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)

and the weary road song that closes it ("Headed South"), Van Zant balance down-home party rockers such as "Goes Down Easy" and "It's Only Money" with the more serious balladry of "We Can't Do It Alone" (a spiritual sequel of sorts to "Get Right With the Man"), "That Scares Me," and "The Hardest Thing." Though the title song is little more than a banjo-laced string of country clichés and "These Colors Don't Run" is a patriotic bumper sticker, this solid sophomore effort should win the brotherly duo more country fans. --Don McLeese  (less)

Is a Highway," Sugarland's "Baby Girl," and Faith Hill's "Lucky One." Songs: Life Is A Highway Baby Girl Living In Fast Forward Who Says You Can't Go Home Jesus Take The Wheel Better Life Lucky One What Hurts The Most Something's Got To Give Why The World Leave The Pieces Mr. Mom Suds In The Bucket  (less)

McGraw Def Leppard, Great Britain's premiere arena rock band, is back with a bang--kicking off 2008 with the release of their 14th studio album and a U.S. arena concert tour scheduled for this spring. Entitled Songs From The Sparkle Lounge (Bludgeon Riffola/Island/UMe), the album contains 11 new songs including the highly-anticipated single "Nine Lives" featuring a groundbreaking collaboration with country music superstar Tim McGraw. Songs From The Sparkle Lounge is Def Leppard's first album of brand new material since 2002's X and begins yet another remarkable new chapter in the band's 30-year recording career. Recorded last year during month-long stints at lead singer Joe Elliott's Dublin studio, the album's title refers to a bac...  (less)

country music's grand tradition & has the skill to give powerful vocal performances and draw all the emotion from his selected material effortlessly. In 1976, Watson released his second LP on the Capitol label, Because You Believed In Me, the title track of which was a Top 20 hit single. Beautiful Country, released the following year, included the hit singles 'The Old Man & His Horn', 'I Don't Need A Thing At All', and 'Cowboys Don't Get Lucky All The Time', which was a hit in 1978. This latter song also appeared on the soundtrack of the Sam Peckinpah movie 'Convoy’. The two albums on this CD are drawn from the most commercially successful period of his career and capture Watson in his prime. Both released here on CD for the first time. Hux. 2005.  (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)

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)

another major release for the band. The Blenders are proud to call Minneapolis, MN, their home base. They have spent the last 14 years crisscrossing the country with their unique style of vocal harmony music. They have toured 46 states to date and opened for such acts as Jay Leno, Howie Mandel, Savage Garden, Blues Traveler, Chicago, The Righteous Brothers, Lou Rawls, Chuck Berry, and many more. They have appeared on The Today Show on NBC, Crook & Chase, The Arsenio Hall Show, CNN, WGN TV & Radio, and National Public Radio. The Blenders' loyal fans, with incessant support, have created a national presence that continues to expand. The Blenders' holiday titles, Most Wonderful Time, Nog and When It Snows took the world of vocal ...  (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)