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Somewhere Down in Texas
(more) »rank: 7459by: George Strait
: :Country's most reluctant superstar can always lend gravity to even the weakest of songs, so masterful is his phrasing and restrained, expressive delivery, and so artful his picking and the production that surrounds his Everyman baritone. On Somewhere Down in Texas, many of George Strait's songs are semiautobiographical and ring with authenticity. The title track portrays a man who's weary of the road and yearns to stay home with his family; 'Texas' salutes the state that made him what he is; and 'You'll Be There,' the heartfelt single that talks of meeting a loved one in the afterlife, likely hits a nerve with ...
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The Essential Marty Robbins
(more) »rank: 5142by: Marty Robbins
: :Country's most reluctant superstar can always lend gravity to even the weakest of songs, so masterful is his phrasing and restrained, expressive delivery, and so artful his picking and the production that surrounds his Everyman baritone. On Somewhere Down in Texas, many of George Strait's songs are semiautobiographical and ring with authenticity. The title track portrays a man who's weary of the road and yearns to stay home with his family; 'Texas' salutes the state that made him what he is; and 'You'll Be There,' the heartfelt single that talks of meeting a loved one in the afterlife, likely hits a nerve with ...
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Silver Jubilee
(more) »rank: 35096by: Riders in the Sky
: :Country's most reluctant superstar can always lend gravity to even the weakest of songs, so masterful is his phrasing and restrained, expressive delivery, and so artful his picking and the production that surrounds his Everyman baritone. On Somewhere Down in Texas, many of George Strait's songs are semiautobiographical and ring with authenticity. The title track portrays a man who's weary of the road and yearns to stay home with his family; 'Texas' salutes the state that made him what he is; and 'You'll Be There,' the heartfelt single that talks of meeting a loved one in the afterlife, likely hits a nerve with ...
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The Best of Merle Travis: Sweet Temptation 1946-1953
(more) »rank: 69255by: Merle Travis
: :Merle Travis made everything he did sound so effortless that it's easy to overlook his considerable gifts. Travis is best remembered today for the distinctive finger-picking-guitar style that often bears his name: 'Travis picking,' learned initially from the home folks in Kentucky, allows players to accompany their lead lines (picked with the index finger) with their own bass support (provided by the thumb). And while Travis certainly impressed with this technique, he was also a droll and resourceful songwriter and an easy-going and appealing singer. The combination of his talents resulted in a spry musical style that fused appealing pop melodies with touches ...
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Ultimate Collection
(more) »rank: 30797by: Steve Wariner
:Album Description:Few artists can not only survive the test of time, but flourish with the passing of years. For most, longevity is an elusive goal only attained by such as icons as George Jones, Ray Price or Hank Williams-great singers with extraordinary songs. Then there's that intangible ingredient called talent, that element of delivery combined with magic that actually endures what can be a fickle public. Steve Wariner is one of those rare gems. Since his arrival on the country music scene in the late '70s, Wariner's blend of pop flavored country along with his velvety vocals, has earned him a consistency enjoyed ...
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The Best of the Hot Club of Cowtown
(more) »rank: 8521by: Hot Club of Cowtown
:Album Description:Few artists can not only survive the test of time, but flourish with the passing of years. For most, longevity is an elusive goal only attained by such as icons as George Jones, Ray Price or Hank Williams-great singers with extraordinary songs. Then there's that intangible ingredient called talent, that element of delivery combined with magic that actually endures what can be a fickle public. Steve Wariner is one of those rare gems. Since his arrival on the country music scene in the late '70s, Wariner's blend of pop flavored country along with his velvety vocals, has earned him a consistency enjoyed ...
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Ride With Bob
(more) »rank: 31811by: Asleep at the Wheel
: :Ride with Bob is the new and improved sequel to Asleep at the Wheel's star-studded 1993 effort, Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys. The playing behind the high-profile guest vocalists is hotter and looser this time, with plenty of solo space and the Wheel's Ray Benson assuming Wills's jovial ringleader role. Merle Haggard delivers a wild falsetto version of 'St. Louis Blues' backed by the Squirrel Nut Zippers' horns, and Willie Nelson steps out with the Manhattan Transfer on 'Going Away Party.' Steve Wariner and Vince Gill trade fluid guitar licks on 'Bob's Breakdown,' Lyle Lovett and Shawn ...
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What a Friend We Have in Jesus
(more) »rank: 93554by: Merle Haggard
: :Ride with Bob is the new and improved sequel to Asleep at the Wheel's star-studded 1993 effort, Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys. The playing behind the high-profile guest vocalists is hotter and looser this time, with plenty of solo space and the Wheel's Ray Benson assuming Wills's jovial ringleader role. Merle Haggard delivers a wild falsetto version of 'St. Louis Blues' backed by the Squirrel Nut Zippers' horns, and Willie Nelson steps out with the Manhattan Transfer on 'Going Away Party.' Steve Wariner and Vince Gill trade fluid guitar licks on 'Bob's Breakdown,' Lyle Lovett and Shawn ...
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For the Last Time
(more) »rank: 41142by: Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
: :In 1973, 40 years after founding the Texas Playboys, Bob Wills gathered many of his Playboy stars from the past in a Dallas studio for a final hurrah. On December 2 the Playboy alumni enjoyed a homecoming meal at the Wills house, and the following day they entered the studio as Wills guided the session from his wheelchair (put there by a debilitating stroke in 1969). Among the musicians were three vital contributors to the very first Playboy session in Dallas in 1935--pianist Al Stricklin, drummer Smokey Dacus, and steel player Leon McAuliffe--as well as guitar great Eldon Shamblin (who joined in 1937) ...
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Legends of Country Music
(more) »rank: 7480by: Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
: :Though Bob Wills has long been heralded as a country-music icon (an inspiration for artists from Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson through Lyle Lovett and Asleep at the Wheel, and toasted by Waylon Jennings in 'Bob Wills Is Still the King'), the Texas fiddler considered himself more of a jazz bandleader. The Texas Playboys' signature dance-floor style of Western swing encompassed blues, jazz, country, and pop standards, with a sophistication at odds with the era's image of 'hillbilly music.' This four-disc centennial anthology (a little late, as Wills was born in 1905 and died in 1975) documents the musical progression of the band ...
