View source for Life's Highway (Jeannie Seely album)

{{Infobox album
| name       = Life's Highway
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Jeannie Seely]]
| cover      = Jeannie Seely--Life's Highway.jpg
| released   = {{start date|2003|11|18}}
| studio     = Hilltop Studio
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Country music|Country]]<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web |title=''Life's Highway'' -- Jeannie Seely -- Songs, Reviews, Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lifes-highway-mw0000331444 |website=[[Allmusic]] |accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref>|[[acoustic music|acoustic]]<ref name="Country Standard Time">{{cite web |last1=Lupton |first1=John |title=Jeannie Seely travels life's highways |url=https://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/article.asp?xid=734 |website=Country Standard Time |accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref>}}
| length     = {{duration|m=42|s=28}}
| label      = OMS
| producer   = {{hlist|Hugh Moore|Billy Troy}}
| prev_title = Been There...Sung That!
| prev_year  = 1999
| next_title = Vintage Country: Old But Treasured
| next_year  = 2011
}}
'''''Life's Highway''''' is a studio album by American [[country music|country]] artist [[Jeannie Seely]]. It was released on November 18, 2003, by OMS Records. It was co-produced by Hugh Moore and Billy Troy. ''Life's Highway'' was Seely's fourteenth studio recording and first album in several years to be released outside her own record label. The album received critical acclaim for its blend of the country, [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]] and [[folk music]] genres.
==Background and content==
''Life's Highway'' was recorded at the Hilltop Studio, located in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]. The sessions were co-produced by Hugh Moore and Billy Troy. It was Seely's first album in almost ten years to not be self-produced.<ref name="Liner Notes">{{cite journal |last1=Seely |first1=Jeannie |title=''Life's Highway'' (Album Info and Liner Notes) |journal=OMS Records |date=December 9, 2003}}</ref> Although considered by some to be a bluegrass-styled project, Seely did want to call it that. "Simply out of respect for the true bluegrass artists, I wouldn't even venture to call it that. You know, I don't pretend to be able to do (bluegrass)," she said.<ref name="Country Standard Time"/> Other writers considered the record to be an acoustic project, which Seely agreed with.<ref name="Louisville">{{cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Bob |title=Keeping it Real Life's Highway (OMS) Jeannie Seely |url=http://www.louisvillemusicnews.net/webmanager/index.php?WEB_CAT_ID=50&storyid=2900&headline=Jeannie_Seely_-_Life%27s_Highway&issueid=183 |website=Louisville Music News |accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="Country Standard Time"/> The album included notable bluegrass musicians, including Sharon and Cheryl White of the group [[The Whites]]. [[Jesse McReynolds]] is also featured on the album playing the [[mandolin]].<ref name="Louisville"/>
The album contained 13 tracks that were all newly recorded by Seely.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Four tracks were new recordings by Seely. The additional songs were cover versions of recordings previously made successful by other music artists. The [[Life's Highway (song)|title track]] was a cover of the number one single by [[Steve Wariner]]. The fifth track, "[[The River (Garth Brooks song)|The River]]", was a cover of the single originally made a hit by [[Garth Brooks]]. The eighth track, "[[It's a Heartache]]", was made most popular as a [[pop music|pop]] hit by [[Bonnie Tyler]].<ref name="Liner Notes"/> The latter Seely considered to be among her favorites on the album. "In fact, to me that's the airplay cut on the album because I can see that getting people's attention and the uniqueness of it," Seely commented in a 2003 interview.<ref name="Country Standard Time"/>
==Release and critical reception==
''Life's Highway'' was first released on November 18, 2003, by OMS Records in a [[compact disc]] format.<ref name="Liner Notes"/> The album was later released to digital retailers.<ref name="Apple">{{cite web |title=''Life's Highway'' by Jeannie Seely |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/lifes-highway/80972924 |website=[[Apple Music]] |accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref>
Following its release, the album received critical acclaim from many industry writers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Coyne |first1=Kevin John |title=100 Greatest Women; #59 (Jeannie Seely) |url=http://www.countryuniverse.net/2018/06/14/100-greatest-women-59-jeannie-seely/ |website=Country Universe |accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref> Bob Mitchell of the ''Louisville Music News'' gave the album a positive response in his 2004 review. He believed the album to resemble country rather than bluegrass music. "Overall, this recording lacks the earthy intensity and drive that characterizes authentic traditional Bluegrass. But, make no mistake, Life's Highway is enjoyable and features some of country and bluegrass's finest musicians," Mitchell commented.<ref name="Louisville"/> The album also received a positive response from John Lupton of ''Country Standard Time'' in 2003. Lupton called the record "chuck top full of bluegrass talent."<ref name="Country Standard Time"/>
==Track listing==
{{tracklist
| headline        = ''Life's Highway''<ref name="Liner Notes"/>
| extra_column    = Original Artist
| title1          = [[Life's Highway (song)|Life's Highway]]
| writer1         = {{hlist|[[Richard Leigh (songwriter)|Richard Leigh]]|[[Roger Murrah]]}}
| extra1          = [[Steve Wariner]]
| length1         = 3:53
| title2          = The Next Voice You Hear
| writer2         = [[Cindy Walker]]
| extra2          = [[Hank Snow]]
| length2         = 3:26
| title3          = Fast Movin' Train
| writer3         = {{hlist|Bennie Boling|Billy Troy}}
| extra3          = Jeannie Seely
| length3         = 2:50
| title4          = I'll Be All Smiles Tonight
| writer4         = [[A.P. Carter]]
| extra4          = [[Carter Family]]
| length4         = 4:00
| title5          = [[The River (Garth Brooks song)|The River]]
| writer5         = {{hlist|[[Garth Brooks]]|[[Victoria Shaw (singer)|Victoria Shaw]]}}
| length5         = 3:14
| extra5          = Garth Brooks
| title6          = [[I've Got My Baby on My Mind]]
| writer6         = [[Sanger D. Shafer]]
| length6         = 2:42
| extra6          = [[Connie Smith]]
| title7          = The Good Ol' Days
| writer7         = [[Dolly Parton]]
| length7         = 3:34
| extra7          = Dolly Parton
| title8          = [[It's a Heartache]]
| writer8         = {{hlist|[[Ronnie Scott (songwriter)|Ronnie Scott]]|Steve Wolfe}}
| length8         = 3:47
| extra8          = [[Bonnie Tyler]]
| title9          = [[If It Ain't Love (Let's Leave It Alone)]]
| writer9         = [[Dallas Frazier]]
| length9         = 2:32
| extra9          = Connie Smith
| title10         = Rose Upon the Riverbank
| writer10        = {{hlist|Bob O'Donnell, Jr.|Troy}}
| length10        = 3:08
| extra10         = Jeannie Seely
| title11         = Roarin' and Runnin'
| writer11        = Jeannie Seely
| length11        = 3:36
| extra11         = Jeannie Seely
| title12         = [[Cry Myself to Sleep]]
| writer12        = [[Paul Kennerley]]
| length12        = 3:27
| extra12         = [[The Judds]]
| title13         = Call of Kentucky
| writer13        = Seely
| length13        = 2:19
| extra13         = Jeannie Seely
}}
==Personnel==
All credits are adapted from the [[liner notes]] of ''Life's Highway'' and from [[Allmusic]].<ref name="Liner Notes"/><ref>{{cite web |title=''Life's Highway'' -- Jeannie Seely -- Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/lifes-highway-mw0000331444/credits |website=[[Allmusic]] |accessdate=18 April 2020}}</ref>
'''Musical personnel'''
{{Div col|colwidth=42em}}
* Jim Brown – [[acoustic guitar]]
* Glen Duncan – [[fiddle]]
* Kevin Grantt – [[bass (instrument)|bass]]
* [[Josh Graves]] – [[dobro]]
* [[Rob Ickes]] – dobro
* [[Charlie Louvin]] – harmony vocals
* [[Jesse McReynolds]] – [[mandolin]]
* Hugh Moore – [[banjo]]
* Jennifer O'Brien – harmony vocals
* [[Bobby Osborne]] – harmony vocals
* [[Sonny Osborne]] – harmony vocals
* Jeannie Seely – lead vocals
* Billy Troy – [[guitar]], harmony vocals
* [[Steve Wariner]] – acoustic guitar
* Buck White – mandolin
* Cheryl White – harmony vocals
* Sharon White – harmony vocals
* Terri Williams – vocal harmony
{{div col end}}
'''Technical personnel'''
* Valorie Cole – make-up
* David Glasser – mastering
* Beth Gwinn – cover photo
* John Nicholson – engineering
* Hugh Moore – producer
* Billy Troy – producer
==Release history==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col"| Region
!scope="col"| Date
!scope="col"| Format
!scope="col"| Label
!scope="col"| Ref.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| United States
| November 18, 2003
| Compact disc
| rowspan = "2" | OMS
| <ref name="Liner Notes"/>
|-
| Unknown
| Music download
| <ref name="Apple"/>
|-
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Jeannie Seely}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:2003 albums]]
[[Category:Jeannie Seely albums]]