D-I-V-O-R-C-E
Producer Billy Sherrill often referred to the "teardrop" in Wynette's voice, and that teardrop is in all its glory on this 1968 album. Bobby Braddock's title track became one of her two most memorable numbers (she'd follow it up with the other, "Stand By Your Man," soon after). The heart-wrenching vulnerability in her voice comes through on each of those seven letters.  Other tearjerkers include Don Gibson's "Sweet Dreams," her husband Don Chapel's "All Night Long," and the Beatles' "Yesterday." Some dated studio effects from the period show through--the distorted guitar on Merle Haggard's "Legend of Bonnie and Clyde," for instance--but this album remains a perfect example of her gentle countrypolitan sound.--Marc Greilsamer