Rumor Has It (CD - 1990)

Personnel: Reba McEntire (vocals); Steve Gibson (guitar, mandolin); Dann Huff (electric guitar); Steve Fishell (steel guitar); Jon Jarvis, Matt Rollings (keyboards); Kirk Cappello (synthesizer); Michael Rhodes (bass); Edgar Meyer (arco bass); Larrie Londin (drums).

Personnel: Reba McEntire (vocals, background vocals); Steve Gibson (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin); Dann Huff (electric guitar); Steve Fishell (steel guitar); Matt Rollings, John Jarvis (keyboards); Kirk Cappello (synthesizer); Larrie Londin (drums); Paula Kaye Wallace, Harry Stinson, Suzy Wills, Vicki Hampton, Vince Gill, Kim Fleming, Bob Bailey, Yvonne Hodges (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: John Guess.

Recording information: Emerald Studio.

Photographers: Paul Elledge; McGuire.

Despite the oddly Greta Garbo-like look Reba McEntire affects on the album cover, RUMOR HAS IT is a straightforward early '90s mainstream country album. In addition to a few co-written tunes, including the soaring opener and first single "Climb That Mountain High," and a handful of tunes from the Music Row songwriting factory, RUMOR HAS IT allows McEntire to cover a few obscure old favorites. Jesse Winchester's folky singer-songwriter gem "You Remember Me" is given a heartfelt reading, but the album's highlight is an absolutely fabulous reading of Bobbie Gentry's "Fancy"--a story song about a woman looking back on her dirt-poor upbringing and subsequent life as a high-class prostitute. The key to "Fancy" is that the narrator is proud of how her life has turned out, and McEntire sings the somewhat over-the-top lyrics with a mix of sly humor and flinty resolve that fits perfectly with the character. It's one of McEntire's most entertaining covers, and a highlight on a somewhat overlooked album. minimize