For as long as it has been written, “Love Like This” has been a hit waiting to happen. It was composed by the same trio of writers behind “Safe in the Arms of Love”, and both songs were originally recorded by Kennedy Rose, a duo made up of two of those writers.
BlackHawk first recorded it on their Arista debut album, which spawned five hits. “Love Like This” was going to be a single as well, until Carlene Carter released her own version to radio, which failed to make much of an impact.
BlackHawk’s original recording was much livelier than the new one, which lacks the exuberance of most recordings of the song. It’s still worth hearing, as “Love Like This” remains one of country music’s least known gems. But use it as a gateway to the original recordings, rather than a substitute for them.
Written by Pat Bunch, Mary Kennedy and Pam Rose
Grade: B-
Listen: Love Like This
I mis Van Stevenson. His voice gave the group body that is lacking now that he’s gone. One of the things that I loved about Blackhawk is that distinctive harmony that he, Dave Robbins and Henry Paul created. They sounded like a vocal group.