Tennessee Ernie Ford - EP Collection...Plus (CD)

All Music Guide

Tennessee Ernie Ford's EP Collection...Plus is a boon to collectors since most of the songs appear on CD for the first time. Potential buyers might not realize it by reading the track list, though, because of the numerous familiar titles. With only a few exceptions, the apparently common tracks are actually re-recordings from the late '50s, many of which were given rock roll overhauls. "Sixteen Tons '65" is the most dramatic example, featuring an energetic vocal performance over a "Peter Gunn Theme" guitar riff. The material isn't entirely -- or even mostly -- rock-oriented; there are gospel songs, a jazzy version of the Delmore Brothers' "Browns Ferry Blues," and acoustic treatments of "Born to Lose" and "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" in the style to which Ford returned with the Ernie Sings Glen Picks album in 1975. The four bonus tracks have been reissued elsewhere with the exception of the hilarious "Fatback, Louisiana."

- Greg Adams, All Music Guide