1979 Lynn Anderson – Outlaw Is Just A State Of Mind

Outlaw Is Just A State Of Mind is the name of the 25th studio album by American country music singer Lynn Anderson, released in 1979.

This was one of Lynn Anderson’s last albums with Columbia, her label for the previous decade. It spawned three successful Top 40 hits for Anderson on country radio. The first single released in early 1979 titled “Isn’t It Always Love” reached No. 10 on the country singles charts, making this Anderson’s first Top 10 hit in five years (she hadn’t reached the Top 10 since 1974 with her No. 1 single, “What a Man My Man Is”). The second single, “I Love How You Love Me”, was a successful Top 20 country hit at No. 18. The third and final single released from the album, titled “Sea of Heartbreak” (a remake of the Don Gibson hit), reached No. 33. The album was a relative commercial success, reaching No. 29 on the “Top Country Albums” chart in 1979.

Outlaw Is Just a State of Mind is sometimes called Anderson’s comeback album since it spawned her first Top 10 hit in a long time. Although the Outlaw theme was very popular at the time, none of the album’s music reflected the Outlaw country theme. The album’s cover was one of the few things that reflected an Outlaw theme in the album, featuring Anderson wearing a fur coat, while holding a silver-colored gun. Instead, the songs sounded more Country-pop, a version of country music that was also very popular at the time, giving country songs a more pop-edged sound it, by adding orchestral instruments and over-produced sound. Anderson’s singles, especially “Isn’t It Always Love”, reflected this theme.