Customer Reviews

True Believer

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

 

 

After racking up an amazing forty #1 country singles for RCA from 1974 to 1989, Ronnie Milsap left the label after 20 years to sign with Liberty Records in 1993. True Believer was his first album for the label, and his first album to be ignored by radio despite the obvious quality of the music. Nashville's "young country" movement was in full swing when True Believer was released in the summer of '93, which meant nearly all country music veterans over the age of 35 had been kicked off country radio, and in many cases, their own record labels for being too old to appeal to the teenaged audience that Nashville wanted to win over.

Rather than sell out to the generic, twangy sounds of the cowboy clones then dominating the country scene, Milsap responded to the changing times with one of his strongest albums that clearly displays the remarkable versatility that makes this man one of the greatest vocalists/musicians of the past 35 years! There are pop ballads {both classic and modern}, country, rock, R&B, and even a touch of gospel on this CD which makes it one of Ronnie's most diverse albums.

The uptempo title track managed to make # 30 on the Billboard charts, while "I'm playing for you" is a great piano-based ballad that fared even worse on the charts. {It simply lacked the necessary nasal twang that Nashville wanted to hear out of its hot new stars.} "Desire" and "Desperate Man" are two strong R&B-flavored rockers that Ronnie delivers with his usual authority, but the highlight of the album is the dynamic "Better off with the Blues", a great modern blues tune that Milsap tears into with a gutsy and powerful vocal performance! Anyone who doubts that Ronnie Milsap is one of the best blues singers alive needs to crank up this song nice and loud! The man seriously needs to do a whole album of gritty blues material just like this!

"Civil War" is a dramatic country ballad with another great vocal performance from Ronnie, and "These foolish things" is Milsap's fine interpretation of a pop standard that would've fit perfectly on his last album project "Just for a Thrill". Ronnie isn't known for gospel style material, and we hear him cut loose with a group of female background singers on "Please Jesus, send my baby home to me" that closes the album. The only song here that could've been left off in my opinion is the lightweight tune "Somebody's gonna get that girl" which isn't up to the level of the rest of the tracks. Everything else is above average...and better than anything on Ronnie's new 2006 effort "My Life".

True Believer was sadly overlooked by the record buying public when it was released due to the lack of radio support it received, but don't let that stop you from picking up a copy if you can find one. This album is as good as any you'll hear by Ronnie Milsap or any country artist for that matter.

I came upon this treasure in the cut-out bin of a local record store, two years after its 1993 release. Having long been a Milsap fan, I knew that I couldn't go wrong with anything from the Nashville-based legend.

"Breathtaking" is a gross understatement!!!

From the countrified funk of the first cut, "Desire," down to the down-home gospel "flava," of "Please Jesus (Send My Baby Home to Me)," the listener is in for auditory treat. In between those tracks are nine other gems that showcase the talented Mr. Milsap. "I'm Playing for You," and "Desperate Man" sound like the Ronnie Milsap that produced so many hits during the 80's while he waxes true nostalgia on the familiar standard "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)".

Milsap gets genuinely down and gritty with "Better Off With the Blues" and playful on "Somebody's Gonna Get That Girl."

"The Civil War" is a clever take on a marital relationship that has come to one of constant conflict, like "The War Between the States."

And for those of us that grew up in the Nashville area, the "Hoss Allen Seque" conjures up memories of radio station WLAC, which like the announcer, is a Nashville institution.

I just wish that this album had received better promotion for it is truly one of the best of the decade and one of the best from Ronnie Milsap.

Ronnie recorded two albums for Capital, this is one of them, and it's never mentioned. This cd is the only one recorded by Ronnie for the Capital label that contains original material. "I'm Playing For You" got slight airplay and "These Foolish Things" is Ronnie's flirtation with a great standard that works beautifully. All the tracks needless to say are sung well and this album should have been more popular than it's ultimate fate, to be discarded by the label and routed directly to the budget rack before being taken out of print. During the research for Ronnie's masterful compilation "40 Number One's" which only contains 39 but who's counting, on the Virgin label, the producers of that project should have tried to get Capital's legal department to allow them to include "I'm Playing For You" on that set to keep it from being somewhat obsolete since it did not include anything from his post RCA tenure and jumped ahead to include two newly recorded tracks to "fill out" the project. The overall mastering is a bit quiet for 1993 but the sound level makes this album warmer and a bit more intimate. If ever spotted, pick this one up, luck may be had at a used cd store.

First, I want to apologize to Ronnie Milsap and my fellow reviewers of this album. I wrote a review on this album a week a go. I wasn't fair and I was coming from a very biased viewpoint.
I really do appreciate music and anything that conveys music. I don't know why this album was so difficult at first for me to discern. Maybe because it's really not country music. That's not to say that it is not good. The truth is that it is infectious and acquired.

The only way that I finally got hooked was to hear the melodies of these songs go through my mind throughout the day. Ronnie Milsap indeed did pull off something that no other artist could do; and that is this album is of diversity. There is Jazz, Blues, Soft Rock, Soul, Gospel, and Rock on this album.

The Blues song really irritated me at first; and I just couldn't digest this one. Needless to say, I'm hooked now. Ronnie Milsap is incredible. I will say that this does take time for people like me to get used to. The main country audience out there probably won't have the patience to acquire this masterpiece as Cory B. has so rightly put it!!! Consider myself. I formerly rated this a 1 star album and now I have it at a 5. It really, really grew on me, but I had to get at least one or two tunes in my head to grasp what Ronnie was doing here.

He maybe one of the best singers in the world because of his unique ability to sing anything. I'm glad that I had the patience because I can see (no pun intended to Ronnie Milsap) what the other reviewers are saying now. I couldn't figure out why this was such a highly rated album.
I do now. This type of material really should have been promoted to another market and not country. I'm surprised that Ronnie didn't go in that direction. It would have been the right thing to do!!

I'm glad I own this album. It will be the only blues music that I will ever own because it's done so well by Ronnie Milsap. Again thank you Ronnie Milsap. Yes I am a TRUE BELIEVER!!!!!!!!!!!

That's correct. This is excellent and diverse material. This could've at least made gold. Instead, it remains virtually ignored by the general public. I'm Playing For You did have a lot of piano. Better Off With The Blues was really blusey...no wonder it didn't do well on the charts. Hoss Allen Seque(how do you prononce it) is basically radio programming. True Believer was his last top 50 hit, barely making top 30(deserved better). Please Jesus(Send My Baby Home To Me) is the best on here. It's gospel, but not as you'd expect. It's more of a prayer type of song. It is a great Christmas gift that I recently got. It also includes the lyrics in case you don't know what they are. Please don't let the fact that it didn't gain much promotion get to you. Buy it if you can; I hope you won't be disappointed by it, and God bless you!

After racking up an amazing forty #1 country singles for RCA from 1974 to 1989, Ronnie Milsap left the label after 20 years to sign with Liberty Records in 1993. True Believer was his first album for the label, and his first album to be ignored by radio despite the obvious quality of the music. Nashville's "young country" movement was in full swing when True Believer was released in the summer of '93, which meant nearly all country music veterans over the age of 35 had been kicked off country radio, and in many cases, their own record labels for being too old to appeal to the teenaged audience that Nashville wanted to win over.

Rather than sell out to the generic, twangy sounds of the cowboy clones then dominating the country scene, Milsap responded to the changing times with one of his strongest albums that clearly displays the remarkable versatility that makes this man one of the greatest vocalists/musicians of the past 35 years! There are pop ballads {both classic and modern}, country, rock, R&B, and even a touch of gospel on this CD which makes it one of Ronnie's most diverse albums.

The uptempo title track managed to make # 30 on the Billboard charts, while "I'm playing for you" is a great piano-based ballad that fared even worse on the charts. {It simply lacked the necessary nasal twang that Nashville wanted to hear out of its hot new stars.} "Civil War" is a dramatic country ballad with a great vocal performance from Ronnie, and "These foolish things" is Milsap's fine interpretation of a pop standard that would've fit perfectly on his last album project "Just for a Thrill".

"Desire" and "Desperate Man" are two strong R&B-flavored rockers that Ronnie delivers with his usual authority, but the highlight of the album is the dynamic "Better off with the Blues", a great modern blues tune that Milsap tears into with a gutsy and powerful vocal performance! Anyone who doubts that Ronnie Milsap is one of the best blues singers alive needs to crank up this track nice and loud! The man seriously needs to do a whole album of gritty blues material just like this!

Ronnie isn't known for gospel style material, and it is nice to hear him cut loose with a group of female background singers on "Please Jesus, send my baby home to me" that closes the album. The only song here that could've been left off in my opinion is the lightweight tune "Somebody's gonna get that girl" which isn't up to the level of the rest of the tracks. Everything else is above average...and far better than anything on Ronnie's new 2006 effort "My Life".

True Believer was sadly overlooked by the record buying public when it was released due to the lack of radio support it received, but don't let that stop you from picking up a copy if you can find one. This album is as good as any you'll hear by Ronnie Milsap or any country artist for that matter.

Great Tunes from Milsap ranging from Bluesy, Pop, Soul, Country, Ballad, and Old Style Classic. Each song has been well crafted, his lyrics are good and the ballads are powerful. A great buy for any fan of music. If this is your first introduction to Ronnie Milsap you won't be disappointed.

The fickleness of the music-buying public has affected many a great singer. Milsap, whose career has not seen a major hit in over a decade, deserves better.

This "cutout," released in 1993, is a standout with Milsap scoring on all cuts with his patented delivery, a combination of traditional country, pop, and R & B. Very few singers in the industry can do it like he can.

While singers of limited "talent" populate the airwaves," it is a shame that Milsap cannot get the attention worthy of him. At least at this reasonable price, some might discover one that should not have been relegated to obscurity.

This CD is pretty good especailly if you like the more soulful side of Ronnie Milsap although it does contains some powerful ballads also! The soulful songs include "Desire", "Better Off With The Blues", "Desperate Man" and "Please Jesus" which are all done very well! Some of the powerful ballads include "A Million Years Til Then", "These Foolish Things" "Civil War" and "Im Playing For You" (which he had a video). I really like the title cut "True Believer" and it was a moderate success. Its one of Ronnie's last full studio albums of all new material although there are no huge hits on this CD. Its a must have for the Ronnie Milsap collector!

This is another release of the great Ronnie Milsap album True Believer that has been ignored by the general public. This is the cutout (I think it's called) version. The more descriptive review is available elsewhere on amazon. If you can, pass this by and get the other release of this fine album instead. Get it only if you have to.