The Long Way - Doug Stone

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Reviewed by Kathy Coleman

Doug Stone still deftly shapes a lyric with his honey-sweet tenor and superlative country delivery like few others can do. With this new release, Stone proves that he only gets better as time goes by.

Having been gigantically ignored by Nashville (no doubt due to his being "too country"), Doug Stone recently moved to Audium Records, that wonderful new stronghold for great country music artists, and opens his brand-new recording contract with an album of reissues that is as solid a new complete album as any in his catalog.

The disc opens with some of his new material for the disc, the exquisitely beautiful "I'm Losing You," followed by the title track, "The Long Way," a sweet ballad delivered in classic Stone style. Beautiful as always, a love song for lovers.

Four of the tracks are from his most recent album, "Harmful To The Heart," including pure country "One Heartache At A Time" and chilling "P.O.W. 369" (this song was also included in Darryl Worley's latest album, I Miss My Friend. It's good to hear them here, as the previous album did not get the exposure it should have done.

Doug closes off the disc with new versions of three of his classics, standard ballad "More Love," an uptempo and kicking version of "Born In The Dark," and finally, the always-breathtaking "I'd Be Better Off In a Pine Box," which is as magnificent today as it was a decade ago when he first sang it, only somehow his voice has matured tremendously, and perhaps the pain in his voice rings even more true now than it did then, although the original arrangement really couldn't be improved on.

Doug Stone delivers country music, pure and simple and heartfelt. It's good to hear him on Audium, and great of Audium to add another country great to their roster.

Song List:

1. Introduction
2. Check Please
3. The Gift of Forgiveness
4. The Smile
5. "I" Would Be Next To "U"
6. Miss Fannie
7. Hello My Old Friend
8. Now You Know
9. Lovers and Liars
10. I Will
11. The Ones That Get AWay
12. The Long Way
13. W-O-M-A-N