Politics, Religion and Her

Politics, Religion and Her is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Sammy Kershaw. The album launched several charting singles and itself charted at number 115 on The Billboard 200, also peaking at number 17 on Top Country Albums.[1] Charting songs included "Vidalia", "Meant to Be", "Fit to Be Tied Down", and the title track, which peaked on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts at numbers 10, 5, 29, and 28 respectively.[2]

Politics, Religion and Her
Studio album by
Sammy Kershaw
ReleasedMay 7, 1996
StudioCaymoon Moon Recorders, Berry Hill, TN, Emerald Sound Studios, Javalina Recording Studios, Sound Stage Studios, Nashville, TN
GenreCountry
Length38:38
LabelMercury Nashville
Producer
Sammy Kershaw chronology
The Hits Chapter 1
(1995)		 Politics, Religion and Her
(1996)		 Labor of Love
(1997)
Singles from Politics, Religion and Her
  1. "Meant to Be"
    Released: March 11, 1996
  2. "Vidalia"
    Released: July 22, 1996
  3. "Politics, Religion and Her"
    Released: November 4, 1996
  4. "Fit to Be Tied Down"
    Released: April 12, 1997

Critical reception

At the time of release, the album received a C+ review from Entertainment Weekly, which praised the singer for finding emotional depth on songs like "Little Bitty Crack in Her Heart" (which Randy Travis would later record on his 1999 album A Man Ain't Made of Stone) and the title track, but criticized his "tired" covers of "Memphis" and "Chevy Van".[3] Allmusic also found these two pop covers uninspired in nature, but said that the album had "a couple of powerful, soul-baring ballads."[4] Country Standard Time reviewer Larry Stephens gave a more positive review, saying, "His voice can never be mistaken for anything but country while he makes the music come alive. This is an album that has no bad cuts."[5]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Vidalia"Tim Nichols, Mark D. Sanders3:21
2."Meant to Be"Rick Bowles, Chris Waters3:46
3."Fit to Be Tied Down"Wynn Varble, Charles Victor3:12
4."Politics, Religion and Her"Byron Hill, Tony Martin3:19
5."Chevy Van"Sammy Johns3:42
6."Same Place"Buddy Cannon, Marla Cannon-Goodman, Dean Dillon2:38
7."Little Bitty Crack in Her Heart"Shawn Camp, Jim Rushing2:50
8."These Flowers"Rick Giles3:20
9."I Saw You Today"Bobby Braddock3:28
10."Memphis, Tennessee"Chuck Berry2:56
11."For Years"Harley Allen, Stacey Earle3:22
12."Here She Comes"Sammy Kershaw2:44

Personnel

Compiled from liner notes.[6]

Musicians
Tracks 1-4, 7, 10, 11
Tracks 5, 6, 8, 9, 12
  • Harold Bradley - tic-tac bass (track 12)
  • Sonny Garrish - steel guitar (track 5, 8)
  • Stuart Duncan - fiddle (track 8)
  • Rob Hajacos - fiddle (track 6, 8, 9)
  • John Hobbs - piano (tracks 5, 6, 8, 9)
  • Sammy Kershaw - lead vocals (all tracks)
  • Paul Leim - drums (all tracks)
  • Nashville String Machine - strings (tracks 6, 9)
  • Steve Nathan - organ (track 9), piano (track 12)
  • Danny Parks - acoustic guitar (all tracks)
  • Larry Paxton - bass guitar (all tracks)
  • Hal Rugg - steel guitar (tracks 6, 9)
  • John Wesley Ryles - background vocals (all tracks)
  • Dennis Wilson - background vocals (all tracks)
  • Reggie Young - electric guitar (all tracks)

Technical
  • Bob Bullock - recording
  • Buddy Cannon and Norro Wilson - production (tracks 5, 6, 8, 9, 12)
  • John Kelton - mixing, recording
  • Warren Peterson - string recording
  • Keith Stegall - production (tracks 1-4, 7, 10, 11)
  • Ronnie Thomas - digital editing
  • Hank Williams - mastering

Charts

Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions[10]
US Country CAN Country
1996 "Meant to Be" 5 4
"Vidalia" 10 7
1997 "Politics, Religion, and Her" 28 47
"Fit to Be Tied Down" 29 49

References
  1. Politics, Religion and Her at AllMusic
  2. Sammy Kershaw Billboard singles at AllMusic
  3. Cannon, Bob. (May 10, 1996) Politics, Religion and Her. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  4. McCall, Michael. "Politics, Religion and Her review". Allmusic. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
  5. Stephens, Larry. "Sammy Kershaw - Politics, Religion and Her". Country Standard Time. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  6. Politics, Religion and Her (CD insert). Sammy Kershaw. Mercury Records. 1996. 314 528 893 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. "Sammy Kershaw Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  8. "Sammy Kershaw Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  9. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  10. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 223–224. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
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