Copy That

Copy That is a studio album by American country artist Sara Evans. The album was released on May 15, 2020 via Born to Fly Records and was produced by Jarrad K. The project was Evans's tenth studio recording and her first album to consist entirely of covers material. A collection of thirteen songs were chosen for the album and it included two additional artists on the album. The album received mixed reviews upon its release.

Copy That
Studio album by
Sara Evans
ReleasedMay 15, 2020 (2020-05-15)
Genre
LabelBorn to Fly
Producer
Sara Evans chronology
Live from City Winery Nashville
(2019)		 Copy That
(2020)
Singles from Copy That
  1. "If I Can't Have You"
    Released: March 20, 2020

Background

Copy That was produced by Evans and Jarrad K. In his previous work, Jarrad K. also produced music by the Goo Goo Dolls and Weezer.[2] Evans was interested in working with him after hearing his production work on Ruston Kelly's album, Dying Star. The pair began a working relationship that also involved assistance from Evans's children in song selection and production.[3] The Evans family and Jarrad K. chose material that was rooted in the music of Evans's childhood. She performed on a regular basis with her brothers and sisters in a covers band, singing a variety of musical genres.[4] "I grew up onstage in bars, doing the 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. shows, covering songs," Evans recalled.[3] Many of the songs she performed as a child were chosen for the album project.[4]

Content

The album consists of 13 tracks containing a variety of musical styles. This includes three country songs, including Hank Williams's "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". In an interview with The Boot Evans commented on the track, "“I've never recorded a Hank Williams song before so I chose, ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.’ That song is completely in my wheelhouse, I am the most comfortable singing that kind of music and it's real old time-y country. Bluegrass-y Patty Loveless kind of style."[5]

The album also includes a covers of Patsy Cline's "She's Got You". The song features guitar work from Evans's oldest child, Avery Barker.[3] Pop music covers are also found on the record. This includes The Pretenders's "Don't Get Me Wrong" and "Come on Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners.[6] Rock covers are also included, such as "6th Avenue Heartache" by The Wallflowers. Evans recorded the track as an ode to the band's session drummer Matt Chamberlain. She first hired Chamberlain for her 2001 album Born to Fly because she liked his drumming on the original record of "6th Avenue Heartache."[4]

On the album, Evans collaborates with artists on several different albums tracks. This includes Phillip Sweet (part of the country group Little Big Town) and Old Crow Medicine Show.[1] Evans commented on her collaboration with the Old Crow Medicine Show in an interview with Billboard about the project. "I'm comfortable singing everything, but that just makes me so happy. We called Old Crow Medicine Show, they were the band for that song, and it just sounds like you're literally stepping back to the 1950s."[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic
Digital JournalA
PopMattersFavorable
Rolling StoneMixed
The TennesseanFavorable

Copy That received a mixture of reviews from critics upon its release. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave the album only 2.5 out of 5 stars. Erlewine questioned Evans's originality as an artist on most of the song selections. "Copy That is a clever title for a covers album, but it also raises the question of whether these new cover versions are mere Xeroxes of the original," he commented. Erlewine did highlight "If I Can't Have You," "It's Too Late" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" as album highlights.[7] Rolling Stone mentioned that some choices of material were "off the wall." Writer Jon Freeman highlighted the tracks "Come on Eileen" and "If I Can't Have You" as examples of this.[6]

Other reviewers praised the effort. Michael Bialas of PopMatters called Copy That, "a popping fresh collection of 13 cover songs that showcase her powerful pipes and broad musical tastes established while she was a child singer from New Franklin, Missouri, playing four-hour shows in her family band."[4] Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal called it "her greatest album to date."[8] Copy That was also reviewed favorably by The Tennessean. Reviewer Matthew Leimkuehler commented that Evans "shines" on the record.[9]

Release and commercial performance

To promote the new release, Evans issued "If I Can't Have You" as the first single. It was released digitally on March 20, 2020.[1][10] "It's got great lyrics. It’s so dramatic: If I can’t have you, I don't want anybody. I've always loved it and something about that song just makes me think of my childhood," Evans said about the song.[2] Before the album's official release, Evans issued three additional tracks for promotion: "Whenever I Call You "Friend"", "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Hard to Say I'm Sorry".[10] The album was officially released on May 15, 2020.[11][3] Copy That was Evans's first studio recording to not chart on the Billboard Top Country Albums list.[12] However, the project did chart on the Billboard Top Album Sales survey, where it reached number 44.[13] It also peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Top Current Album Sales chart.[14]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artist(s)Length
1."If I Can't Have You"
Yvonne Elliman3:10
2."Don't Get Me Wrong"Chrissie HyndeThe Pretenders3:57
3."Come on Eileen"
Dexys Midnight Runners4:05
4."Crazy Love"Rusty YoungPoco3:01
5."Whenever I Call You "Friend"" (featuring Phillip Sweet)
Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks4:07
6."It's Too Late"
Carole King3:35
7."Monday Morning"Lindsey BuckinghamFleetwood Mac2:49
8."All We Ever Do Is Say Goodbye"John MayerJohn Mayer4:36
9."I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (featuring Old Crow Medicine Show)Hank WilliamsHank Williams3:56
10."6th Avenue Heartache"Jakob DylanThe Wallflowers5:52
11."My Sharona"
The Knack3:52
12."She's Got You"Hank CochranPatsy Cline5:01
13."Hard to Say I'm Sorry[lower-alpha 1]"
Chicago5:22

Personnel

All credits are adapted from Genius.[16]

Musical personnel

Technical personnel

  • Matt Combs – strings
  • Sara Evans – producer
  • Jarrad K. – producer

Charts
Chart (2020) Peak
position
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[17] 44
US Current Album Sales (Billboard)[14] 30

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States May 15, 2020
  • Compact disc
  • music download
  • Vinyl
 Born to Fly Records [18][19]

Notes
gollark: What are you
gollark: "He has karma → he must be good"
gollark: He was added 20 hours ago.
gollark: Oh, I ignored the "and 12 more" thing, silly me.
gollark: Wait, where's that list?

References
  1. Reichard, Ryan. "Sara Evans Releasing New Covers Album, Copy That". Taste of Country. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  2. Reuter, Annie. "Sara Evans Unveils New Covers Project 'Copy That' and First Song 'If I Can't Have You': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  3. Freeman, Jon. "Sara Evans Reimagines Her Own Past on Covers Album 'Copy That'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  4. Bialas, Michael. "Safe at Home After Nashville Return, Sara Evans Still Plays to Win With 'Copy That'". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  5. Carr, Courtney. "Sara Evans Announces Release Date for New Covers Project". The Boot. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  6. Betts, Stephen L. "Sara Evans Covers the Pretenders, John Mayer on New Covers Album 'Copy That'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  7. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Copy That -- Sara Evans -- Songs, Reviews, Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  8. Papadatos, Markos. "Review: Sara Evans releases her greatest album to date — 'Copy That'". Digital Journal. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  9. Leimkuehler, Matthew. "Sara Evans spins through the jukebox on her new covers album, 'Copy That': Interview". The Tennessean. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  10. Nicholson, Jessica. "Sara Evans To Release Covers Album 'Copy That' In May". Music Row. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  11. Windsor, Pam. "Singer Sara Evans On Her New 'Copy That' Covers Album". Forbes. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  12. "Sara Evans Chart History (Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  13. "Copy That chart history (Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  14. "Copy That chart history (Current Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  15. Evans, Sara (May 15, 2020). "Copy That (Album Information/Liner Notes)". Born to Fly Records.
  16. "Sara Evans -- Copy That". Genius. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  17. "Sara Evans Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  18. "Copy That by Sara Evans on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  19. "Copy That by Sara Evans on Amazon Music". Amazon. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
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