Touch 'Em With Love
by Bobbie Gentry

Bobbie Gentry is probably best known for her unusual single "Ode to Billie Joe", which became a huge hit worldwide in 1967.
"Touch 'em With Love" from 1969 is her fifth album, so things went fast these early years and probably too much strain was put on her as she already in 1981 chose to stop her musical career at the age of only 38. You can only lament this feeling that she must have had lots of intelligent songs waiting up her sleeve; and who knows, maybe there's a treasure trove of unknown waiting to be released.
On "Touch 'em With Love" there are only two original Gentry songs; "Seasons Come, Seasons Go" and "Glory Hallelujah". The former is one of the album's big highlights; a folkish and very melodic catchy songs beautifully and subdued arranged.
Gentry often sounds like the legendary Dusty Springfield and especially on the soul-embossed tracks you could easily confuse the two. People behind her career also tried to brand her as a new blue-eyed soul singer, and with "Son of a Preacher Man" and the title track "Touch 'em With Love", both written by songwriting team Hurley / Wilkins. These two songs are actually done very successfully, Sprigfield's version of "Son of a Preacher Man" is unsurpassed, but Gentry’s comes close. "Touch 'em With Love" is almost just as good.
The high level of these songs, however, is not quite maintained throughout the album and some tracks may seem a bit like filler. It also struggles with the clear musical line, and some tracks are probably more Barbara Streisand than Aretha Franklin. Gentry’s version of Bacharach's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" is quite fine, though, and it actually became one of her biggest hits.