View source for What I'm Cut Out to Be

{{Infobox album
| name       = What I'm Cut Out to Be
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Dottie West]]
| cover      = Dottie West-What I'm Cut Out to Be.jpg
| released   = {{start date|1968|03}}
| recorded   = November 1967
| studio     = [[RCA Studio B]] (Nashville, Tennessee)
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Country music|Country]]|[[Nashville Sound]]<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web |title=''What I'm Cut Out to Be'' -- Dottie West -- Songs, Reviews, Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/what-im-cut-out-to-be-mw0000859738 |website=[[Allmusic]] |accessdate=3 May 2020}}</ref>}}
| label      = [[RCA Records|RCA Victor]]
| producer   = [[Chet Atkins]]
| prev_title = [[I'll Help You Forget Her]]
| prev_year  = 1967
| next_title = [[Country Girl (Dottie West album)|Country Girl]]
| next_year  = 1968
}}
'''''What I'm Cut Out to Be''''' is a studio album by American [[country music]] artist [[Dottie West]] featuring the title song written by [[Red Lane]]. It was released in March 1968 on [[RCA Records|RCA Victor Records]] and was produced by [[Chet Atkins]]. It was West's eighth studio recording issued during her career. The album was a collection of new recordings and cover versions. The album did however reach peak positions on national publication charts at the time of its release.

==Background and content==
''What I'm Cut Out to Be'' was recorded in November 1967 at [[RCA Studio B]], a venue where West had cut most of her 1960's sessions. The album was produced by [[Chet Atkins]].<ref name="Liner Notes">{{cite journal |last1=West |first1=Dottie |title=''What I'm Cut Out to Be'' (Liner Notes/Album Information) |journal=[[RCA Victor]] |date=March 1968 |id=LSP-3932}}</ref> Atkins crafted the album in the [[Nashville Sound]] style of country music. The album itself consisted of 11 tracks.<ref name="Allmusic"/> Some of the album's tracks were cover versions of songs first recorded by others. Many of the tracks were covers of songs by country artists. However some were covers of [[pop music|pop]] recordings. Among its pop covers was [[Roy Orbison]]'s "Crying", the final track on the record. It also includes a recording of [[Tammy Wynette]]'s "[[I Don't Wanna Play House]]". Several of the compositions, including the title track, was composed by songwriter [[Red Lane]]. Lane had also written the album's liner notes. "''What I'm Cut Out to Be'' is the understatement of the decade for Dottie West. She is the ultimate of the word 'talent'," Lane wrote.<ref name="Liner Notes"/>

==Release and reception==
''What I'm Cut Out to Be'' was officially released in March 1968 on RCA Victor Records. It became West's eighth studio album at the time of its release. It was originally issued as a [[gramophone record|vinyl LP]], containing six songs on "side one" and five songs on "side two" of the record.<ref name="Liner Notes"/> It was later re-released to digital and streaming retailers in 2018 by [[Sony Music Entertainment]].<ref name="Amazon">{{cite web |title=''What I'm Cut Out to Be'' by Dottie West on Amazon Music |url=https://www.amazon.com/What-Im-Cut-Out-Be/dp/B07BGSLX5K/ref=tmm_msc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= |website=[[Amazon (website)|Amazon]] |accessdate=3 May 2020}}</ref> The record spent 11 weeks on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Top Country Albums]] chart before peaking at number 18 in June 1968. ''What I'm Cut Out to Be'' became West's sixth album to make the latter chart.<ref>{{cite web |title=''What I'm Cut Out to Be'' chart history |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/dottie-west/chart-history/clp/ |website=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |accessdate=3 May 2020}}</ref> No singles were released or included from the project.<ref name="whitburn">{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc.|year=2008|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}}</ref> Upon its release, ''What I'm Cut Out to Be'' received positive reception from ''Billboard'' magazine in their March 1968 issue. "Dottie's vocals are full of heart and style and they really cause a lump in the throat," staff writers said. They also highlighted the album tracks "My Baby's Gone" and "Where Love Is".<ref>{{cite journal |title=Album Reviews |journal=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=March 2, 1968 |volume=80 |issue=9 |page=66}}</ref>

==Track listing==
===Original vinyl version===
{{tracklist
| headline        = Side one<ref name="Liner Notes"/>
| title1          = What I'm Cut Out to Be
| writer1         = [[Red Lane]]
| length1         = 2:14
| title2          = Where Love Is
| writer2         = Dee Moeller
| length2         = 2:13
| title3          = [[Catch the Wind]]
| writer3         = [[Donovan]]
| length3         = 2:14
| title4          = My Baby's Gone
| writer4         = Hazel Houser
| length4         = 2:26
| title5          = Look What You're Doing
| writer5         = {{hlist|Moeller|[[Curly Putman]]}}
| length5         = 3:07
| title6          = [[It's Over (Jimmie Rodgers song)|It's Over]]
| writer6         = [[Jimmie Rodgers (pop singer)|Jimmie Rodgers]]
| length6         = 2:37
}}
{{tracklist
| headline        = Side two<ref name="Liner Notes"/>
| title1          = [[Before the Next Teardrop Falls (song)|Before the Next Teardrop Falls]]
| writer1         = {{hlist|Vivian Keith|[[Ben Peters]]}}
| length1         = 2:46
| title2          = [[I Don't Wanna Play House]]
| writer2         = {{hlist|[[Billy Sherrill]]|[[Glenn Sutton]]}}
| length2         = 2:40
| title3          = A Handful
| writer3         = Lane
| length3         = 2:27
| title4          = [[If You Go Away]]
| writer4         = {{hlist|[[Jacques Brel]]|[[Rod McKuen]]}}
| length4         = 4:20
| title5          = [[Crying (Roy Orbison song)|Crying]]
| writer5         = {{hlist|[[Joe Melson]]|[[Roy Orbison]]}}
| length5         = 2:39
}}

===Digital version===
{{tracklist
| headline        = ''What I'm Cut Out to Be'' (2018)<ref name="Amazon"/>
| title1          = What I'm Cut Out to Be
| writer1         =Lane
| length1         = 2:14
| title2          = Where Love Is
| writer2         = Dee Moeller
| length2         = 2:13
| title3          = Catch the Wind
| writer3         = Donovan
| length3         = 2:14
| title4          = My Baby's Gone
| writer4         = Houser
| length4         = 2:26
| title5          = Look What You're Doing
| writer5         = {{hlist|Moeller|Putman}}
| length5         = 3:07
| title6          = It's Over
| writer6         = Rodgers
| length6         = 2:37
| title7          = Before the Next Teardrop Falls
| writer7         = {{hlist|Keith|Peters}}
| length7         = 2:46
| title8          = I Don't Wanna Play House
| writer8         = {{hlist|Sherrill|Sutton}}
| length8         = 2:40
| title9          = A Handful
| writer9         = Lane
| length9         = 2:27
| title10         = If You Go Away
| writer10        = {{hlist|Brel|McKuen}}
| length10        = 4:20
| title11         = Crying
| writer11        = {{hlist|Melson|Orbison}}
| length11        = 2:39
}}

==Personnel==
All credits are adapted from the [[liner notes]] of ''What I'm Cut Out to Be''.<ref name="Liner Notes"/>

'''Musical personnel'''
* [[Harold Bradley (guitarist)|Harold Bradley]] – [[guitar]]
* [[Jerry Carrigan]] – [[drums]]
* [[Floyd Cramer]] – [[piano]]
* [[Ray Edenton]] – guitar
* [[Buddy Harman]] – drums
* Roy Huskey – [[bass (instrument)|bass]]
* [[The Jordanaires]] – background vocals
* [[Grady Martin]] – guitar
* [[Charlie McCoy]] – [[harmonica]], [[vibraphone|vibes]]
* [[Bob Moore (musician)|Bob Moore]] – bass
* [[Wayne Moss]] – guitar
* [[Henry Strzelecki]] – bass
* Bill West – [[steel guitar]]
* Dottie West – lead vocals

'''Technical personnel'''
* Chet Atkins – producer
* Red Lane – liner notes
* [[Jim Malloy (recording engineer)|Jim Malloy]] – engineering
* Cam Mullins – arrangement

==Chart performance==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1968)
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
|-
{{album chart|BillboardCountry|18|artist=Dottie West|rowheader=true|date=20200121|accessdate=May 3, 2020}}
|-
|}

==Release history==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col"| Region
!scope="col"| Date
!scope="col"| Format
!scope="col"| Label
!scope="col"| Ref.
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| North America
| March 1968
| Vinyl
| RCA Victor
| <ref name="Liner Notes"/>
|-
| April 6, 2018
| Music download
| [[Sony Music Entertainment]]
| <ref name="Amazon"/>
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Dottie West}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1968 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Chet Atkins]]
[[Category:Dottie West albums]]
[[Category:RCA Records albums]]