Search - Don Walser :: Down at the Sky-Vue Drive-In

Don Walser's Best

04/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I admit, I'm biased. I don't think Don Walser can do anything wrong. I met him at a show in San Francisco and he is the sweetest, most unassuming guy in the world. I'm so glad I went to see him, because I hear he's not performing any more - our loss.
This is a richly textured, heartfelt CD. From the funny and rockin' Hot Rod Mercury, to the lovely, quirky Rose Marie (with the Kronos Quartet - go figure) every song is a gem. His voice is big and joyful and he's got some great western talent accompanying him. This CD gets better with each listening."

Real Texas music from one of the best traditionalist.

Jerry Barnes baron67@airmail.net | Plano, TX | 08/21/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Something for everyone, Marie as Western Swing! Ramon for those who sing all their life and are never recogonized. Real contry, Please Help Me, I'm Falling. Bob Wills to Rose Marie...neat. One of Don's best."

Bravo for the Pavarotti of the Plains

Roadie | 06/14/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fans of classic country music tiring of the watered-down soft rock that's being played on country radio can find a perfect antidote in Don Walser, who has released "Down At the Sky-Vue Drive-In." Walser at first would seem to be an unlikely honky-tonk hero. He's 63 years old, and with his big belly and eyeglasses, he would pass more for an accountant than a country singer. But Walser is the real deal. He was born and raised in Texas, a fertile land for Western Swing and honky-tonk music. He says he sings country music's "Top 40 -- from the 1940s," favoring songs by artists like Jimmie Rodgers, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Eddie Albert. But what makes Walser more than a curiosity is his astonishing voice. He's best-known as a yodeler, but his breath control and spine-tingling tenor enable him to tackle styles ranging from early rock `n' roll to Bob Wills to Sons of the Pioneers. They don't call him "the Pavarotti of the Plains" just because of his girth. "Down At the Sky-Vue Drive-In" is another terrific collection of country classics. He deftly handles tunes by Hank Snow ("Fool Such As I"), Jimmie Rodgers ("In My Dear Old Southern Home"), Hank Locklin ("Please Help Me I'm Falling") and Cindy Walker ("Cherokee Maiden"). Walser also sings a couple of duets with Mindy Barnett on "Hearts Made of Stone" and the Louvin Brothers' "Are You Teasing Me?" Walser's two tunes hold up well against those classics."Hot Rod Mercury" is about Walser's 1951 Mercury, which had a toggle switch on the muffler that could make it purr like a kitten or roar like a Texas tornado. "Ramon" was inspired by an impoverished singer Walser heard in Durango, Mexico. One cut, "Rose Marie," departs from the album's country sound. Walser recorded it with the Kronos Quartet, a classical music string section, after a gig with them at a University of Texas concert wowed the audience. The Kronos group's perfo! rmance is exquisite, and Walser's passion and vocal acrobatics turn a risky experiment into a triumph. When Walser retired from his day job a few years ago and went full-time into music, he said his goal was to sing old country songs "to help keep them alive." But Walser deserves to be known as more than just as a one-man preservation society. He's an American treasure."