3614 Jackson Highway

3614 Jackson Highway was released in the summer of 1969. It remains Cher's first and last solo studio album for Atco, and was produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin. The cover is a photograph of Cher with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section musicians featured on the album. They are: front row, left to right: guitarist Eddie Hinton, bassist David Hood, Sonny Bono, Cher, producer Jerry Wexler, background vocalist Jeannie Greene, background vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux, and producer Tom Dowd. Back row, left to right: lead guitarist Jimmy Johnson, producer Arif Mardin, drummer Roger Hawkins and keyboardist Barry Beckett. Missing were background vocalists Mary Holiday and Sue Pilkington. The ambitious record was conceived as a way to bring success to Cher, as well as her group Sonny & Cher, after a two-year period of commercial failure. The constant evolution of pop culture left the formulaic nature of Sonny & Cher's musical endeavors obsolete; pop music had continued to transform into a more political style marked by anti-war songs protesting the conflict in Vietnam. For months the duo maintained a nightclub act, but audience response was less than positive. Although the album was largely ignored by the public, critical reception was enthusiastic. Cher's maturing vocals, along with the sophisticated instrumentation and arrangements, garnered praise. In 1968 and 1969 Cher recorded songs for an album with a tentative release in 1970. For unknown reasons the album was cancelled and five of the tracks were released as singles. The remaining five remained unreleased until 2001 when Rhino Records released a limited edition of 3614 Jackson Highway with the unreleased songs as bonus tracks. ==Singles==

"I Walk on Guilded Splinters" was released as a single in June 1969. "For What It's Worth" was released as a single with "(Just Enough To Keep Me) Hangin' On" as its b-side (ATCO Records, 45-6704). Cash Box wrote that Cher's version of the song "proves it as timely today as it was a few years back", highlighting "emphasis on the lyric in a performance that features some excellent Top 40 and FM production touches". Billboard predicted the single would "prove one of Cher's biggest hits", describing her as "in top vocal form in this infectious entry". Cher's cover did not make the Billboard Hot 100 but it did reach #125 in Bubbling Under Hot 100. and #88 in Canada. AllMusic retrospectively called her version "mature [and] forceful". ==Critical reception==

Billboard described the album by Cher as "an impressive collection", wrote that her "brief emotional vocal work gives new meaning to these gems", and called it "her most interesting and therefore her most commercial package in quite some time". Record World wrote that Cher traveled to Muscle Shoals to take advantage of its "marvelous vibrations", and noted that "some mighty fine producers, engineers and musicians" backed her on the album. Cash Box wrote that Cher delivered a "polished set" with "plenty of sales potential", and noted that the album's selection of tunes is "especially impressive". In a retrospective review Mark Deming of AllMusic wrote that Cher recorded "arguably the finest album of her career", adding that the record "still sounds like a revelation four decades after it was released". ==Track listing==

• Cher – lead vocals • Jimmy Johnson – rhythm guitar • Eddie Hinton – lead guitar • Barry Beckett – keyboards • David Hood – bass guitar • Roger Hawkins – drums • Jeanie Greene, Donna Jean Godchaux (née Thatcher), Mary Holladay, Sue Pilkington – backing vocalists Production • Jerry Wexler – record producer • Tom Dowd – record producer • Arif Mardin – record producer • Stan Vincent – record producer • Greg Poree – arrangement assistance Design • Stephen Paley – photography • Bryan Lasley – art direction • Patrick Pending – art direction == Charts ==