Whoever's in New England

This article is about the album. For the song, see Whoever's in New England (song).

Whoever's in New England
Studio album by Reba McEntire
Released	February 10, 1986
Recorded	October–November 1985
Studio	Sound Stage Studio (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Country
Length	31:43
Label	MCA
Producer	Jimmy Bowen Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire chronology
Reba Nell McEntire (1986) Whoever's in New England (1986) What Am I Gonna Do About You (1986)
Singles from Whoever's in New England
"Whoever's in New England" Released: January 27, 1986 "Little Rock" Released: June 2, 1986

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Whoever's in New England is the tenth studio album of American country music artist Reba McEntire released on February 10, 1986, through MCA Nashville. It is her first #1 album on the Billboard country albums chart, producing two singles that were #1 country hits: "Whoever's in New England" and "Little Rock".

The album's phenomenal success proved to be a turning point in McEntire's career. It was the singer's first platinum record, and solidified her new superstardom when she was named the 'Entertainer of the Year' by the Country Music Association in autumn 1986.

The album also marked another milestone, McEntire made her first music video for the title track.^[2] Eventually, McEntire would become known for her 'mini-movie'-styled music videos.

"I've Seen Better Days" was originally recorded as a duet by George Jones & Tammy Wynette on their 1976 album, Golden Ring.

Promotion

Singles

The title track "Whoever's in New England" served as the album's lead single and was released on January 27, 1986. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart.^[3] "Whoever's in New England" was McEntire's first music video, is considered as one of her signature and breakthrough singles, and she won her first Grammy for it.

"Little Rock" was released as the second single on June 2, 1986. It peaked at number 1 the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Can't Stop Now"	Gary Nicholson Wendy Waldman	2:52
2.	"You Can Take the Wings Off Me"	Troy Seals Eddie Setser	3:36
3.	"Whoever's in New England"	Kendal Franceschi Quentin Powers	3:21
4.	"I'll Believe It When I Feel It"	Chris Waters Tom Shapiro Bucky Jones	2:38
5.	"I've Seen Better Days"	Red Lane Danny Morrison	3:46
6.	"Little Rock"	Pat McManus Bob DiPiero Gerry House	3:07
7.	"If You Only Knew"	Diana Rae Jane Mariash	3:03
8.	"One Thin Dime"	Jackson Leap Michael P. Heeney	2:31
9.	"Don't Touch Me There"	Heeney	3:14
10.	"To Make That Same Mistake Again"	Roger Murrah Richard Leigh	2:24

Personnel

Vocals

• Reba McEntire – lead and backing vocals
• Pake McEntire – backing vocals
• Karen Staley – backing vocals

Musicians

Matt Betton – drums Randy "Snuffy" Elmore – fiddle Johnny Gimble – fiddle John Hobbs – pianos, keyboards David Hungate – bass guitar

Weldon Myrick – steel guitar Leigh Reynolds – acoustic guitar Billy Joe Walker Jr. – acoustic guitar, electric guitar Reggie Young – electric guitar

Production

Chuck Ainlay – mixing Jimmy Bowen – producer Bob Bullock – overdub recording Mark J. Coddington – second engineer Chip Hardy – overdub recording Russ Martin – second engineer

Reba McEntire – producer Glenn Meadows – mastering Keith Odle – second engineer Robbie Rose – second engineer Ron Treat – recording engineer

Imagery Camille Brown – design Simon Levy – art direction Jim McGuire – photography

Studios The Castle (Franklin, Tennessee) – mixing location Masterfonics (Nashville, Tennessee) – mastering location

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1986) Peak position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[4] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1986) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[5] 8

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions
		US Country[6]	CAN Country[7]
1986	"Whoever's in New England"	1	3
	"Little Rock"	1	2

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Allmusic review
2. "Reba McEntire Biography". Biography.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
3. "RPM Country Singles" (PDF). RPM. Toronto: RPM Music Publications. June 21, 1986. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
4. "Reba McEntire Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
5. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
6. "Reba McEntire - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
7. "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
8. "American album certifications – Reba Mc Entire – in New England". Recording Industry Association of America.