Search - Tex Williams :: Very Best of

Later recordings from Western Swing vocalist

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 02/27/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Varese's reissues of Jimmy Wakely's Shasta label have brought a variety of recordings back to market, some historically significant, some not. These 1960 and 1970 recordings by Tex Williams are certainly a pleasant spin, but have little bearing on the music for which he is famous. As a western swing vocalist breaking out of Spade Cooley's band in the late 40s (and taking most of Cooley's best players with him), Williams recorded his seminal sides for Capitol.The swing tunes he waxed with his band, The Western Caravan, were popular fare among the Texans and Oklahomans who'd moved West to California. What really broke Williams on the charts, and provided the direction for his music, was Merle Travis' talking blues, "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)." He'd cut numerous other such pieces, with the Western Caravan swinging behind him.When the big-band era faded, Williams moved on to RCA, and then to Decca, finding little commercial success at either stop. By 1959, without a major label deal, Williams was recording for fellow country-western star Jimmy Wakely's Shasta label.With the Western Caravan having disbanded, his Shasta sides are accompanied by a small Western combo (bass, guitar, steel, banjo, background vocalists), and his material is a mix of country standards, covers of the day, and a few re-recordings of his own hits. In the early '70s he returned to Shasta to fill out an album's worth of material. The two recording periods are surprisingly consistent in tone and quality.Williams' bass voice (which sounds a bit like the Disneyland train's narrator!) was in fine shape across all the recordings, but the material (and intimate backing) never really captured the invention of his Capitol-era work. Covers of hits like "Big, Bad John" and "The Battle of New Orleans" are fine, but don't stand up to the iconic originals. The lesser-known, "Thunder on the River" and "The Keeper of Boot Hill," provide more original thrills. Similarly, the swing melody of "River, Stay Away From My Door" and a pair of duets with Town Hall Party vocalist Bonnie Sloan are worthy spins. The oddly effective stiffness of "Shakespeare Cha-Cha" is bound to turn up on the soundtrack of a film derived from a Dan Clowes comic book.Though the music here is not truly representative of Williams' fame, like many of the Shasta releases, it's an interesting peek into the later years of a star whose iconic period had passed. Those unfamiliar with Williams would be better off starting with a collection of his classic Capitol sides. Those wanting to explore further (or Williams completists who will savor the three previously unreleased tracks gathered here) will find this an enjoyable disc."