Search - Atlanta Rhythm Section :: Original Artist Hit List

This CD is PERFECT. ARS is at their absolute best!!!

David Spuria | Spencer, MA United States | 02/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this just taking a chance on an old band that had some great songs some twenty plus years ago. ARS was a southern rock band with Fleetwood Mac tendencies. They've written some of the most emotionally charged songs you'll ever hear. The hit list is a blend of new and old songs done partially unplugged. The production work of Buddie Buie and engineering of Rodney Mills is flawless. And the new songs blend perfectly with the old stuff.

"She Knows All My Tricks" is a "Homesick" style southern rocker that has some great guitar work from Barry Bailey. The original tunes, "Imaginary Lover" and "So Into You" and "Do It Or Die" are all particularly good arrangements. The music is much more reflective and introspective. What's hard to imagine is more emotion being infused into the these early ARS classics. But that's what happens on this collection. Lead singer Ronnie Hammond is re-born on these tunes. "Angel" and "Voodoo" are also superb new songs with a southern rock flavor. Nostalgia makes an appearance on "Child Of The Video Age", which is a good song, but possibly the weakest track on this disc. And it's still better than most new music by old artists these days. "Alien" is done with incredible passion and feeling. "I Don't Want To Grow Old Alone" is an unbelievably sincere plea for companionship. A deeply moving song. The CD ends with "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight". And in a post 911 world, nothing could be more real than a song about how things have gone (or are going) crazy. Hammond's vocals seem to update the original with a deep sense of urgency.



The hit list contains 10 perfectly executed songs that demonstrate that an old band can still sound great with the right musicians, the right producers and excellent material. The Atlanta Rhythm Section could have kept going with this lineup. But due to a record label that went belly up, and a radio industry that has completely lost any sense of what's good, ARS has found the bargain bin. Don't pass this CD up. And look for their albums ARS '96 and Eufaula as well. This was the strongest period for this veteran studio band. A+++"