become a No. 1 pop and country hit in 1960. Robbins was arguably the most surefooted and accomplished singer in all country music, and that was never more obvious than on these Western ballads performed to often breathtaking perfection with a very small group and a vocal trio. Other titles include "Big Iron" (also a Top 30 hit), "Running Gun," and Western classics like "Cool Water," "Billy the Kid," and "The Strawberry Roan." Three extra tracks flesh out the 1999 release, including "Saddle Tramp" (the B-side of "Big Iron") and "The Hanging Tree" (title song from the 1959 Gary Cooper Western). --Colin Escott  (less)

were being lauded for their growing depth and sophistication, this collection of "inspirational songs" seemed anachronistic and downright corny. The concept was more appropriate to a TV-marketed album by some faded legend than a singer so young. Even the best singers would have difficulty bringing anything new to the over-recorded title song, "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," "God Bless America," "Amazing Grace," and "The Star Spangled Banner," songs impossible to redefine. That might explain why Rimes's vocals throughout are as soulless and detached as her performance of "Blue" was passionate and earthy. At times, she sounds as if she's singing from a teleprompter. The album's success is undeniable. Whether it did her talent justice is another matter. --...  (less)

that parents, for an entire 26-track album, fully reclaim their listening rights. So what if "Rubber Ducky," "On Top of Spaghetti," "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," and "Señor El Gato" are among the song titles--this is music meant to celebrate Mom and Dad's last remaining shreds of coolness, from the retro-inspired jewel case to the alt-country acts' indie credibility. Alejandro Escovedo laments hitting the big One-O ("Candy just doesn't taste as good anymore") on "Sad & Dreamy"; Rosie Flores sends 'em flocking to the speakers with first track "Red, Red Robin"; Robbie Fulks feels the pain of "Godfrey," the sickly unemployed amateur children's magician; and the Cornell Hurd Band makes a compelling case for napkin use with "Don't Wipe Your...  (less)

weight of it--by inviting George Jones and Hank Williams Jr. to appear in spoken-word bits which bookend the record. (The Possum also contributes a weak cameo on "4th of July.") But such shilling comes off as exactly what it is, and the listener knows to expect a song about how awful Nashville is and how modern country just ain't got no soul. Jennings does not disappoint--in fact, he's got a couple tunes like that (the Neil Young-based title track and "Solid Country Gold"), and he also obliges with an Outlaw penchant for self-mythologizing ("Busted in Baylor County," about being jailed for speeding and smoking). The younger Jennings doesn't have his father's commanding baritone, his mother's delicate balance of pathos and strength, or even th...  (less)

ever written, the soundtrack is equally sentimental--16 tracks that evoke wistful days spent staring out of windows pining for lost love. Edwin McCain delivers Diane Warren's surprisingly modest "I Could Not Ask for More," a song written specifically for the movie. Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan turn soft and spooky with their whispery "Carolina" and "I Love You," respectively. Sinéad Lohan and Beth Nielsen Chapman backlight their middle-of-the-road sensibilities with dance beats. Hootie & the Blowfish's "Only Lonely" is far closer to country music (Glen Campbell-style) than country artist Faith Hill's "Let Me Let Go." Gabriel Yared contributes the instrumental title track as well as two other pieces of overswelling movie music. Redefines the term mellow . --Rob O'Co...  (less)

roll crooner developed into the Music City equivalent of Barry White with an unsurpassed string of hot and heavy hits. With titles like "I'd Love to Lay You Down" and "Lovin' What Your Lovin' Does to Me" and a voice that caressed like silk sheets on warm flesh, Twitty was the one Nashville star who seemed better suited for the bedroom than the barroom. Love Songs bundles 14 tracks, most from the '70s and '80s, on one dim-the-lights country collection where singer and theme are perfectly matched. --Steven Stolder  (less)

rounds, Black adds some cowboy philosophizing ("Code of the West"), a plea for a return to purer country or better farmland ("Too Much Rock"), and a glimmer of spirituality ("Back Home in Heaven"). With Black producing and writing (or at least collaborating on) all of the material, the results aren't quite as consistent as they were in his hitmaking heyday. He suffers a novelty low with "Undercover Cowboy," about a seductive schemer who "only wants to know how to get under the cover with you," yet channels the dance-floor inspiration of Bob Wills with the twin fiddles of "Heartaches" and the breezy swing of "I Don't Wanna Tell You." Wherever the music takes him, there's a whole lot of Texas in these tracks. --Don McLeese More ...  (less)

the Sun Turns Black finds the introspective singer/songwriter complementing his folk-country ways with traces of strings and horns and spooky soulful background voices. Songs like "You Can Bring Me Flowers" and "Three More Days" are the most R&B-influenced, the latter shuffling about ala The Band or Tony Joe White. Despite its brooding lyrics, "Empty" has a rollicking, almost breezy delivery, a perfect balance to either the hushed title track, the unnerving "Be Here Now" or the horn-fortified waltz, "Gone Away From Me." Throughout the 11-song sequence, and especially on the final song "Within You," LaMontagne’s voice remains the record’s most crucial element, as vibrant as it is tattered and as harsh as it is flawless. --Scott Holter  (less)

time on this 17-cut compilation disc, which, despite its title, actually includes four new songs, one rerecording, and a remix. Amid soppy country-pop chart fodder ("Me and You," "When I Close My Eyes") and second-rate ditties ("How Forever Feels," "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"), Chesney hits his stride on robust country ballads like "You Had Me from Hello" and the lead single "I Lost It." On other gems--like "That's Why I'm Here," a heartfelt tribute to the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program that topped the charts a while back; "Baptism," a great duet with Randy Travis; and his fine rerecording of "Tin Man," the song that launched his career in the mid '90s--Chesney even manages to attain an ephemeral but utterly moving tran...  (less)

force that displays Gill’s mastery of lyrics and musical styles, ranging from traditional country and bluegrass to jazz and rock. "I started looking at all these songs I had," the amiable superstar explains, "and going, ‘Shoot, I want to record that song, and I want to record that song.’ I just kept checking with the other musicians to see if they were available. I had no deadlines, no rules or anything like that. So I just kept trying songs." To accompany him on this ambitious undertaking, Gill turned both to artists he knew and had worked with before and to those whose music he admired at a distance. "I never try to fill up my records with famous people," Gill says. "I try to fill them up with the most talented people I can find on the face of the e...  (less)

the successful 2001 American Songbook anthology, Let Yourself Go . But on this eclectic collection of traditional and contemporary gospel anthems and related songs, songstress Kristen Chenoweth claims a bold return to her spiritual roots. Her chameleonic, crystalline soprano lights up the beloved title track standard and the Gaither's modern inspirationals "Because He Lives" and "Upon This Rock" with a deft, Broadway-bred sense of drama. Yet her voice remains supple enough to impart country charms to "It Will Be Me," "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" and Amy Lee Grant's "There Will Never Be Another." One-woman pop songwriting empire Diane Warren offer Chenoweth a typically melodramatic showcase on the spiritually generic "Borrowed Angels," while the unfo...  (less)

at 80 miles an hour, with the top down and the stereo blasting. Clapton and King may be more city than country, but this collection has the relaxed, laid-back feel that only comes from a pair of veterans doing what they do best. What they do here is cover 12 classic blues songs, many of them staples of King's repertoire, so the title of this album makes sense. Whether it's the rollicking rock & roll of the title track, or the acoustic shuffle of "Key to the Highway," or the sweet notes of "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer," a real sense of pleasure comes through on this album, the kind of pleasure one gets from jamming late at night with a good friend. --Genevieve Williams  (less)