LP MCA Coral [17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Adams, Greg. "Coming on Strong: Brenda Lee: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Album Reviews: Pop Spotlight" (PDF). Billboard. November 26, 1966. p. 84. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  3. ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Brenda Lee Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Lee, Brenda (November 28, 1966). "Coming on Strong (Liner Notes)". Decca Records. DL-4825 (Mono); DL-74825 (Stereo).
  5. ^ a b "Album Reviews: Pop Picks" (PDF). Cashbox. November 26, 1966. p. 48. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Albums Includes Every Album that Made the Billboard 200 Chart : 50 Year History of the Rock Era. Record Research, Inc. p. 591. ISBN 978-0898201666.
  7. ^ Lee, Brenda (September 1966). ""Coming on Strong"/"You Keep Coming Back to Me" (7" vinyl single)". Decca Records. 32018.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Search results for "Brenda Lee" under Top Singles". RPM. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  11. ^ "Brenda Lee Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  12. ^ Lee, Brenda (November 28, 1966). "Coming on Strong [Australia]". Festival Records. DL-32-166 (Mono); (Stereo) SDL-932-166.
  13. ^ Lee, Brenda (November 28, 1966). "Coming on Strong [Japan]". Decca Records. DL-10272 (Stereo).
  14. ^ Lee, Brenda (November 28, 1966). "Coming on Strong [UK]". Brunswick Records. LAT-8672 (Mono); STA-8672 (Stereo).
  15. ^ Lee, Brenda (1967). "Coming on Strong [Brazil]". Decca Records. DL-12053 (Mono).
  16. ^ Lee, Brenda (1968). "Coming on Strong [Singapore]". Life Records. DL-74825 (Stereo).
  17. ^ Lee, Brenda (1975). "Coming on Strong [Japan reissue]". MCA Coral. MCL-3018.
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