The Bottom Line
Pros
- "Angel Band"
- "Hold To God's Unchanging Hand"
- "Life's Railway to Heaven"
Cons
- Serious lack of liner notes/musician credits. It loses a star for the lean packaging.
Description
- A crowning touch to an amazing career of a country music legend.
- Twenty-two magnificent gospel tunes done with supreme elegance and style.
- Nicely produced, well-backed, on Tee Vee/Gusto Records.
Guide Review - Porter Wagoner - 22 Grand Old Gospel 2004
The only interior liner notes in this disc is a letter from Dolly Parton to Porter, her longtime friend and mentor, saying, "I wanted you to know that this is one of the best albums I have ever heard, bar none, whether it be gospel, country, pop or whatever." That pretty much covers it. With this disc, Porter Wagoner amply demonstrates exactly why he's been a country music legend for so very long, and why his work remains popular today.The music on these two discs is so good they make for lovely listening all week long, not just on Sunday. Porter Wagoner's voice is sounding mighty fine as he caresses those grand old words with an honest devotion clear in every note. He's helped by some great musicians and vocalists, and the crying shame about this disc is that there are no credits contained within the jewel case. We don't know who is making that steel sing, or whose voice is so beautifully harmonizing with Porter's, and that's something I always like to know. I love reading through the credits on a disc, especially when I hear a sharp fiddle or a strong steel. I like to know who the musician is playing, even (maybe especially) if it's "just" a session musician.
Lack of credits aside, the music is what we're here for, and it's worth coming back for many a listen. This disc came out just after Porter finally got his long-overdue induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. May he continue singing just this well for years to come, to prove how much he deserved the honor.