The Way I Feel (Bill Anderson album)

The Way I Feel was produced by Anderson himself in collaboration with Sabino Allegrini, Rex Schnelle and Mike Toppins. Both musicians had previously produced records with Anderson.[2] The project was a collection of ten tracks, all of which Anderson had a hand in writing.[1] To facilitate the writing process, he collaborated with Buddy Cannon, Melba Montgomery and Jon Randall. "When I first started this co-writing thing, back in the mid-’90s, man, I went nuts. I thought, ’Well, shoot, I want to write every day'," he recalled. Among the featured songs is the tune "Whiskey Lullaby", which he co-wrote with Randall.[1] The song had first been cut by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss and became a major hit in 2004.[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

The Way I Feel was released on June 14, 2005 via Anderson's own label (TWI Records). It was distributed with the help of the Varèse Sarabande recording company.[2] It was originally released as a compact disc.[4] The album did not chart on any publication at the time of its release, including Billboard.[5] The album spawned one single in 2005 called "Him and Me".[3] The single did not chart on any Billboard publications as well, including the Hot Country Songs chart.[6]

The Way I Feel was reviewed by Al Campbell of Allmusic, who gave the effort 3.5 out of 5 stars. Campbell praised the album's sound, which he called a "contemporary country" style. He also praised the album's various songwriting pairings. "The Way I Feel may not be the first "Whispering Bill" disc to purchase, but it does justice to Bill Anderson's massive catalog, which has endured for over four decades," he concluded.[1]

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Way I Feel and Allmusic.[2][7]

Musical personnel

• Bill Anderson – lead vocals
• Rustie Blue – guest artist
• Chip Davis – background vocals
• Glen Duncan – fiddle
• James Freeze – bass
• Donna Hammitt – dobro, steel guitar
• Cotton Payne – drums
• Buck Reid – steel guitar
• Tammy Rogers – fiddle
• Gail Rudisill-Johnson – fiddle
• Rex Schnelle – background vocals, banjo, bass, drums, dulcimer, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, mandolin
• Lester Earl Singer – acoustic guitar, banjo
• Mike Toppins – background vocals, dobro, steel guitar, keyboards
• Kenzie Wetz – background vocals, fiddle

Technical personnel

• Sabino Allegrini – producer
• Bill Anderson – audio production, producer
• Anthony "Ziggy" Johnson – mastering
• Cary E. Mansfield – audio production
• Ron Modra – cover photo
• Bill Pitzonka – art direction
• Rex Schnelle – mixing, producer
• Mike Toppins – mixing, producer