Joe Stampley - I'm Still Loving You (2024) [Hi-Res]

I'm Still Loving You gets off to a strong start with three songs that were hit singles in 1973-1974: "How Lucky Can One Man Be," "Too Far Gone," and the title track. Stampley left Dot Records for Epic around the time this album was made and his former label issued a string of singles, many drawn from album tracks, to compete with his new Epic recordings. I'm Still Loving You may have been cobbled together from scraps since both the title track and "Too Far Gone" were pulled from Stampley's previous album, Soul Song. Despite the overlap, I'm Still Loving You has some choice moments in "The Weatherman" and "Hello Charlie," both of which come closer to straight country than Stampley's usual Charlie Rich-style country-soul hybrid. "Not Too Long Ago" is a good example of the latter, the product of Stampley's tenure in rock & roll and pop vocal groups before switching to country music. Stampley made some of his best music for Dot Records, and I'm Still Loving You contains nearly a third of his output for the label.

Review by Greg Adams