Dick Curless - Hard, Hard Traveling Man [Bear Family] (CD)

All Music Guide

This four CD box set picks up where Bear Family's previous seven disc collection, Tombstone Every Mile, felt off. While the previous set covered his career from 1948 with the Trailblazers though his solo and big hit years in 1970. Hard, Hard Traveling Man begins with his label deal for Capitol in 1970s and continues through to them dropping him in 1973. While Curless didn't score as big during those years, he still nailed a a pair of top forty spots, and recorded very powerful trucker and honky tonk anthemsthe Maine native wasn't a bad ballad singer either. A rugged traditionalist, Curless' brand of country faded by the time of the Outlaw movement though he would have fit directly into their ranks. The big surprise here is the final disc, a collection of previously unissued sides that were demoed on acoustic guitar for the label and left in the vaultsalong with many alternate takes and mixes. It's a very intimate look at one of the more overlookedcriminally sofigures in the golden era ...of the genre. - Thom Jurek, All Music Guide Read more Less