Doug Spartz & Friends - American Stories: Lies & Tales

There are a lot of great songwriters out there, singing their songs in the beer halls and honky-tonks across the country, and Doug Spartz has been doing it for a long, long time now. Once upon a time he was named "Rising Star of the Year" by the CMA, with his song "Stayin' Young is Gettin' Old" grabbing "Novelty Song of the Year." But unfortunately, family tragedy sidelined Doug's career. Now he's coming back to that first love with a good ol' collection of songs and friends to sing 'em with.

Doug Spartz has a voice made for what they call "novelty" country music. Now, that's not a bad thing - it's a folksy, homey voice not unlike that of ol' Big Ben Colder or Sheb Wooley. But this disc is a serious one, for the most part, although it is fun, plain and comfortable as a pair of well- worn jeans and a favorite pair of sneakers. Spartz's unique sound works well with the friends who have come together on this disc to welcome him back to music. Spartz's career has had its ups and downs, with some years spent working in a salvage business in Africa (the details of this interesting enterprise are chronicled on Spartz's own website) and then leaving music entirely for a time after losing his wife to ovarian cancer. But it's always hard to keep a true artist from their craft and Spartz proved to be no exception. Like many a storytelling songwriter before him, his voice is made for the Americana tales, from the pretty darned impressive cover of Bob Dylan's "Love Minus Zero" to the humor of "Daddy's Old Model A," Spartz and friends - including Bobby Vee, Jonathan Edwards, Billy Lee Riley, Rick Hollister, and an amazing Todd Fritsch dueting with him on the heartbreaking "Name On The Wall," the story of a family separated by war.

The folks joining Spartz on this disc aren't "household" names. Like Spartz himself, they're independents, those denizens of the honky-tonk stage so near to my heart, although he does get Charlie Ryan himself to assist with vocals on "Hot Rod Lincoln," one of the greatest rockabilly songs of all time. Jonathan Edwards sings along with "Sunshine," the crossover pop song he made famous in the early 70's. Texas singer Big John Mills lends his voice to "She Had What It Takes," and the World Famous Cuttin' Crew can be heard on "Number 29 (The Rocket)." But the one that makes you stand up and take notice is the heart-wrenching "Name On The Wall," which is not the similarly-named Statler Brothers song, but a series of letters from father to son during wartime. As often is the case with these songs, it serves to remind people of the true cost of war; and the songwriters (Spartz/Deforest) dare to actually have the son say, "they tell me that I'm here to defend freedom/ But I must say it's hard to realize/ that any explanation is the reason/ to see your best friends die before your eyes." I was impressed with Fritsch's voice on his own debut disc; here he's staggering, a total knockout. That the song is so good certainly doesn't hurt.

This disc probably won't go platinum. But for those who just want to enjoy some really good music, very well played (not sure which of the for guitar pickers listed on the credits provides the awesome signature licks of "Hot Rod Lincoln," but whoever it is - Robby Springfield, Tim Crouch, Dick Wiegand, or Tim Moeller - he's pretty impressive), then this is a great stop to make. As far as I'm concerned, Spartz can keep on making great music as long as he wants to make his way into the studio. The 63-year-old just shows 'em that you don't need to be under 30 to entertain (and I'm guessing he doesn't have to have pyrotechnics in his shows, either). Plus, he follows the "rules" of country music. The only thing there ain't a song about on this disc is prison (mama, trains, and cars are all taken care of).