Customer Reviews

Sings Heart Songs

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

 

 

Hank Williams has somethin' to say, and he's chosen the mind and lungs of Mr. Tom Armstrong to spread his message. At least that was my initial impression when I first heard these wonderfully original honky tonk tunes. Fleshed out by a red hot line up of pure pedal steel, down home fiddle and swingin' guitar; any educated listener will agree that there was some kinda spooky time travelin' going down in the studio when these gentlemen turned towards the microphone. All twelve of the songs is a homerun, either through virtue of the witty lyrical content, beautiful instrumental parts, or the booming baritone vocals of Tom Armstrong. Gotta give it five stars then, and I've heard it over the local airwaves and jukeboxes enough to know that I'm not the only one. This one belongs on your shelf next to Ray Price's "Night Life" or the Louvin's "Tragic Songs". Got those? Then get this!

If you like Buck Owens, Junior Brown, Slim Whitman, Wayne Hancock, or Hank Williams, You will probably like this CD.

A sweet tribute to the heyday of the heart song, that style of weepy ballads perfected in '40s and '50s and '60s by the likes of Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells and George Jones. First off, I love the graphics (an homage to the Columbia label's late 'Fifties look, back when Carl Smith was top of their country roster...) and the liner notes are a hoot, too -- a witty takeoff on the pretentiously written, pseudo-intellectual "essays" Nashville used to slap onto their LPs. Best of all, Armstrong backs up his obvious love for the style with a lot of talent, especially as a songwriter. All twelve tracks on here are original compositions, written with an intentionally old-time feel. The material ranges from goofy Howard Harlan-style paradox tunes ("Looking Forward To Looking Back") to abject weepers and loser tunes galore. The production is a little uneven, but the material is great.