Something Inside So Strong is the twenty-first studio album by American country music singer Kenny Rogers, released in 1989. The album includes the singles "When You Put Your Heart in It", "Planet Texas", "The Vows Go Unbroken", "Something Inside So Strong", and "Maybe". Gladys Knight, Anne Murray, Holly Dunn, and Ronald Isley are featured as duet partners. Jim Ed Norman produced the album, with additional production from Steve Dorff on "If I Ever Fall in Love Again".

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

• Kenny Rogers – vocals

• Matt Rollings – acoustic piano (1, 4–9)

• John Barlow Jarvis – acoustic piano (3)

• Jim Ed Norman – acoustic piano (10)

• David Innis – synthesizers (1, 4, 7, 10)

• Phil Naish – synthesizers (1–6, 9, 10)

• Dennis Burnside – synthesizers (2, 8)

• Mike Lawler – synthesizers (3, 4, 7–10)

• Shane Keister – synthesizers (4)

• Edgar Struble – synthesizers (5)

• Randy Kerber – synthesizers (6)

• Carl Marsh – synthesizers (7)

• Steve Gibson – guitars, acoustic guitar (8)

• Michael Landau – guitars (6)

• Dean Parks – guitars (6)

• Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar (8, 10)

• David Hungate – bass (1, 4)

• Michael Rhodes – bass (2, 6–8)

• Willie Weeks – bass (3)

• Mike Brignardello – bass (5, 9)

• Paul Leim – drums

• Jim Horn – saxophone (4, 10)

Background vocalists

• Mark Kibble – backing vocals (1, 4)

• Claude V. McKnight III – backing vocals (1, 2, 4)

• John Andrew Parks III – backing vocals (1)

• David Thomas – backing vocals (1, 2)

• Mervyn Warren – backing vocals (1, 2)

• Alvin Chea – backing vocals (2)

• Vicki Hampton – backing vocals (2)

• First Church Inspirational Choir – choir (2)

• Cleveland and Antoinette Wilson – choir conductors (2)

• Chris Harris – backing vocals (3–5, 7, 9, 10)

• Mark Heimerman – backing vocals (3–5, 10)

• Gary Janney – backing vocals (4, 5, 7, 9, 10)

• Steven Glassmeyer – backing vocals (5)

• Eugene Golden – backing vocals (5)

• Edgar Struble – backing vocals (5)

• Joe Chemay – backing vocals (6)

• Tony Sciuto – backing vocals (6)

• Terry Williams – backing vocals (6)

• Ricky Skaggs – backing vocals (8)

• Sharon White – backing vocals (8)

Duet vocalists

• Gladys Knight – vocals (3)

• Anne Murray – vocals (6)

• Holly Dunn – vocals (9)

• Ronald Isley – featured vocals (10)

Production

• Jim Ed Norman – producer

• Steve Dorff – producer (6)

• Danny Kee – production assistant

• Laura LiPuma – art direction, design

• Empire Studio – front cover photography

• Kelly Junkerman – back cover photography

• David Skernick – background photography

• Ken Kragen – management

Technical credits

• Masterfonics (Nashville, Tennessee) – mastering location

• Glenn Meadows – mastering

• Eric Prestidge – engineer, mastering

• Daniel Johnston – assistant engineer

• James Valentini – assistant engineer

• Joel Bouchillon – additional recording assistant

• Scott Campbell – additional recording assistant

• Robert Charles – additional recording assistant

• Ken Friesen – additional recording assistant

• Jeff Giedt – additional recording assistant

• Lee Groitsch – additional recording assistant

• Brian Hardin – additional recording assistant

• Craig Hansen – additional recording assistant

• John Hurley – additional recording assistant

• John David Parker – additional recording assistant

• Hershey Reeves – additional recording assistant

• Doug Smith – additional recording assistant

• Bart Stevens – additional recording assistant

• Keith Odle – digital editing at GroundStar Laboratories (Nashville, Tennessee)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References