Customer Reviews

Country My Way

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There have been many pop artists who have done country to make a genre album (q.v. the Byrds' Sweethearts Of The Rodeo), or recording a song in that style (e.g. the Rolling Stones' "Faraway Eyes," Rod Stewart's "You're In My Heart," and Lionel Richie's "Deep River Woman," but they did nothing to advance the artist/group's career. One artist who did a tasteful country album was Nancy Sinatra.

The steel guitar and sound are there, but done without the cheesy twang, instrumentally and vocally. I don't remember Hee-Haw signing her up as a regular, so there's proof right there. Nancy's able to tackle ballads like "Walk Through This World With Me," Hank Cochran's "When It's Over," and heel-kickers such as the rollicking "Get While The Getting's Good" and the anti-loneliness anthem "Lay Some Happiness On Me." Nothing rough and loud like Hank Williams Jr. or about pickup trucks, barbecues, spouse abuse, or divorces here. Well, okay, there is "By The Way (I Still Love You)," about a ex-couple meeting up again and catching up.

There is the usual balance between happiness and loneliness. Right after "Lay Some Happiness," there follows "Lonely Again." Later on, her duet with Lee Hazlewood, "Oh Lonesome Me" is countered by "Help Stamp Out Loneliness."

I've heard "Jackson" so many times, maybe because it's on three different NS albums--Hit Years, this one, and Movin' With Nancy, plus I've heard the Pansy Division's punk/homosexual version of it. Anyway, Nancy and Lee belt this number out. The lyrics ridiculing a man's macho image work to a tee. "Go play your hand you big talkin' man, make a big fool of yourself." and "When I breeze into that city, people are gonna stoop and bow. All them woman gonna make me, teach them what they don't know how." Frankly, as I don't embody that stereotypical macho male image, I tend to side with the woman's lyrics.

The other big cover song is the forlorn "End Of The World," which I believe was originally done by Bill Frisell (someone let me know if I'm wrong).

Way back when, I wasn't able to handle country music but Nancy Sinatra's pop/country hybrid paved the way for me to like Sherrie Austin, Faith Hill, and Shania Twain.

What a great album! As a kid growing up in the 60's, I was a fan of country music (which my dad liked), pop (which my mom liked), and rock (which my older brothers liked). Nancy Sinatra was one of those artists that could do pretty much any of it, and in this album she brings only a smidge of her pop/rock flavor to a very solid country music album. The collection reflects efforts of some of the biggest Nashville composers of the time (Carl Belew, Hank Cochran, Bill Anderson, Don Gibson) and covers of some of the biggest artists (George Jones, Skeeter Davis, Johnny Cash & June Carter). Somebody, either Nancy or Lee Hazelwood, did their homework and put out a very credible country album. I listened to it hundreds of times on vinyl and the CD version is that much better, although the bonus tracks don't really fit the original tunestack. If you liked Nancy or love classic country from that era, you'll like/love this album.

For Nancy Sinatra's fifth album, Nancy and her producer Lee Hazlewood decided to make a country record. Instead of just covering some popular country hits, like Ray Charles did on his country albums, they commissioned some top country songwriters to write new songs for Nancy. Then, they went into a Nashville recording studio and taped the songs with some of the top Nashville session musicians. What they ended up with is a pretty fair approximation of a mid-'60s country album. True, Nancy doesn't sound "Southern", but the musicians sound authentic, complete with fiddle and steel guitar. The hit song was Nancy & Lee's cover version of Johnny Cash & June Carter's "Jackson", but the rest of the songs are enjoyable, too. The CD adds three bonus tracks from 1970, after Nancy stopped having hits. Not bad, though.

I can honestly say that I love every album that Nancy Sinatra has recorded. Each has its own special "flavor" and sound and atmosphere. Her first, "Boots" has a unique and classic sound/delivery which will keep it alive forever. But my favorite Nancy Sinatra album is this her "Nancy Sinatra- Country My Way"
Recorded in Nashville during a classic period of Nashville songwriting and production, nancy proves that a city girl IS country! She doesn't just play at singing "hillbilly cowboy music"- she captured the real spirit and feel of country music in every sense. When she sings my favorite track on the album, "It's Such A Pretty World Today"- well, the world does become alot prettier, no matter what else is going on to the contrary. When she delivers "Walk Through This World With Me", you really believe her. . . and you'd really want to walk through this world with her. Then there's the up-tempt march for happiness: "Lay Some Happiness On Me"! And she does.
I loved this album a-way back when and I love it still and I'll probably always loved it. I know generations from now, if this album is still available (and it will be) it will be loved by future Nancy Sinatra fans. Thanks Nancy for all the music of our lives!

"Country, My Way" (1967) is a unique concept album by '60s icon Nancy Sinatra. Lee Hazlewood, producer of twang-guitarist Duane Eddy, penned many of Nancy's songs, most have them containing a heavy country flavor. Country music gained in popularity in the 1960s. Many more country stars were crossing over to the pop charts and vice versa. "Jackson," the hit off this record had been a #1 country hit for Johnny Cash & June Carter in '66 (for which they won a Grammy). So, when Nancy & Lee recorded it (becoming their highest-charting duet), it was only fitting that an entire album of country be produced. In the liner notes, Nancy comments that she "loves country music" and "always have." The finished product is an eclectic mix of country/pop classics. Most of the songs are garnished in twang, so if you're not accustomed to this kind of country music (the original, old-style country) as opposed to today's country (which, for all intensive purposes could be called "pop"), it may take a few listens to digest the sound. Ironically, most of the songs are NOT written by Hazlewood, but rather are cover versions of popular country songs of the day. Highlights include the cute "It's Such A Pretty World Today" (recently featured in the movie "Desert Blue"), the rousing "Get While The Gettin's Good," "Jackson," and "When It's Over." A second Nancy & Lee duet featured here is a wonderful cover version of the popular Don Gibson song "Oh, Lonesome Me." "Lonely Again," a country ballad falls short as compared to the only Hazlewood-penned song on the album "By the Way (I Still Love You)," a teary-eyed heartbreaker (that Nancy performs BEAUTIFULLY) and also the cover of the Skeeter Davis hit "End of the World." "Help Stamp Out Loneliness," the last tune is a "yelp"-effort that puts a damper on an otherwise fascinating album. The bonus tracks included on the CD are not so much country, per se, but definitely country influenced. "Highway Song," is great but does not match the fantastic bluesy-country sound on the next song "Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham," a killer track. This, in turn, is followed by "Are You Growing Tired of My Love," a song that could be answered with a "yes" had it been called "Are You Growing Tired of This Song?" However, way before dad Frank had sung his theme, "My Way," Nancy matched his conviction via the title of this album. Country Nancy's way is the only way to go.

I love this album as well as her others that she recorded for Reprise. The songs I like on this set are It's Such a Pretty World Today, Jackson, Oh Lonesome Me, and Lonely Again. I first had this album when I was in high school and was given to me by one of my friends, my bus driver. It sounded great, in spite of the fact that it was scratched due to being old, but, it was audible enough for me to hear. Some people would kind of think of this as a crossover album. I would say that one of her songs I mentioned on this album, Lonely Again, would be kind of a sad sounding song. She did a great job singing on this album.

"Nancy Sinatra - Country My Way" happens to be my all time favorite nancy Sinatra album . . . and I love them all! Just to hear Nancy's rendering of, "It's Such A Pretty Worl Today" is more than worth the price of this cd! And when Nancy sings, . . . well . .. it is such a prettyy world!

She performs a really up-beat and totally joyfilled "Lay Some Happiness On Me". . . .and "Help Stamp Out Lonliness" . . . a march to "Help Bring Back Happiness"! :)
If you like . . . if you love great good old countr music, this is THE album to get. Nancy proves that a cityy-girl IS country! She doesn't tgry to make a pretense of a "countr-sound" or "country voice" . . .she simply sings the songs the way they were meant to be sung and heard!

I loved this album when it first came out back in 1967 . . . and i've listened to it regularly ever since . . .and i love the new cd format issue of it as much, if not more than when i first heard Nancy sing these songs back when!

Thanks You Ms nancy Sinatra for all of your recordings over all the years . . . and thank you for this "Country My Way" album/cd . . . we need great music and songs now more than ever . . .and YOU more than fill the bill! :)

Despite Nancy's own background, it is clear from the music that Nancy understood what country music was all about - and the liner notes, including comments by Nancy, confirm that.

The album kicks off with It's such a pretty world today, a great upbeat song which sets the standard of the album. Get while the getting's good is the kind of feisty song that Nancy is so good at. Walk through this world with me, a cover of a George Jones classic, shows that Nancy could sing the slow songs.

Jackson, a duet with Lee Hazelwood, was the big hit from this album. It was every bit as good as the original version by Johnny Cash and June Carter - that's high praise from me, as I am a huge Johnny Cash fan. When it's over, a sad song, is Nancy's favorite song on this album. The sadness is swept away by Lay some happiness on me.

Two more great ballads, Lonely again and By the way, are followed by a second duet with Lee Hazelwood - the Don Gibson classic Oh lonesome me. Nancy does a fine cover of End of the World, a huge American pop hit for Skeeter Davis that also made the British top 20. The original album ends with the excellent, upbeat Help stamp out loneliness.

The three bonus tracks are not quite up to the exceptionally high standard set by the main album, but are still worth hearing. Of all the pop singers who ever dabbled in country music, few if any were better suited to it than Nancy, who also recorded the occasional country song for her later albums, most notably a cover of Dolly Parton's Down from Dover, which she sang as a duet with Lee Hazelwood.

Mostly a lot of good songs. A few so - so ones but who does`nt try to dump in a few lesser songs in a CD?

If you like 60s country - pop this IS the CD for you.

Buy it and you will love it as much as I do.