| Country Music - Marty Stuart | |
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Reviewed by Jolene Downs
"Real" country music is back with Marty Stuart's newest recording. Country Music is a stroke of genius. Marty is back after taking the past couple of years off to work on team projects and other things. He spent a great deal of time searching for the perfect songs to put on this album, and it definitely shows in the finished product. One of the standout songs is called "Farmers Blues." It was written by Marty and his wife, Connie Smith and is sung as a duet with the legendary Merle Haggard.
Marty has been in the business since he was a teenager and has pretty much seen and done it all. He is a multi-Grammy award winner, has been nominated for just about every award there is. His instrumental skills are without question some of the best in the business, and you can hear him on both background vocals and instrumentals on some of today's hottest projects. Marty was a co-writer for half of the songs on the album, and re-wrote some verses in a couple more to fit what he needed to say. He is a very talented individual.
Marty co-wrote "Fool For Love" with Tom Douglas. It has the perfect tempo to take your love out onto the dance floor and hold them tight. He is so in love with her and is willing to amazing things to win her heart. It is a great love song.
The first single from the album is "If There Ain't There Ought'a Be." This is a fun song going through the list of different things in life that really should be around if they aren't already. It has an upbeat tempo and it almost requires you to sing along with it. It is a great summer release.
"Sundown in Nashville" is a testament to the days gone by in Nashville. It talks about sweeping broken dreams off the street at sundown, while the new day brings more dreams to crush. This is a song you would hear in you local honky-tonk.
"By George" is a play on the name George. She wants to know if she hits the backseat with him if she can call him George. He responds with a whole litany of different Georges that she is more than welcome to call him. It is an absolutely silly song that brings a smile.
Country Legend Merle Haggard joined Marty for the haunting song, "Farmer's Blues." After searching far and wide for the perfect song to record with Merle, it was found in some songs Marty and his wife, Connie Smith, had written for one of her albums. She gave it to Marty for his project, and it is truly the perfect song for the blending of their two voices. It deals with the hard life of the country farmer, and Merle sounds absolutely soulful and finishes the song with some yodeling that brings the spirit of Jimmie Rodgers into the song.
Josh Graves on Dobro and Earl Scruggs on banjo add a zesty flavor on "Tip Your Hat." This song is a tribute to many of the legends of country music as he names off different artists with songs they have made famous and says "tip your hat to the teachers." This song acknowledges that without these great people, country wouldn't have made it to where it is today. I loved the instrumentals on this song, but with legends like Josh and Earl - how could I not?
"Walls of a Prison" was written by Johnny Cash and was recorded on one of his albums awhile back. It is a touching ballad and is very well done. Marty sounds amazingly like Johnny on this song.
Bottom line is that anyone loving great music would welcome this album to his or her collection. Marty's enthusiasm for what he does is very apparent in his material. It is pure, unadulterated country music and he sings from his soul. Along with the CD, you also get a DVD disc that features Marty discussing different songs that he's done along with a rather different photo gallery. It is not mentioned on the case and was somewhat of a surprise.
Song List:
Album cover used with permission of Sony Nashville.
Audio clips courtesy of Barnes & Noble.
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