Stronger

Sonny Burgess | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 4, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cbuj Ent
• ASIN: B000BFNZ1K
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,567 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He's real Texas country!, November 17, 2005

By 

Gayle F. Ellis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stronger (Audio CD)

He finally came out with his 2nd cd!!! And it's even better than the first! You will probably want to buy 2 so you can have one in the house and one in the car! If you've never heard Sonny live, try and get to one of his concerts. You'll never regret it! You'll be hooked!!!

4.0 out of 5 stars Burgess Proves "Stronger" With Sophomore CD, January 17, 2006

By 

Timothy Yap "thy4568" (Sydney, NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stronger (Audio CD)

Prime Times: Anytime I'm Smiling, Redneck Lullabies, You Touched Me

Though all of these songs are fairly new compositions, they sound like they have weathered the passage of time with the copacetic timbre that only the classics possessed. And a look at the album's liner notes conspicuously reveals why: with songs coming from song writers such as Paul Overstreet, Chris Waters Dunn, Aaron Barker, John Jarrard, Buck Moore and Leslie Satcher, it's no wonder why this is such a classy CD. What is more even remarkable is that these maestros have enough faith to entrust their work of art to a relatively newcomer in Sonny Burgess. Burgess, a Cleburne Texas native, has a pretty sturdy tenor packed with personality and he's particularly effective vocally in the ballad department. Produced by Jeff Teague, "Stronger" has all the hallmarks of a contemporary country CD leaning heavily to the more bucolic executed by Nashville's most sought after session players such as Lonnie Wilson, Rob Hajacos, Brent Mason and Larry Franklin.

Telling the story of how country music has brought the protagonist through the various stages of life, "Redneck Lullabies" is a gorgeously written ballad has an added humane dimension that comes across as bona fide and treacly. Less heart rendering, but still quite affecting is Aaron Barker and Ron Harbin's traditional cry-in-your-beer weeper "A Little Stronger." Drawing parallelisms between the bartender and Jesus, of whom most would call upon in malady, Leslie Satcher and Larry Cordle's "Jesus and Bartenders" is lyrically engaging told over a ¾ balladry pace. While Paul Overstreet and Mickey Gates' "Anytime I'm Smiling" adds levity to the album's sober demeanor. With titling bounce and its hooky chorus, "Anytime I'm Smiling" is a reminiscent of Overstreet's more famous composition "Forever and Ever, Amen."

Another stand out is the album closer, the jazzy "You Touched Me." Composed by Danny Steagall and Peggy Newman, this ballad's drawing power resides in its simplicity as well as Burgess' cordial delivery. Though country music has a venerable tradition in its share of "dog" songs, "The More I'm Around People, The More I Like My Dog" reaches its nadir with its bigoted lyrics that even the canine population would be embarrassed by it. Despite being quite a stellar album, a couple other tracks like "Living on Nine" and "When You're in Love with a Woman" veers around the mediocre.

Though released on an independent label with Burgess given the carte blanche, this album stands toe to toe with many major label products out there. And with many of today's artists who greedily indulge in their own second-rate compositions, Burgess' wisdom in drawing from the best of Nashville's writers gives him a leg up over many of his peers. This man deserves stardom and with songs this good, he deserves to light up all radio lines.