Whoever's in New England

{{about|the album|the song|Whoever's in New England (song)}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Whoever's in New England

| type = studio

| artist = Reba McEntire

| cover = RebaMcEntireWhoeversinNewEngland.jpg

| alt =

| released = February 10, 1986

| recorded = October–November 1985

| venue =

| studio = Sound Stage Studio
{{small|(Nashville, Tennessee)}}

| genre = Country

| length = 31:43

| label = MCA

| producer = {{hlist|Jimmy Bowen|Reba McEntire}}

| prev_title = Reba Nell McEntire

| prev_year = 1986

| next_title = What Am I Gonna Do About You

| next_year = 1986

| misc = {{singles

| name = Whoever's in New England

| type = studio

| single1 = Whoever's in New England

| single1date = January 27, 1986

| single2 = Little Rock

| single2date = June 2, 1986

}}

}}

{{Album ratings

|rev1 = Allmusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r93166|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic review]

}}

Whoever's in New England is the tenth studio album of American country music artist Reba McEntire released on February 10, 1986, through MCA Nashville. It is her first #1 album on the Billboard country albums chart, producing two singles that were #1 country hits: "Whoever's in New England" and "Little Rock".

The album's phenomenal success proved to be a turning point in McEntire's career. It was the singer's first platinum record, and solidified her new superstardom when she was named the 'Entertainer of the Year' by the Country Music Association in autumn 1986.

The album also marked another milestone, McEntire made her first music video for the title track.{{cite web|title=Reba McEntire Biography|url=http://www.biography.com/people/reba-mcentire-9542065|website=Biography.com|access-date=November 7, 2016}} Eventually, McEntire would become known for her 'mini-movie'-styled music videos.

"I've Seen Better Days" was originally recorded as a duet by George Jones & Tammy Wynette on their 1976 album, Golden Ring.

Promotion

=Singles=

The title track "Whoever's in New England" served as the album's lead single and was released on January 27, 1986. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart.{{cite magazine |date=June 21, 1986 |title=RPM Country Singles |url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.0686.pdf |magazine=RPM|location=Toronto |publisher=RPM Music Publications |access-date=December 20, 2022}} "Whoever's in New England" was McEntire's first music video, is considered as one of her signature and breakthrough singles, and she won her first Grammy for it.

"Little Rock" was released as the second single on June 2, 1986. It peaked at number 1 the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart.

Track listing

{{tracklist

| all_writing =

| title1 = Can't Stop Now

| writer1 = {{hlist|Gary Nicholson|Wendy Waldman}}

| length1 = 2:52

| title2 = You Can Take the Wings Off Me

| writer2 = {{hlist|Troy Seals|Eddie Setser}}

| length2 = 3:36

| title3 = Whoever's in New England

| writer3 = {{hlist|Kendal Franceschi|Quentin Powers}}

| length3 = 3:21

| title4 = I'll Believe It When I Feel It

| writer4 = {{hlist|Chris Waters|Tom Shapiro|Bucky Jones}}

| length4 = 2:38

| title5 = I've Seen Better Days

| writer5 = {{hlist|Red Lane|Danny Morrison}}

| length5 = 3:46

| title6 = Little Rock

| writer6 = {{hlist|Pat McManus|Bob DiPiero|Gerry House}}

| length6 = 3:07

| title7 = If You Only Knew

| writer7 = {{hlist|Diana Rae|Jane Mariash}}

| length7 = 3:03

| title8 = One Thin Dime

| writer8 = {{hlist|Jackson Leap|Michael P. Heeney}}

| length8 = 2:31

| title9 = Don't Touch Me There

| writer9 = Heeney

| length9 = 3:14

| title10 = To Make That Same Mistake Again

| writer10 = {{hlist|Roger Murrah|Richard Leigh}}

| length10 = 2:24

}}

Personnel

Vocals

  • Reba McEntire – lead and backing vocals
  • Pake McEntire – backing vocals
  • Karen Staley – backing vocals

Musicians

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

Production

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

  • Chuck Ainlay – mixing
  • Jimmy Bowen – producer
  • Bob Bullock – overdub recording
  • Mark J. Coddington – second engineer
  • Chip Hardy – overdub recording
  • Russ Martin – second engineer

{{col-2}}

  • Reba McEntire – producer
  • Glenn Meadows – mastering
  • Keith Odle – second engineer
  • Robbie Rose – second engineer
  • Ron Treat – recording engineer

{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

Imagery

  • Camille Brown – design
  • Simon Levy – art direction
  • Jim McGuire – photography

{{col-2}}

Studios

  • The Castle (Franklin, Tennessee) – mixing location
  • Masterfonics (Nashville, Tennessee) – mastering location

{{col-end}}

Charts

{{col-start}}

{{col-2}}

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (1986)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|BillboardCountry|1|artist=Reba McEntire|rowheader=true|access-date=June 1, 2021}}

{{col-2}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"| Chart (1986)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Top Country Albums (Billboard){{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1986/top-country-albums|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 1986|work=Billboard|access-date=June 1, 2021}}

| 8

{{col-end}}

=Singles=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Single

! colspan="2"| Peak positions

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="50"| US Country{{cite web|title=Reba McEntire - Chart history {{!}} Billboard|url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/364742/reba+mcentire/chart?f=357|website=www.billboard.com|access-date=November 7, 2016}}

! width="50"| CAN Country{{cite web|title=Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=gmrhouli7kvfvaeu848ka389j0&q1=Reba+McEntire&q2=Country+Singles&interval=20|website=www.collectionscanada.gc.ca|access-date=November 7, 2016}}

rowspan="2"| 1986

| align="left"| "Whoever's in New England"

| 1

| 3

align="left"| "Little Rock"

| 1

| 2

Certifications and sales

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=in New England|artist=Reba Mc Entire|type=album|award=Platinum}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

References