Reviews Written by Brian
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January 27, 2002
Quit throwing stones in your glass house
2 of 3 Yahoo! Users found this review helpful I'm a classic country fan at heart. I've listened to country music all my life (30 years) and heard the greats, from George Jones and Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn to the greats of today, including Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. They all have varying styles, which range from traditional country to country pop. I enjoy it all. Which leads me to Shania Twain. As a classic country music fan, I am unashamed and unapologetic when I say, I LIKE SHANIA TWAIN!!! Let me repeat myself...I, a classic country music fan, LIKE SHANIA TWAIN and her music! I get so upset when I see what has bordered on abusive comments directed at Shania and similar artists (particularly Faith Hill and others), when country stars of yesterday who included major elements of pop music in their music (e.g., Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold) are hailed as heroes. Not that there's anything wrong with the Tennessee Plowbow or Mr. Reeves' music; I think they put out some of the greatest country ever. But if you're going to rake Shania over hot coals, then perhaps some other singers who are hailed as traditional country heroes ought to be placed on the barbecue, too. Gee, whiz, that's a shame--poor Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold (and a few others) would be persecuted by the classic country fans if they were in their prime today! As for "Come On Over," Shania is at the top of her game. Yes, I'll admit Shania's music is country-pop, but I agree with Entertainment Weekly's assessment--these songs are country music at heart. The steel guitars and fiddles are prominent on several tracks, including "Love Gets Me Every Time" (my personal favorite and Shania's biggest hit, not to mention the No. 1 country song of 1997). One final note to the Shania-bashers: There indeed is a pop album by Shania Twain called "Come On Over" now being marketed; it's the International Version with different cover art and the country instrumentation eliminated (plus several songs remixed). Don't bash Shania unless you've honestly and truly listened to her songs. I'm sure if you gave it an effort, you'd like what you'll hear. Congratulations, Shania, for giving the world a song. You deserve every bit of success you've gotten. ... -
January 27, 2002
A must for Waylon fans!
Waylon Jennings remains one of country music's all-time greatest singers. Mixing elements of country, rockabilly and blues, he created a unique sound that helped define the Outlaw movement during the 1970s. This album is proof of his greatness, with 40 of his biggest RCA Records-era recordings included (including some that have never been on CD before). He moved on to MCA, Columbia and later, back to RCA records. While his music remained his own, it never seemed to have the same magic his original RCA recordings did -- and what magic they had. Waylon has box sets and greatest hits albums, but this 2-CD set (part of the "RCA Legends" series) is undoubtedly the best. Now, if country radio would only play the Trick Pony song "Big River" featuring Ol' Waylon and Johnny Cash... ... -
January 26, 2002
A must for Charly fans
Charly McClain added definite sex appeal to country music in the late 1970s and on through the mid-1980s. Many considered her an ultra-hot babe, and looking at the photo gallery included with this CD, it's easy to see why.
Charly also provided a distinctive voice to country during that era -- from longing for love and finding true love to commitment and heartbreak. She connected well with her fans young and old, through songs such as "Dancing Your Memory Away," "With You," "Sleeping With the Radio On" and "Radio Heart" (the latter one of three No. 1 hits in her career).
Her duets with Mickey Gilley (including another No. 1 hit, 1983's "Paradise Tonight") and husband Wayne Massey (most notably, 1985's "With Just One Look in Your Eyes") are on here too.
The most notable inclusion? Her original No. 1 hit recording of "Who's Cheatin' Who" from 1981. That stood as the definitive, until Alan Jackson released his distinctive version in 1997 and made it all his own. But Charly's song still shines brightly compared to Alan's version.
There's plenty to like and love on this 2-CD set from one of country music's most popular and beautiful singers of the 1980s. ... -
January 26, 2002
Complete with a sex-appeal photo on the
"Certified Hits" is one in a line of CDs to cover Crystal Gayle's years at United Artists (now Capitol) Records. The big hits are all here, with the most notable being her 1977 country-pop smash hit "Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue."
Crystal Gayle fans will definitely enjoy this CD, one of several packagings which incorporate her 1970s hits (how many of them were there at last count?) into a greatest-hits package.
And hey, who can't miss that great photo of Crystal at her most beautiful on the cover? ... -
January 26, 2002
Very enjoyable hits package
I'll admit it--Martina McBride has grown on me. She has some of the best set of vocal cords of any country music artists out there today. This girl knows how to sing (and is wonderfully beautiful too).
I have really gotten to love her (as of this writing) new song, "Blessed," which is one of four newly-recorded tracks for this CD. This is a great song about being grateful and thankful for all the good things in life, and she delivers awesomely. The same can definitely be said about her gutsy, "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues."
I agree many Martina fans will have already purchased one or more of her CDs. But for those on a budget or are more interested in just the hits, this is a must-add to your collection. All the hits are there -- from her first No. 1 hit, "My Baby Loves Me" (1993), to her more recent hits like "Love's the Only House" and "I Love You" -- the songs Martina fans have come to love and cherish.
All I can say to Martina is, "Wow! You go, girl!" ... -
January 26, 2002
A retrospective of Don Gibson's later ye
Don Gibson has given country music some of the genre's finest songs. A gifted songwriter, his most famous song, "I Can't Stop Loving You" became a major international hit for Ray Charles. Don also had a hit version of his own, back in 1958, as the B-side to his breakthrough No. 1 smash, "Oh Lonesome Me"
Those are two of the 20 songs you'll find on Don's "20 Greatest Songs" CD, which is a retrospective of his days (the 1970s) at Hickory Records (later absorbed into ABC-Dot and then MCA records). His major hits from 1970-1974 are included on here -- "Country Green" and "Woman, Sensuous Woman" (both 1972, the latter his third and final No. 1 hit); "Touch the Morning" (1973); and "One Day at a Time" and "Bring Back Your Love to Me" (1974) among them. Those songs represent some of his often unappreciated and overlooked work, and saw Don at his best as a singer.
This album loses points, however, in the re-recorded versions of his, RCA Records-era (1956-1969) hits. Not to say Don doesn't do a good job performing the songs; he's just as good on the remakes as the originals. However, if you want the original version of, say, "Oh Lonesome Me" instead of the too-uptempo version included here (and several of the remade songs are too uptempo for my taste), then you'd be best to get the "RCA Legends Series" CD dedicated to Don's work at that record label.
Don Gibson was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. For many fans of his songs (both recorded and written), it was a long overdue induction. ... -
January 26, 2002
A classic country music fan's dream come
To commemorate the (as it turned out, temporary) revival of Decca Records as a country music label, MCA Records issued a 3-disc CD set of classic country music. The list of country singers and musicians appearing on this collection reads like a Country Music Hall of Fame roll call: Tex Owens, the Carter Family, Tex Ritter, the Sons of the Pioneers, Floyd Tillman, Kitty Wells, Rex Allen, Ernest Tubb, Red Sovine, Webb Pierce, Brenda Lee, Bill Anderson, Patsy Cline, Jack Greene, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Cal Smith, Marty Robbins and more. This disc spans the years 1934 through 1973, with Smith's "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking" being one of the final records issued under Decca's first incarnation. There's also a booklet containing a history of the orignal Decca Records and mini-biographies of the singers contained within this collection. This is a truly wonderful collection of some of country music's all-time greatest songs (there's 61 in all), and fans will truly enjoy hearing their favorites again and again. ... -
August 9, 2001
60s country music lives on!
Country music from the 1960s lives on, and the 1966 entry in the Billboard Top Country Hits series is another outstanding example in the series. Here, fans can relish in enjoying music from such legends as Bill Anderson, Eddy Arnold, David Houston, Sonny James, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens and others. Incidentally, David Houston's hit, "Almost Persuaded" spent nine weeks at No. 1, something no country song would accomplish again, until Lonestar's amazing single, "Amazed," matched that feat in 1999, more than 33 years later! Be sure to enjoy Billboard Top Country Hits 1966 with the other 14 titles in this series; they go best together as a group. ... -
August 9, 2001
More great country music from the 60s
The 1963 representative of this series is another highlight (hey, there are no lowlights) in the Billboard Top Country Hits series. Here, you get music from Bill Anderson, Flatt and Scruggs, Buck Owens, Marty Robbins and others. I hope country fans purchasing titles from this series take note -- please enjoy more than just one of them. More like, all 15 of the titles from this series; for those who might like to know, those titles range from 1959 to 1968 and again from 1986 to 1990). ...
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Underrated country act
2 of 2 Yahoo! Users found this review helpful Wouldn't you love to be in Dave Rowland's shoes...beautiful women, a great voice and success. That formula helped make up Dave & Sugar, one of the finest country acts of the mid-to-late 1970s. The best songs on here include their No. 1 hits "The Door is Always Open" (1976), "Tear Time" (1978) and "Golden Tears" (1979, their biggest hit); and their No. 2 hit "Knee Deep in Lovin' You" (1977), not to mention a truckload of more top 10 hits. They faded away as the 1980s dawned (though they did have another hit, 1981's "Fool By Your Side") before Rowland struck out on his own with an album called (ironically-enough) "Sugar Free." Dave should have kept his Sugar; he helped build an undeniable legacy and gave country radio some memorable hits. ...