Various – The Greatest Country Love Songs

With so many people complaining about country music today being more pop than country, Shanachie Entertainment decided there was a market for an album recorded in the way that music used to be done, live in the studio without all the overproduction and rocked up sound that radio seems to favor today. They asked producer/musician Greg Cole to take a group of hand-picked Nashville Session players along with some of the finest artists of the last forty years into the studios to make a country album, one that wasn't tied to the current radio style of today. And the finished product is a real gem. When you bring artists like George Jones and Mel Tillis, who first made their mark back in the fifties, to artists of today like Darryl Worley and Tammy Cochran along with some of the top artists in the years between, how can you go wrong? The simple and honest answer is that you can't.

If you were trying to record an album with a strong traditional sound, who would you think about asking to be a part of it? One of the first people who come to mind is a true living legend, George Jones. And he steps up to record the country classic, "Talk Back Trembling Lips." Another big influence in the growth of country music is Hall of Fame nominee Mel Tillis. He joins the project with "New Patches." Lorrie Morgan is an artist who helped open many doors for others and she chose to record "He Loves Me All The Way." There are few artists that can match Morgan's sultry delivery of a love song. Gene Watson is another veteran performer who has delivered many unforgettable songs throughout his career. He teamed up with Rhonda Vincent to sing "Together Again" and their voices blend beautifully for this one. If you have ever seen Neal McCoy perform live, you will know he is probably one of the most dynamic performers out on the road today. He brings some of that energy across in his recording of the classic song, "Mountain of Love." Tammy Cochran lends her beautiful voice to "Help Me Make It Through The Night" and I think this has to be my favorite version yet of the song. These are just a few of the great songs you will find on the album. I popped the CD in for the first time while thinking to myself, "Great, another compilation deal." But by the time it was about three songs in I decided that it was a winner and I love the fact that the songs were recorded specifically for this project and not grabbed from here and there and shoved together.