Customer Reviews

One More Time/The MCA Recordings (Remastered)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

MCA has just issued a collection drawn from Kelly Willis' three early '90's albums for the label, which I guess partially makes up for deleting all three titles from their catalog. "One More Time" is a solid but hardly insightful assortment that unfortunately includes no previously unreleased tracks. The only rarity is a song that previously appeared only on the "Thelma & Louise" soundtrack.

Many people discovered Kelly through her wonderful 1999 release "What I Deserve" for Rykodisc. If you aren't familiar with her MCA recordings, this is probably the best (if not only) place to start. (If you ever see the third album, 1993's "Kelly Willis," grab it) Willis' songwriting was still at a developmental stage, so she relied on outside writers in her early years, including John Hiatt and Marshall Crenshaw. She began her career singing rockabilly-influenced music and there are some excellent examples of that phase on this release. There is much excellent music here, and fans of "What I Deserve" should be very pleased.

What bothers me about "One More Time" is the self-serving essay in the album notes. Within about a paragraph, the writer manages to credit MCA for Kelly's subsequent and hard-earned success. Well, MCA deserves credit only if putting a person through hell constitutes nurturing the artist. They straightjacketed Kelly on her first two albums, put pressure on her that led to the breakup of her band, and tried to turn into a video-ready glamour girl, the Pre-Shania, if you will. When she left MCA in 1994 she struggled for another five years before she had a chance to record a full album.

I have no doubt that MCA invested and lost a lot of money on Kelly's early work, but for them to claim to have assisted in her rise to success is ludicrous, if not downright dishonest. Kelly Willis owes no thanks to MCA for fumbling away her first shot at artistic and commercial success. For this reason, and this reason alone, this release is docked one star.

I first heard Kelly Willis with her last CD.",What I Deserve",and had to hear more. As most of her earlier works are out of stock, this is a good way to hear the music of an artist who likes to do things on her own terms. Kelly Willis manages to blend country,honky tonk,rockabilly and just plain old rock and roll together on this "greatest hits" package. If you've been listening to "alternative country" and shake your head when you turn on the radio then this is for you. A clear lilting voice that carries you away with each song makes "One More Time" an instant classic. Now I know what I've been missing. Play it in rotation with Charlie and Bruce Robison. You won't be disappointed.

When I got this album I only knew one of the songs on it (Little Honey) but I am very much pleased with it. One of the reasons I like it, is that there are not all ballads nor are they "naff" like some country records can be. I am new in the country music world because where I live (England) country music is not big but I think this album is great and well worth it. It is probarbly the most listened to out of all my music and I love it, I definatly recomend it.

Willis fans are celebrating with the release of this collection of some of her best from her trilogy of now-difficult-to-find MCA releases. "Bang Bang" is missing, a perky rocker from her sophomore effort, with "My Heart's In Trouble Tonight" from her stunning debut album (worth whatever it costs to obtain.) Some of her best is here, Steve Earle's "Sincerely, Too Late To Turn Back Now," "River of Love," Dave Alvin's "Little Honey" (a movie cut from 'Thelma and Louise') and her definitive Marshall Crenshaw-penned "Whatever Way the Wind Blows," a CMT video hit. Willis touched commercial success on her 1991 sophomore effort, with super-songwriter Kostas' "Baby Take a Piece of My Heart" climbing into the Billboard Top 60, but her stubborn preference for cutting edge, rocking material limited her chart runs. In the end, her sweet soprano, deft song choices, and slapping rhythm arrangements were probably too trendy for the docile female country scene of the early 90's, but her efforts produced a trio of CD's that need to be owned alongside this sampler.

I remember when Kelly's first three albums came out.

Stuff like "Bang Bang" and "Would You Settle For Love" - I ask you - is this Rock? Is it Honky Tonk? Is it Americana? It's all the above and MORE. Just like every other song on this compilation.

It's all powerful stuff - Kelly can rock out with the best of them on one song, and bring you to tears with a slow moving ballad on the next. A true talent, and one of the purist and brightest voices in Country Music.

This one is a must-have!

Here's an affordable and easy way to get a sampling of early Kelly Willis. This collection consists of selected songs from her first 3 albums, and an additional fair song "Little Honey". Since Kelly never really hit the charts in a big-way, it's kind of hard to figure out just why MCA released these specific songs. Sure, there are a few songs here that had accompanying videos in the early-90's, but Kelly Willis also had a few better songs on albums that are not included here; if you get a chance, you really should seek out and buy a copy of her third (self-titled) album. In any event, some of her best work is included here, specifically, "Sincerely" and "Take it All Out on You". I was glad to see that her version of the Kendall's "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" was included, as Kelly does a great job with this piece. A solid album overall.

Of Willis' 3 MCA albums, only 1 is still in print. Her second album "Bang Bang". So, although CD's #1 and 3 can probably still be had at a used record store, this remains the best way to get caught up on her pre-(199) "What I Deserve" years. Smartly compiled, you get a singer who just got better and more assured with each release. Her voice alone is reason enough to give her MCA years another listen. Also, of special note are the liner notes by Brian Mansfield, which tell the story of a singer who could've been Nashville's next best thing but never got there. Willis takes part of the blame for not promoting her music and herself properly. But in the end as the "What I Deserve" album shows everyone seems to have come out of it on top. This MCA set isn't for the die-hard Willis fan who has all her albums. There are no rarities or unreleased live cuts (although it does include her Thelma and Louise contribution "Little Honey") but for those just getting their feet wet. The good news is that it's budget priced and Willis co-compiled this collection.

This album is so easy to listen to. There is not a skip-over song in the bunch. In my opinion, all of this stuff is radio ready, and certainly better than most of the muck currently on the charts. I just wish they had included "Up All Night", a pop song that is my favorite from her early albums. Be sure and tell your friends about this one.

I'm not a huge fan of traditional-sounding coutnry music, and for that reason this CD won't live in my player. But I gotta give it 5 stars because the excellence of it is undeniable. Kelly is the real deal if you are looking for a strong female singer of straight-up country shorn of extensive production. Like I said, it has a traditional sound, but cna definitely be listened to by other fans. This stuff is most definitely not hokey or corny. Kelly can really sing and put energy into the faster stuff [there's a good amount of it here] and genuine emotion into slower stuff [Kelly can do ballads great]. Country fans most definitely need this.

he first time I ever heard Kelly sing was when her band, Kelly & The Fireballs opened for mine in a Washington, DC club called Penn Station. Never heard of them? I'm not surprised, they never recorded that I know of. There was a big rockabilly scene happening at the time, around 1984-5 or so, and Kelly's band was a part of it. This little slip of a girl (I don't believe she was 18 yet)steps up to the mike and what comes out of her mouth could only be described as Patsy Cline on steroids. I was floored. Not too long after that, She and Mas Palermo (The Fireballs drummer and Kelly's BF at the time (see credits on first album - I prolly spelled his name wrong) lit out for Austin to seek fame and fortune. Boy was I happy to see the first CD surface. I have really loved everything she's done from the first note I ever heard her sing. She may not remember me (Hey, Kelly - remember Timmy and the Love Hounds? I was their Drummer, Dave!) but I remember her quite fondly. I agree that MCA should have been able to turn Kelly into a household name - with that voice how could they miss?