Just for What I Am

Just for What I Am

(5-CD LP-sized boxed set with 76-page hardcover book, 151 tracks. Playing time 408:56) First-ever reissue of the majority of these classic Smith recordings! More than a dozen previously unissued recordings written by classic country songwriters such as Dallas Frazier, Kris Kristofferson, Mel Tillis and Don Gibson! Includes all the recordings from the years that fans and Connie herself call her strongest. Upbeat hard country, searing heartbreak ballads, sacred songs, and even some Smith takes on pop of the day. Her duet albums with Dallas Frazier and Nat Stuckey are included.<p>Connie Smith belongs in the top tier of all country singers. Or, as Dolly Parton once said, ''There's only three real female singers: Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, and Connie Smith. The rest of us are only pretending.'' What earned her the respect of her peers and sales that number in the millions? Clarity. Emotion. Sheer power. And some of the era's greatest songs.<p>This 5-CD set includes all of Connie's recordings from February 1968 through November 1972. It follows Bear Family's <b>Born To Sing</b> set that comprised all of Connie's RCA recordings from 1964 until '67. Included here are enduring hits like <i>Run Away Little Tears</i>, <i>Just One Time</i>, <i>Where Is My Castle?</i> and <i>If It Ain't Love (Let's Leave It Alone)</i>, as well as <i>How Great Thou Art</i>, one of the most requested of all Smith songs. And included in their entirety are prized Connie Smith LPs, including her duet collaborations with Nat Stuckey and Dallas Frazier and her modern sacred song collection <b>Come Along And Walk With Me</b>. This set also includes a book incorporating Barry Mazor's full-length exploration of the intersection of Connie's music and life during these years, previously unseen photos from Connie's own collection, and a detailed discography by Richard Weize.