 Various Artists After years of argument, here's something we can all agree on: a solid compilation of country hits. This CD is a perfect starting point for those who have always vaguely feared country music while jealously eyeing its wares. Most of these songs have entered our cultural vocabulary (definitely our musical vocabulary), yet a lot of them are not widely played now that radio has become so slick and segmented. Patsy Cline's rerecording of "I Fall To Pieces" opens the set, and while it is certainly a lesser version compared to her original, it's actually welcome since it's more seldom heard. Glen Campbell's incredible masterpiece, "Wichita Lineman," is track two, negated by Bobby Goldsboro's awful "Honey" (which is still listenable compared to a lot of the recent country stars). Other classics: Buck Owens "Act Naturally," Bobbie Gentry "Ode to Billie Joe," Roger Miller "King of the Road," Jimmy Dean "Big Bad John" … all well-deserving of their reputations and all deserving of another listen. The non-mammoth-hits are even better: "Good Time Charlie's" by Del Reeves, "Let The World Keep On A Turnin'" by Buck Owens and Buddy Alan. The lesser songs, like Tennessee Ernie Ford's utterly forgettable "Hicktown," work in contributing to the hip atmosphere and well-programmed flow to the CD. Highly recommended for the bleary-eyed redneck in all of us, or any aficionado of purely good songwriting.
Review by Jo Ann Glans |