Johnny Paycheck - The Gospel Truth: The Complete Gospel Sessions

It's a long-standing truth that some of the wildest "outlaws" in country music have recorded some of the world's greatest gospel, proving for all time that country music is all about "sinning on Saturday night, repenting on Sunday morning." Johnny Paycheck may have the reputation of an outlaw, but for all his life he clung to his faith, and he demonstrated it with these recordings.

Johnny Paycheck's gospel recordings most definitely show another side of the man who made his name by singing the most famous theme to the disaffected working man ever. In these twenty-three songs, a man's faith is presented in humble, honest hymns selected from the modern (many of these songs were written by Johnny Mathis) to the traditional ("Just A Closer Walk With Thee," "Jesus Loves Me").

The problem I had with this disc was nothing to do, really, with the songs or with the legendary singer. I simply found it a little too long and a lot too dry, like an overwrought sermon where the pastor has stopped checking his watch. Since the songs were recorded over two decades and in different sessions, there are a number of repeated numbers, and the re-recorded songs are simply not different enough from their earlier versions to merit repeats on the same disc; and while I can't deny the honesty in the presentation, some of the singing seems to lack life, somehow.

Still and all, it's Johnny Paycheck, and it's worth a listen, especially for a few of the songs, such as "Old Time Religion" and "Amazing Grace." Very much a Sunday afternoon disc.