Heartland (The Judds album)

Heartland is the third studio album by American country music duo The Judds, released on February 3, 1987 by RCA Records. It features the singles "Don't Be Cruel" (the Elvis Presley song), "Maybe Your Baby's Got The Blues", "Turn It Loose", and "I Know Where I'm Going". The album was released in Europe under the title Give a Little Love and featured six bonus tracks. It reached number 1 on England's country albums chart in 1987, soon after The Judds toured there.^[1]

Heartland
Studio album by The Judds
Released	February 2, 1987
Studio	Creative Workshop (Berry Hill, Tennessee)
Genre	Country
Length	32:36
Label	RCA Victor
Producer	Brent Maher
The Judds chronology
Rockin' with the Rhythm (1985) Heartland (1987) Christmas Time with the Judds (1987)
Singles from Heartland
"Don't Be Cruel" Released: January 1987 "I Know Where I'm Going" Released: April 27, 1987 "Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues" Released: August 17, 1987 "Turn It Loose" Released: January 9, 1988

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

Billboard reviewed the album in the issue dated February 7, 1987. The review said, "With each new outing, the Judds become more vocally adventurous and more eager to assert their delicate mastery over wide-ranging material, new and old. This album–as mournfully country as "The Sweetest Gift" and as airily jazzy as "Cow Cow Boogie"–floats confidently just above grasping tentacles of format. Maher relies almost totally on acoustic backing to trace and emphasize the Judds' vocal beauty; Heartland has all the elements to earn the Judds universal acceptance."^[3]

Cashbox published a review of the album in the February 28, 1987 issue which said, "The names under these cuts are a testament in themselves to the star power the mama/daughter duo now possesses: Don Schlitz, Craig Bickhardt, Brent Maher, KT. Oslin, Troy Seals — and on and on. There are some standouts in the crowd nonetheless, including "Turn It Loose", "Old Pictures", and the citified, tongue-in-cheek "Cow Cow Boogie". And, men, you don't need Dr. Ruth–just listen to "Maybe Your Baby’s Got The Blues"."^[4]

Thom Jurek of AllMusic rated the album three out of five starts. He felt the album "walks a thin line between roots rock and mainstream country," but criticized it as sounding "a tad uneven...because the great songs...outshine the ballads." He concluded that this "doesn't make [it] a bad or substandard record in any way, just one that creates a tension within itself that remains unresolved."^[2]

Track listing

Heartland track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Don't Be Cruel"	Otis Blackwell Elvis Presley	2:28
2.	"I'm Falling in Love Tonight"	Craig Bickhardt Brent Maher Don Potter	3:44
3.	"Turn It Loose"	Bickhardt Maher Don Schlitz	3:43
4.	"Old Pictures"	Jerry Gillespie K.T. Oslin	4:29
5.	"Cow Cow Boogie"	Benny Carter Gene de Paul Don Raye	3:31
6.	"Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues"	Graham Lyle Troy Seals	3:31
7.	"I Know Where I'm Going"	Bickhardt, Maher, Schlitz	3:38
8.	"Why Don't You Believe Me"	Maher Potter Schlitz	3:27
9.	"The Sweetest Gift (A Mother's Smile)"	James B. Coats	3:53

UK Give a Little Love bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"Give a Little Love to Me"	Bickhardt Potter Maher	3:04
11.	"Had a Dream (For the Heart)"	Dennis Linde	3:10
12.	"John Deere Tractor"	Lawrence Hammond	3:28
13.	"Isn't He a Strange One"	Kent Robbins	3:25
14.	"Blue Nun Cafe"	Harlan Howard Maher	2:27
15.	"Change of Heart"	Naomi Judd	3:28

• Note: Track 10 is previously unreleased, while tracks 11–15 are taken from the 1984 EP Wynonna & Naomi.

Personnel

The Judds

• Naomi Judd – vocals
• Wynonna Judd – vocals

Additional Musicians

• Bobby Ogdin – organ, piano
• Craig Bickhardt, Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Don Potter – acoustic guitar
• Sonny Garrish – pedal steel guitar, dobro
• Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson – harmonica
• Craig Nelson – acoustic bass, bass guitar
• Jack Williams – bass guitar
• David Schnaufer – dulcimer
• Eddie Bayers – drums
• Farrell Morris – percussion
• The Jordanaires – backing vocals on "Don't Be Cruel"
• Emmylou Harris – duet vocals on "The Sweetest Gift (A Mother's Smile)

Production

• Produced & Mixed by Brent Maher
• Engineered by Brent Maher, Joe Funderburk & Jim McKell
• Mastered by Glenn Meadows

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1987) Peak position Canadian Albums (RPM) 40 US Billboard 200[5] 52 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[6] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1987) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[7] 6 Chart (1988) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[8] 17

References

1. Hurst, Jack (March 26, 1987). "On the Record". Chicago Tribune. p. 12.
2. "Heartland - The Judds". AllMusic. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
3. "Reviews // Albums // Spotlight" (PDF). World Radio History. Billboard. February 7, 1987. p. 70. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
4. "Country // Album Reviews" (February 28, 1987). World Radio History. Cashbox. p. 36. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
5. "The Judds Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
6. "The Judds Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
7. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1987". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
8. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1988". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2021.