Charlie Rich
had been heading toward full-blown
country-pop
on his previous
Epic
records, but
Behind Closed Doors
is where
Billy Sherrill
pulled out all of the stops and created a heavily orchestrated,
pop
-oriented album. It's to
Rich
's credit that he never sounds like he's drowning amid the grand production and layers of instruments -- in an odd way, he thrives. While
doesn't have the casual eclecticism that distinguished all of
's past recordings, it is an expertly crafted album -- it's easy to see why it made the Silver Fox a superstar. All of the material, from the hit singles (
"Behind Closed Doors,"
"The Most Beautiful Girl,"
"I Take It On Home"
) to the album tracks, are classy songs, designed to appeal to a maturing
country
audience. Furthermore, the arrangements expertly walk the line between
and schmaltz -- the sound of
is the sound of early-'70s
countrypolitan
and numerous artists used the record as a template for their own style.
made better, grittier records, but the combined collaborative effort of the vocalist and
Sherrill
resulted in a seamless, influential work -- even if it is one that earned the scorn of hardcore
purists. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine