Search - Buck Owens :: Sings Tommy Collins

+1/2 -- Not as snug a fit as Owens' own material

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 12/30/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Having already established himself as a gifted songwriter, Owens isn't as well-served by this album of covers as he was by his original material. Having spent time as a guitarist in Collins' band, Owens gained an inside view of his mentor's catalog, allowing dig past the hits ("If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')") and novelties ("It Tickles," "I Always Get a Souvenir," "You Gotta Have a License").The waltz-time "My Last Chance with You" and "High On a Hilltop" show off Owens' double-tracked harmony singing and Jay McDonald's steel playing, with Don Rich's fiddle winding through the latter, and his Telecaster on "Smooth Sailing." Throughout the album, the slower, sadder tunes, like "No Love Have I," provide Owens with the most meat, and making upbeat ditties like "What'cha Gonna Do Now?" sound lightweight. Only "Down, Down, Down" provides the sort of bounce that really energizes Owens' sound.Unlike most of Sundazed's reissues on Buck Owens, this one features no bonus tracks - just the original twelve tracks. Owens didn't cut a bad album for Capitol, and this one's no exception - it just doesn't measure up the brilliance of his catalog's highpoints. It's worth picking up to flesh out a complete collection, but not the place to start appreciating super fine Sundazed's reissues.3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings."