Search - Don Mclean :: Sings Marty Robbins

Respectful and entertaining tribute

Dino | Scotland | 08/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Being more aware of, than familiar with, Don McLean's recordings, I bought this CD out of curiosity - how would he interpret the music of Marty Robbins, one of my favourite singers? Tribute albums can be hazardous: stay with the original arrangements to appease the fans of the original artist, or rework familiar songs and hope they capture the interest of the public? McLean's approach is somewhere in between. He sounds at home with all the material, including the obvious choices that couldn't be left out (Devil Woman, El Paso) and some others that indicate that a great deal of thought, preparation and research went into the project (lesser known but great songs such as the rockabilly I Can't Quit and the uplifting ballad Love Me - not the Elvis Presley song of the same title). I don't immediately associate Kaw Liga with Marty Robbins, but McLean's version is fresh and makes a fifty year old song sound new. He pays tribute to the western influence in Robbins' music with an outstanding rendition of Ribbon Of Darkness, while The Story Of My Life bounces along with the same innocence as heard in Robbins' original 50s cut. The album closes with You Gave Me A Mountain, written and originally performed by Marty Robbins, also recorded by Frankie Laine but best known through Elvis, whose concerts from 1972 onwards often included this song, in addition to being part of his legenadary Aloha From Hawaii show. McLean is faithful to the original, and hits a very impressive high note at the song's end. I'm now about to order McLean's CD For The Memory, a recent covers album that includes songs made famous by, amongst others, Ricky Nelson, the Everly Brothers and... Marty Robbins. I'll be more than happy if it matches the standard set by this CD."

Don and Marty -- A Great Combo!

Jerald E. Mills | Santee, CA, USA | 05/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Marty Robbins was a great vocalist who enjoyed all types of music and performed them well. Don McLean is the same in many regards, and perhaps it's the ghost of Marty that inspired Don to put out his best work since "For the Memories". If you are a Marty Robbins fan, as I am, it takes a couple of times through the album to get the expectation of Marty's renditions out of your ears. To Don's credit, he did not try to imitate Marty; rather, he interpreted Marty's songs to fit his style and voice and the results are a A-1. Many of Marty's most familiar tunes are here: "Singin' the Blues", "Kaw Liga", "Ribbon of Darkness", "El Paso", "Don't Worry 'Bout Me", and "Devil Woman". ("White Sport Coat" can be found on the aforementioned "For the Memories".) While all the tracks are good, Don's best performances are on some of Marty's forgotten hits, "Time Goes By", "Among My Souvenirs", "I Can't Quit", and "Love Me". People like me who have enjoyed Don McLean's music for many years will be delighted at the enthusiasm, energy, and professional sound of this album. Hopefully Don will be putting out more like it in the near future!"

Nice Addition for Marty Fans !!!

Charles Mays III | Texas | 12/31/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don Mclean does a good job of interpreting some of the songs of Marty Robbins. He uses somewhat of a progressive country rock sound on some of the songs.

The best part of this album is that the songs are all done in a different style than Marty did yet they are still recognizable from the original version.

The best cut on this album is Kaw-Liga. Although one does not think of "Kaw-Liga" as being a Marty Robbins song it was recorded by Marty and put on one of his early albums.

Don also does a good job on "Devil Woman" with a tropical flavor but still quite a bit different form the Robbins version which went to number 14 on the Pop Charts in 1962.

I was disappointed by "Ribbon of Darkness" but enjoyed Mclean's version of a 1950's "Time Goes By."

If you are a Marty Robbins fan then this is a good album to have in your collection."