Customer Reviews

The Cowboy & the Lady

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

 

 

Lee Hazlewood and Ann-Margret as a singing duo is definitely one of the odder moments in pop history. This cd is every bit as crazy as you would think, without sacrificing the music completely to camp.

Lee was a great producer, and his work on these covers really stands out. These renditions of "Only Mama That'll Walk the Line," "No Regrets," and "You Can't Imagine" are infused with a spirit that makes them timeless.

His penchant for the baroque is more evident on the four brilliant bonus cuts. Can you believe they used to release singles that sounded like this, let alone make them? Ann- Margret's voice is a theatrical counterpoint to Lee's world-weary baritone, and together they create nothing short of musical cinema. Check out the harrowing, hilarious "Chico," the pastoral "Sleep in the Grass," and A-M's two psychedelic fuzzbox numbers, "You Turn My Head Around" and "Nice World..."

This album is a rather strange gem, kind of like a tour through old Hollywood backlots of Western film sets, with Lee and Ann-Margret as your drunken tour guides!

The best ever! Ann Margret can do it all! Great duets here with Nancy's old pal Lee! So glad this was put on CD! Best track? "Sleep In The Grass"!

"The Cowboy and The Lady"-- Lee Hazlewood and Ann-Margret make a memorable combination. This album came out originally about the same time (more or less) as Lee Hazlewood's duet albums with Nancy Sinatra, perhaps just after. Ann Margret was a perfect choice for Lee's "Cowboy" persona. . . she had credentials in the "country music world". She had recorded in Nashville with RCA producer and "country music- Nashville Sound genius" Chet Atkins in the early 60's. Her work with Lee Hazlewood continued to demostrate her skill at delivering "country heart".
My all time favorite track on this album is "Hangin' On" -- when Ann-Margret sings the line "just enough to keep me. . . hangin' on" she leaves you with that melody and verse lingering in your mind for years . . . and maybe you'll never forget it. . . I know I haven't.
Another excellent track on this set is "Am I That Easy To Forget?"-- This is country music at its best.
Ann-Margret also delivers a Waylon Jennings classic with a wallop: "Only Momma That'll Walk The Line" - I guess it proves that Ann-Margret is an "Outlaw" herself.
This is an album that has held up well over the years and continues to sound "fresh" and "new". If you haven't heard it, do it . . . you'll thank yourself for it. And thanks to Ann-Margret and to Barton Lee Hazlewood for giving us this musical trip into the "country".

Over the last several years, I have rekindled a dormant interest in the music and career of Lee Hazlewood. Partly because his musical style is so hard to classify, Hazlewood has only just flirted with widespread appeal and has remained at the fringes of public consciousness for most of his career. Despite that, in recent years Hazlewood has been rediscovered by a new generation of music lovers and subsequently most of his old CDs have been reissued and have been selling briskly.
Lee Hazlewood began his recording career dabbling in country music, but up to this point, most of his work had been in the realm of pop and "cocktail" music. The Cowboy and the Lady marks his return to his country roots. His deep manly voice makes a perfect counterpoint to a sexy female one and so the duet is often the preferred vehicle of his musical expression. The realization of that expression on this recording, however, is a mixed bag.
There is some serious country here, but other songs range from bizarre to downright silly. And Ann-Margret's "country accent" at time seems strident and forced as on Sweet Thing. And except for three of the bonus tracks, there are no Hazlewood originals. Nevertheless, there is still much to enjoy.
My favorites are a classic-country quality rendition of Am I That Easy To Forget, a credible Only Mama That'll Walk The Line, the 60s standard Break My Mind, an excellent Ann-Margret solo on the delightful You Can't Imagine and a fine interpretation of No Regrets. The bonus tracks are mostly stinkers the best of which is the enigmatic Sleep In The Grass and the worst of which is the embarrassingly goofy Chico.
Though I give this recording only three stars, I still recommend it to those interested in following the twists and turns of Lee Hazlewood's storied career.

I'm not all that familiar with Lee Hazelwood as an artist or as anything really...but I know he has good taste in singing partners. Ann-Margret fans have been anxiously awaiting the re-release of this obscure album for quite some time and listening to it it was well worth the wait. The songs are a mix of country pop and even a bit of 60s psychdelia thrown in on the Extra Tracks (wonderfully done by Ann-Margret)! This CD is worth buying definatly!

What has Ann Margaret done to my Hazlewood?!?!?!?!
Im a big Hazlewood fan, and this was actually one of the last records of his i heard (odd, since its one of the ones still in print)...i think i avoided it cause of the Ann Margeret part, but hey, this record combined two of my favorite things...Lee Hazlewood and that 60's/70's Countrypolitan sound...
So it would probably take alot for me not to enjoy this album....

Well, i enjoyed it, but Ann Margaret couldnt have been a worse choice in my opinion...i see alot of people here like the element she brings....but i really think that the album would have been better without her jarring vocals...she destroys the chill vibe in songs like Hangin' On...

Anyway, worth getting for Hazlewood fans cause its probably one of the more straight country albums he ever did, just get ready to either love or hate the Margeret influence...

It amazes me that the Editorial Review of this album lists Ann-Margret as also being the star of the movie "SPEEDWAY" which starred Elvis Presley and Lee's BEST singing partner ever...NANCY SINATRA. Not to critize the abilities of Ann-Margret, but you would think they would know the difference. GEE!!!!!