Shot Through the Heart

by Jennifer Warnes

Overview

Having compromised on her Arista debut and gotten a hit single for her trouble, Jennifer Warnes took charge of the recording of her second Arista album, co-producing it and writing three songs, including the title track. It was hard to miss the point when Warnes covered Dionne Warwick's 1963 hit "Don't Make Me Over" (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David) that she was finished with having people tell her what to do. On her own, her taste was impeccable, her song choices including the work of Jesse Winchester, Bob Dylan, and Stephen Foster, and her own songwriting was good, too. She also managed to satisfy the commercial expectations aroused by her previous album, with "I Know a Heartache When I See One" rising into the country Top Ten and the pop and adult contemporary Top 40. (She also made it into all three charts with "Don't Make Me Over" and into the pop and AC charts with "When the Feeling Comes Around.") She proved an adept producer, achieving a smooth pop/rock sound. With session stars like Andrew Gold aboard, Warnes succeeded in making what sounded like the great lost Linda Ronstadt album. Granted, she handled strong material like Dylan's "Sign on the Window" better than Ronstadt could, but Ronstadt had originated this kind of '70s L.A. country/pop/rock style, and it was impossible to do it without sounding like you were copying her. Maybe that was why, despite three chart singles, the album wasn't a big commercial success. In turn, the disappointing sales may have injured Warnes' relationship with Arista. Instead of releasing another new album, Arista followed with a best-of, and Warnes didn't release another new album until 1987. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	11/04/2016
Label:	Bgo
UPC:	5017261212641
Rank:	57711

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jennifer Warnes   Primary Artist,Vocals,Keyboards
Andrew Gold   Drums,Guitar,Keyboards,Bass
Blondie Chaplin   Guitar,Vocals
Bob Glaub   Drums
Bill Elliott   Piano
Kenny Edwards   Vocals,Keyboards
Doug Livingston   Piano
Walt Richmond   Keyboards
Denny Seiwell   Drums
Mark Olson   Keyboards
Penny Nichols   Vocals
Marty Grebb   Keyboards
Mike Finnigan   Vocals
Abraham Laboriel, Sr.   Bass
Brock Walsh   Vocals,Keyboards
Howard "Buzz" Feiten   Guitar
Rob Fraboni   Vocals
Jim Gordon   Drums
Ricky Fataar   Drums
Chico Goldsmith   Percussion
Brian Russell   Vocals

Technical Credits

Bob Dylan   Composer
Kerry Chater   Composer
Stephen Foster   Composer
Charlie Black   Composer
Leo Sayer   Composer
Jennifer Warnes   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Jesse Winchester   Composer
Tom Snow   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra   Arranger
Hal David   Composer
Rob Fraboni   Producer
Rick Cunha   Composer