Customer Reviews

Sure Love

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

 

 

...of songs in a strong vein. Ketchum's voice is quite good but not extraordinary; what makes this album most worthwhile is the strong songwriting the artist serves up. It's interesting to go through from "Mama Knows the Highway," about a truck-driving mama (literal mother or pet name?) to "Daddy's Oldsmobile" in which he lauds his father's beloved car (which also doubles as the family home) to "Someplace Far Away," about a family where the father takes it into his head to go out west and pan for gold. The instrumentation is inventive and sturdy, and as I say the artist's singing is better than average, but the real treat here is Ketchum's inventive songwriting skill. Not for fans of twangy country -- Ketchum isn't a hat act, he's for purists and artists. If you like country the way it used to be, then enjoy!

This is a terrific follow-up to the Gold CD, PAST THE POINT OF RESCUE, featuring three top ten singles, "Sure Love," "Mama Knows The Highway," and "Hearts Are Gonna Roll," and the top fifteen hit, "Someplace Far Away" (originally recorded by Ketchum in 1986 on his Watermelon album THREADBARE ALIBIS). "You Lovin' Me" featuring Trisha Yearwood on harmony vocals is by far the best song on the CD. The haunting "Trail Of Tears" tells of the plight of Native Americans in the great Northwest and the sadness their people feel today. "Til The Coast Is Clear" and "Softer Than A WHisper" are also worth mentioning; the former a moderate Texas swing and the latter a gentle ballad. Order it now while it's still available.

Forget what you've heard. The two best songs on this album are Trail of Tears and Somewhere Far Away. Holy moly, they're good! Unlike anything you'll hear from any other country artist. There are 4-5 other good songs on the album, but even if there weren't, it's worth buying for the two I mentioned.

Pretty soft, and pretty slick, Ketchum croons -- like Vince Gill -- atop poppy, light arrangements, and yet he has a way of making the material not seem too cloying. Although the bit hits -- the title track, in particular -- are super poppy, and even Kenny Loggins-esque, Ketchum's vocals are still very appealing, and I found all the songs on here very listenable. For variety, there's "Mama Knew The Highway," an upbeat, rollicking trucker tune, and "When The Coast Is Clear," a slinky, blues-laced number that sounds quite a bit like Lyle Lovett's hillbilly lounge-lizard routine. Also noteworthy is the doleful "Daddy's Oldsmobile," and folkish ballad about a family of migrant workers who live in their car. The only track I didn't like was the album's biggest hit, "Hearts Are Gonna Roll," about a young girl who's a bit of a tease -- the music didn't grab me, and the lyrics are a little sexist. But other than that, this is a pretty good album, for the territory.