to include gospel recordings on her secular albums. This would remain a theme throughout her career. In 1968 and 1969, RCA Victor released the studio LP's, Sunshine and Rain, Back in Baby's Arms and Connie's Country. These recordings yielded a cover of Marty Robbins's "Ribbon of Darkness". Smith's version reached the top 20 of the Billboard country singles chart. In Canada, "Ribbon of Darkness" became her first song to top their RPM Country chart. Entering the 1970s, Smith made the top ten of the North American country charts with less frequency, but continued having commercial success. The singles "You and Your Sweet Love" and "I Never Once Stopped Loving You" (both penned by Bill Anderson) made the Billboard country top ten in 1970. Her fifteenth studio LP of the same name was also released in 1970 and made the top 20 of the Billboard country albums chart. During this period, Smith also teamed up with country singer-songwriter Nat Stuckey to record two duet studio albums. The idea was crafted by Smith's producer (Bob Ferguson) and Stuckey's producer (Felton Jarvis). Both men thought the artists' voices would "blend well". The duo's first duet sessions produced a cover of Sonny James's "Young Love", which reached the top 20 of the Billboard country songs chart. Their first album of the same name featured covers of country and pop songs of the era. In an effort for Smith record more gospel music, the duo cut a spiritual-themed LP in 1970 titled Sunday Morning with Nat Stuckey and Connie Smith. Christian radio programs often opened their shows with the duo's gospel music, which influenced RCA to release "If God Is Dead (Who's That Living in My Soul)" as a single in 1970. The song peaked in the lower reaches of the Billboard country chart. Journalists and writers took notice of Smith's RCA work following 1968. Biographer and writer Barry Mazor found that Smith's recordings had "a new delicacy of phrasing that shows itself". Mazor also found her albums to have more distinctive qualities, calling 1970s I Never Once Stopped Loving You to be "one of her most consistent and strongest albums". AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised Smith's recordings between 1968 and 1972, highlighting the strength of her vocals: "She may have been given some of the best songs, but the thing is, she deserved them: few others could give them grace and soul, as this