Search - Cledus T. Judd :: Boogity Boogity: A Tribute to the Comic Genius of Ray Stevens

A nice tribute to Ray Stevens

Jerry McDaniel | 09/01/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I feel that this was a wonderful tribute/salute to the "Clown Prince of Country Music", Ray Stevens. As as been discussed in the other reviews, there's no way to top Ray's versions but who says he's trying to top them? I take it that this is a CD from a fellow country comedian and fan of Ray Stevens. Ray's songs date back to the late 1950's...and Ray is still recording material to this very day...see NEW ORLEANS MOON for details. This tribute contains 12 songs...i give it 4 stars NOT because it's a tribute album. If it were based on the tribute factor alone, i'd give it 5 stars. The lead-off song, "Turn Your Radio On", is what am baffled by. The song starts out with sound effects of a person flipping through a radio dial...then you hear Lee Brice, the singer who's given credit, singing the chorus of "Turn Your Radio On". I was expecting it to launch into a full performance but that was it...just a chorus and then it launches into Cledus and Ray's duet on "The Streak". This is the only song where Ray makes an appearance. Trace Adkins, for whatever reason, isn't given credit on the songs he appears on...well, on the inside fold-out cover he gets credited but on the back of the CD where it lists the songs, his name is missing from "Everything Is Beautiful" and i heard him singing on it. Cledus sings solo on three songs on this collection: "Jeremiah Peabody's Green and Purple Pills", "It's Me Again, Margaret", and "Harry the Hairy Ape". Cledus as it was mentioned, doesn't change much of these songs...he even giggles and laughs in the same places during "It's Me Again, Margaret" in an effort to retain the silliness of the original recording about the obscene phone caller. "Misty" is brilliant...Vince Gill and Sonya Isaacs handle the singing chores...one of the best performances on the CD is Cledus and Joe Diffie's take on Ray's 1987 hit "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex?". Keith Urban, it is noted, plays the guitar on "Gitarzan"...this recording features Cledus, Heidi Newfield, and co-producer of the CD, Chris Clark. Clark does the voices of Jayne, the Monkey, and the Tarzan yell. One of the more out of left field participants is Charlie Daniels. He trades lines with Cledus on "Shriner's Convention". Charlie sings the verses while Cledus handles the talking parts of the song. The song deals with two shriner's during a phone conversation. It's one-sided...you only hear Bubba's side of the phone call as he talks to and reacts to Coy's shenanigans. Charlie does a great job...one suspects, though, he was picked because of the storytelling aspects of many of Charlie's own hits where he serves as singer/narrator like with "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". On "Ahab the Arab", Cledus performs the original version that contains the forgotten ending. Phil Vassar handles the singing while Cledus delivers the narration. "Everything is Beautiful" is one of the other stand-outs on this great tribute CD. Ray is known for his novelty songs and he has written and performed just as many serious ballads as well...but "Everything is Beautiful" remains his best known ballad. It is also his most covered song...he wrote it himself...and it's been recorded many times by numerous artists for gospel CD's. The production and arrangement fits the song well. It's a 5 star tribute...i just wish "Turn Your Radio On" would've been a full blown performance instead of it being a 47 second intro."

Excellent

Katrina D. Shelman | Felton, DE | 02/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Really enjoyed this CD and because I was not able to find it anywhere you had it and I was able to purchase it. I just love it and thank you for the speedy delivery and look forward to purchasing from you again in the future. Thanks again!! katrina"

High points and low points

Curtis Jones | Chattanooga, TN United States | 09/01/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I think Cledus had his heart in the right place when making this album, but the song selection is questionable. I mean how do you top Ray's versions of Gitarzan and the Streak? They are the gold standards, and any "tribute" sounds like amateur night at the Karaoke Club.



On the other hand, Ray's arrangement of "Misty" gets a nice update from Vince Gill and a female artist. I would have preferred Vince go it alone, but it's still a good performance.



"Everything Is Beautiful" gets a "We Are The World"-type various artist treatment, but not being a current country music buff, the only singer I can easily identify is Wynonna. The names are listed for the singers, but in no particular order. Still, it's a nice idea, and the song holds up well.



Frankly, I would have preferred a few less novelty covers, and more "Mr. Businessman" and "Nashville."



I doubt Ray will ever get the credit that he's due, but I give kudos to Cledus for at least making the effort."