Wonderful songs that will always be in style
Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 03/02/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Jimmy Wakely never enjoyed the spotlight as Gene Autry did; but he was every bit as good a singer if not better! Jimmy always sang straight from the heart and his voice is very easy on the ear; these songs are all wonderful. The quality of the sound on this CD is very good with just a tiny bit of surface noise here and there; and that artwork is very well done.
"Standing Outside Of Heaven" features Jimmy right there in the spotlight; and that's more than quite all right by me! The music fits in perfectly with Jimmy's vocals; and it makes a great starter track for this CD. "I'm Sending You Red Roses" is beautiful to hear; and I really like "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart);" what a classic country sound that could never go out of style! I love it.
Other wonderful songs include "Mine, All Mine;" "I Love You So Much It Hurts" which has Jimmy crooning as good as any of them ever could; "Till The End Of The World" with its terrific melody; the poignant and melancholy "Telling My Troubles To My Old Guitar;" "Too Bad, Little Girl" and "Someday You'll Call My Name." It amazes me just how sophisticated Jimmy's phrasing was--it really enhanced everything he ever sang.
Every other song remains entertaining to this day. "I Wish I Had a Nickel" has a bit of surface noise but it doesn't interfere with the sound all that much; and I enjoy "Wedding Bells;" "Slippin' Around;" "The Gods Were Angry with Me" and especially "Broken-Down Merry-Go-Round" with that organ in the arrangement. Terrific! Listen also for wonderful, ageless songs including "Dust;" "Why Do You Say Those Things (That Hurt Me So)?" and "Let s Go to Church Next Sunday Morning" which is sublime.
"My Heart Cries for You" is very beautiful; I like that percussion and harp. "There s That Same Old Lovelight in Your Eyes" is also very pretty; and Jimmy outdoes even himself on "Beautiful Brown Eyes" as well as the very classic charmer "A Bushel and a Peck." "Beautiful Brown Eyes" has a great chorus--not that Jimmy ever needed backup; but they do sound pretty good at any rate.
"When It s Harvest Time, Sweet Angeline" has a slightly swinging style to it that sounds great with a country flavor; and "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" is another especially well done number. "I Don't Want to Be Free" has a fine arrangement, too; and there's yet another gem in "Rainbow at Midnight." The CD ends very nicely with "I'll Never Slip around Again;" "At the Close of a Long, Long Day" and "When I Say Goodnight."
Obviously, anyone who first heard these songs on the radio will be thrilled to have this album. It's a must-have for any fan of Jimmy Wakely; and people who love classic country music from the 1940s and the early 1950s would do well to add this to their collections."
Brings back memories
Raymond Allen Hall | richland | 09/18/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"i remember jimmy wakely as a younster. the western music is better than it was when i saw and heard jimmy in the movies in the late forties and early fifties; i am 70 so i heard the original and the remastered, a big difference; it is a very good cd, buy it"