3 comments about Way the River Runs.

1. This is trully ones of the top 10 Christian mid-70s-80s bands.
   Gospel focused band. Very inspirational music to achieve a personal experience with the Lord Jesus. I wish Amazon can get more of the band. They have other many albums...Hide Away...etc.



2. The harmonies of Jim and Joe Rice are wonderful. There is no slack in the player's ability to make music. I love the two bluegrass songs at the end. I wished I could find more. I would buy all the ones I could get my hands on. Very uplifting country music.



3. Wonderful is all thats needed

No comments about Country Christmas.

No comments about Country Collection.

5 comments about Skynyrd Frynds.

1. I'm going to cut right to the chase here. Some covers on this album are wonderful, while others leave a lot to be desired.
   Let's face it: While Alabama is one of the greatest bands in the history of country music, and certainly one of my favorite country groups, they, DID NOT DO JUSTICE TO THE SONG THEY COVERED. (Need I tell you what song they covered?) John Mattick (piano) butchered the piano part, and Mark Herndon, (drums) did not use cymbals where he needed to. (If you don't believe me, go back and listen to the chorus). Not to mention that they completely changed the second verse. ("In Birmingham, they play some football..." Did they think no one would notice?) Over all, that cover ain't worth the time it takes to listen to it.
   Travis Tritt's version of "Don't ask me no Questions" is just plain awesome. Come to think of it, it might even be better than the original.
   Confederate Railroad was good, although they probably would've sounded better doing one of the more upbeat Skynyrd songs.
   Sammy Kershaw does a really nice job with his version of "I know a little". The piano solo, while obviously different, still sounds really cool.
   Hank Jr did an awesome job with "Tuesday's Gone." The only thing I'm not too fond of about his version is that, like Alabama did on "Sweet Home Alabama", he completely changed the words around. However, UNLIKE ALABAMA, Hank still managed to make his cut sound good. Judging from Hank's past cover songs, it seems that he has that ability.
   The Mavericks were pretty cool, but they should not have done "Call me the Breeze". I say that simply because "CALL ME THE BREEZE" IS NOT A SKYNYRD SONG. Believe it or not, "Call me the Breeze" was origianlly recorded in 1971 (I think) by a fellow named Jean Jacques Cale, who also wrote the song. Also, as with some of the other artists on this album, they changed around the lyrics. Please, if you're going to cover a song, include all of the original lyrics in their original order, unless your Hank Jr. I will admit, though, giving that song a forties style swing sound was a pretty cool and original idea. Kudos to them for that.
   Steve Earle did a wonderful job on "What's your Name?"
   The Charlie Daniels Band's version of "One More Time" is pretty decent, although I personally would've had them cover "Gimme Three Steps" because that song, in my opinion, is the best Skynyrd song of all time, (nothing personal to the "Freebird" freaks; that's an awesome song, too) and because I think the CDB would've done a better job with that song. (Couldn't you just hear Charlie Daniels singing the words and jammin' an awesome fiddle solo on "Gimme Three Steps"?) That song needs a fiddle solo.
   McBride and the Ride rocked out on "Saturday Night Special". I do have one question, though. Is Terry McBride related to Martina McBride?
   And, last but not least, we have Wynona. Why do record companies seem to think that tribute albums like this always need to have at least one female singer on them? So far, it's been like that with every tribute album I've bought. (I have a lot of tribute albums, and not one of them is a trubute to a female artist, yet it always seems to be the case that no matter what tribute album I buy, there's always a female artist singing one of the songs.) Are they trying to be politically correct? Look, I'm going to say the same thing about Wynona's version of Freebird that I've said before: if the song was written with a male lead vocal part in mind, as "Freebird" obviously was, than get another guy to sing it, and don't change the words around so that a female can sing it. When you change the words around so a female can sing the vocal part, the song just ain't the same, and there's no way around that.



2. I think Alabama's version of "Sweet Home Alabama" is still sweating like a dog. Randy Owen said on this lyrics "Hey, Huntsville, Fly Me to the Moon, Real Soon." Terry McBride said if two boys quit and four were new on this set called "Saturday Night Special."



3. When I first bought the cassette seven years ago I thought I would love to hear these artists cover Skynyrd classics. But now I realize that there are three songs that sound nothing like the originals....Alabama's version of Sweet Home Alabama, Wynonna's version of Free Bird and The Mavericks' version of Call Me The Breeze.
   Other than those three songs it's a must have for any Skynyrd fan.



4. As country tribute albums became common in the nineties, it was no surprise to see one devoted to Lynyrd Skynyrd, perhaps the best of the southern rock bands that emerged in the seventies.

   Least surprising of all is that Alabama (the group) chose to record Sweet home Alabama, a song that really encapsulates the appeal of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Hank Williams Junior contributed Tuesday's gone, but while the other tracks here were recorded especially for this project, Hank's track was simply lifted from his Wild streak album of the late eighties. Wynonna does a fine version of Free bird, while Charlie Daniels digs deeper into the Skynyrd repertoire to cover One more time - not one of their famous songs, but Charlie chose wisely.

   With great contributions from Travis Tritt, Confederate railroad, Sammy Kershaw, The Mavericks, Steve Earle and Terry McBride as well as those already mentioned, this is a fitting tribute to a great seventies rock band. The booklet includes a list of Lynyrd Skynyrd CD's available at the time - but since then, a double-CD, Essential, has been released. If you want one collection by the original group, that is the one to buy.




5. This so called tribute to skynyrd is one of the most pathetic pieces of trailer park trash that i have ever heard. i was eager to hear this cd and listened to it with open mind and ears. acouple of cool moments yes but mostly that pastureized sound of nashville session players that is so sterile. these songs have balls and heart and should have been done with that in mind. ive seen many a bar band give these songs better treatment. winoyna absolutely despicable. i think id rather hear axl rose ruin this great song, although the guitarist was smokin.

No comments about Touch This Country.

No comments about Favorite Songs of Christmas.

5 comments about Greatest Hits.

1. Not only do you get Sixteen Tons but there is also Shotgun Boogie and the Ballad of Davey Crockett. No wonder Mr. Ford was popular during the golden age of pop singers, the 1950's because as this CD shows his songs were fun and there is a feeling of joy in his voice.



2. This was a gift for my brother-in-law and he was very surprised when I gave it to him for his birthday. He loved it!



3. Tennessee Ernie Ford was a great man and had a great voice. We are thoroughly enjoying his CD.



4. One reviewer stops just short of calling Ernie Ford a "hick" and questions the appeal of the songs represented in this little album, claiming to have never heard of them. Well, let's look at the facts.
   
   Yes he did sell millions of gospel/hymn LPs and EPs over the years and, for that reason, to many people whose musical tastes don't go beyond that genre this is the type of music for which he is best remembered. But the reality is, Ernie Ford appealed to a wide spectrum of musical preferences and that is born out by the fact that he also put 29 selections onto the Country singles charts, and 21 onto the pop charts between 1949 and 1976.
   
   And here you get all three of his # 1 hits - Mule Train which reached # 1 Country [4 weeks at that spot] and # 9 Pop in 1949, the hilarious Shotgun Boogie which stayed at # 1 Country for FOURTEEN weeks in late 1950/early 1951 and reached # 14 Pop, and Sixteen Tons, TEN weeks at # 1 Country and EIGHT weeks at # 1 Billboard Pop Top 100 in 1955. The Cry Of The Wild Goose just missed the # 1 Country slot in 1950, settling for a # 2 as well as # 15 Pop. Not bad for a "hick" and, to boot, these will be recalled by many, if not that one reviewer.
   
   The other seven selections here didn't fare too badly either. His version of The Ballad of Davy Crockett [there were several that year] made the Top 10 in both Country and Top 100 in 1955, and In the Middle Of An Island reached # 23 Top 100 in late summer 1957 with its flipside, Ivy League, registering as a "follow along" hit. Then there was the comical warning not to take the Bible too lightly in That's All, which made it to # 12 Country and # 17 Top 100 in March 1956, The Rovin' Gambler, a # 60 Top 100 that May, and First Born which topped out at # 46 Top 100 in December.
   
   The Jack Fascinato orchestra backed him on all the hits in this package with the exception of tracks 2 (here he was back by the Cliffie Stone orchestra), 4, 6, and 7. To the reviewer who wondered about "One Suit" that was the flipside of another 2-sided hit for Capitol, 1957's The Watermelon Song [# 87 Top 100] and One Suit [# 93]. These are among the hardest to find of Ernie's Pop hits, along with the B-side to Sixteen Tons, "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry" which reached # 78.
   
   As I have mentioned in other reviews [Beach Boys, Young-Holt Unlimited], this EMI-Capitol 10 Best Series is one of the best such compilations to hit the market in the early days of CDs as all tracks are original hits and with excellent sound quality. The only drawback is the complete lack of liner notes.



5. This is a great recording which contains at least five of TEF's best western songs.
   
   I've always love western music. My favorites are Marty Robbins, Frankie Laine, TEF, and Tex Ritter.

No comments about Its a Grand Ole Christmas.

1 comments about Hillbilly Blues.

1. An attempt to answer the perennial question - 'Can white men sing the blues?' As Tony Russell points out in his excellent notes, the issue is a dead one, since white musicians have been singing the blues practically since the blues began, as this delightful CD beautifully illustrates.
   
   Following in the wake of innovative 1960s LPs such as Yazoo's 'Mister Charlie's Blues' and County's 'Mountain Blues', this collection of 25 stunning tracks on the new budget-priced Living Era label admirably continues the demonstration of the ability of the white man (and woman) to contribute their voices to the blues idiom. Jimmie Rodgers, with his blue yodels and other blues was one of the first white singers to forge a success in this musical style. Although Rodgers' vocal work was copied by Jimmie Davis on his 'Easy Rider Blues' the guitar work owes a heavy debt to Blind Lemon Jefferson, as does that on Dick Justice's 'Brown Skin Blues', and the 'Match Box Blues' of Roy Newman & His Boys.
   
   Other obvious influences are the version of the Mississippi Sheiks' 'Sitting On Top Of The World', by the Shelton Brothers, and Johnny Lee Wills' 'Milk Cow Blues', the first verse of which, if not the remainder, derived from Kokomo Arnold's recording.
   
   Not only blues, but the more suggestive hokum style was also the domain of white performers, as the tracks here by Allen Brothers, Cliff Carlisle, and the Riverside Ramblers well demonstrate. But none were as provocative as Hartman's Heartbreakers, with 'Betty Lou' pleading 'Give It To Me Daddy', and Daddy, somewhat reluctantly, it sounds, agreeing to her request.
   
   Sound quality on this CD is superb. There's a disclaimer following Bill Carlisle's wonderfully driving 'Bell Clappin' Mama' apologizing for the inherent distortion of the original recording. True, this does represent the lowest fi on the album, but it's still far superior to that on many current reissue CDs. An altogether fascinating glimpse at the cross-fertilization of the blues, and a most entertaining value-for-money acquisition.

1 comments about Turn It Loose.

1. This is the first project Karen Peck and New River released on the Spring Hill label, and they did a fine job. A wonderful blend of southern gospel with an edge of contemporary country starts this project out with the fast-paced title track "Turn It Loose" and continues with strong songs such as "UFO" and "Christian In The House". These numbers are sure to get your toe tapping as you sit back and enjoy the ministry of this group. Also of note on this project are the soothing ballads, "His Tomb Wasn't Empty" and the ever uplifting "How On Earth". What a message on the cross of Christ! This song is sure to stir up emotion. Finally, there is the hauntingly beautiful "Where Eyes Don't Cry", a song where the music and words just linger in your mind for hours after you've turned it off. A nice project well done.