#25 Ricky Lynn Gregg

Can You Feel It/Bring On The Neon- Ricky Lynn Gregg

“Can You Feel It”- Oh, no. More country, boo. It has those easy-to-guess lyrics, the fiddle, the piano, and all the other familiarities.

“Bring On The Neon”- “Let’s go downtown and get down”. That sums it up. He should have said, Let’s go to Whataburger and eat a burger… or, let’s go to Skate City in the city. How creative, huh? When I saw the title, I was vying for the tiniest chance that it was concerning Julian Copes song, Metranil Vavin. It has the lyric, “Metranil dreams of becoming a neon” and it would have been stupendous if that were true. No, sir. Oh, well.

#24 After 7

 Truly Something Special/G.S.T.- After 7

“Truly Something Special”- Smooth song. These two guys really make a strong case for staying with them. They talk and talk up the girl and promise her that sweet and innocent love that never comes to fruition. They remind and remind their interest that the past will not return and the anonymous/ambiguous lovers they had end with her. What kind of logic is that? It must have come up; otherwise, you keep your history quite and do not keep singing, “but I been bad for so long, I wanna be good, your one and only lover, and I want you to keep me strong”. It will not work. Then again, this was the 90’s.

“G.S.T.”- Wow! Now these are the prettiest voices used to acquire good sex tonight (G.S.T.). You have to be smooth to hide the words, “never a time you won’t be sexually pleased, know how to work it, give what you need, even though I know you've got insecurities”. Yeah, bring up her insecurities. Did that line work? I’m no Egyptian Lover, but you can’t tell me that a girl took all that and thought to herself, “Yeah, I am insecure about myself, but this guy sing pretty… so… I’ll jump his bones". Yay!

#23 Sting

All This Time/I Miss You Kate- Sting

“All This Time”- It is unfair that this song uses a ukulele for its opening. I cringed as it rapidly strummed, but I turned my ear down to it and things improved. Sting songs play with all encompassing familiarity. They vary in the instruments used, but his voice does not change pitch at all. I do not know if his accent is stronger than variances allow, no. It just does not falter ever. It sounds as though he takes a machine, places any tune or melody, any rhythm and chorus, any line, and runs it through the Police Machine and out spits the common warble we all know.

“I Miss You Kate”- This song did not run through the Police Machine. It sounds like a late night, piano bar tune that is somber with an inkling of hope. Very moving tune, Gordon.

#22 Great White

Love Is A Lie/Somebody To Love- Great White

“Love Is A Lie”- Out of 400, this is the only colored vinyl I received. It is white (of course). This song is a ballad right from the beginning. A piano and vocal accompany each other, and then the bass kicks in for slight effect. There are wisps of guitar throughout, but it is not until the second refrain that it rocks in a minuscule way. I am sure some babies developed, with jean jackets underneath (for comfort) to this song. It fades out as it tries to rock out. Again though, 10^th grade poetry is here. “Love is only a lie” repeated does not make a strong case, just a meager statement.

“Somebody To Love”- Eeew. This song starts with a greensleeves introduction and then The Great Society cover. I know the song is more famous under Jefferson Airplane, but The Great Society had the original version. Written by her brother-in-law, Darby, Grace took the song to Jefferson and made the flashier version with them. The history of this song is superior to the cover.

#21 Helen Reddy

Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)/The Old Fashioned Way- Helen Reddy

“Leave Me Alone (RRD)”- Cool. I know this song. It is a cute little pop tune with Helen asking, calm in her voice, for something that cannot happen with that serene tone. The orchestra of horns and strings adorn the voice wonderfully.

“The Old Fashioned Way”- I remember her from Pete’s Dragon. This is an old-timey song. It has classic pauses and subtle horn accents with a solid, yet simple bass line running unstopped from start to finish. The first instrumental takes off in volume, but diminishes with the vocal to the normal tone. The second instrumental is long and protracted to the finale where it simply fades to nothing. This was made in 1973 and has a early 30’s sound. What a fine tune.

#20 Lisa Stansfield

You Can’t Deny It/Lay Me Down- Lisa Stansfield

“You Can’t Deny It”- Finally, some R&B. This is a pretty song with a quick chorus. The chorus is discombobulated with overdubs and effects. In fact, there are effects everywhere on this song, and it takes away from the music. It has this soulful singer buried with artificial music. I hear the high backup singer using her nostrils to push the words into air. The flute on the chorus is feeble, to. It can be a pretty instrument, but not here.

“Lay Me Down”- There is too much echo on the voice. It sounds like a robot, not unique. “Do, down. Lay me down.” Those lyrics are not fun to sing. Again, her voice is great, but lost in the music and buried with the nostril flaring high notes.

#19 Rob Crosby

Sill Burnin’ For You/Solid Ground- Rob Crosby

“Still Burnin’ For You”- I’m dying for something else besides country music. Rob has the same song songs as Lee Rory and Dude. They are blending into the same song. The uniqueness fizzled long ago and this review will be brief. This is just a typical song.
“Solid Ground”- The ukulele lost its charm with this song.

#18 Lee Roy Parnell

The Rock/Road Scholar- Lee Roy Parnell

“The Rock”- According to YouTube comments, this song is not available on iTunes. I Google some of these songs to figure out the lyrics and often there is a video for these songs. This is proof for the subjectivity of music.

“Road Scholar”- Is this a pun for a Rhodes Scholar? If so, it does not work. Not much stands out in this song. I feel like drinking just to endure this piece, not to enhance or enjoy.

#17 Michelle Wright

      

One Time Around/A Little More Comfortable- Michelle Wright
“One Time Around”- I could not guess all the lyrics here. Thank you for not numbing them down. Some of the lines used are suggestive and a tad prophetic. The chorus follows that typical formula with a triple repeat at the end before the music just fades to nothing.

“A Little More Comfortable”- Wow. Michelle can sing. In addition, this recording lets her do just that. Her voice rides on top of the music. It is not so close to the microphone that every pitch and squeak is apparent. The guitarist in this song does want to drown her out, but the engineer keeps it in check and I can appreciate that. I will say it again, Michelle Wright can sing.

A little break, a little introduction.

I’m taking a little break here to talk about something that is not Country music. I’m playing these singles on a Stanton T-120 turntable using a Grado, Blue1 stylus. I run that through a Rane mixer into a Marantz receiver. The sound is loud and powerful and the good songs come out with vengeance. If I put on my KRK headphones, I can hear the platter moving. When I play these records, I hear every mistake the studio lets slip. This is a slice of heaven right now. All this new music to me, it envelopes and unleashes endorphins through my ears, cramming up my brain.

#16 Dude Mowrey

Hold On, Elroy/Turn For The Worse- Dude Mowrey

“Hold On, Elroy”- I just picture that cartoon character walking Astro when I hear the chorus in this song. I did not know that Country music follows the same formula as Pop music, where the chorus is the definitive lines and heart of these songs. It is, or this is just Pop-Country and it has to follow that same pattern.
“Turn For The Worse”- I do like the solos in this song. The fiddle then the guitar introduces a honky-tonk piano to the melody. Good touch to a forgettable song.

#15 BlackHawk

That’s Just About Right/Love Like This- BlackHawk
“That’s Just About Right”- The simplicity of these lyrics just scream 10th grade poetry. I wonder if these came from a frayed and worn notebook with forgotten assignments and silly sketches, because that is how  it sounds. The ukulele is a popular instrument in country music, but it does not stand out in this song. A fiddle at the end just dips into what could have been a fantastic jam, but it fades away with as much empathy as I have for this song. The chorus is so heavy in this song, so I assume it must be very powerful, not boring.

“Love Like This”- BlackHawk love to sing the lines, “Love Like This” because it is used Ad infinitum. That is all I heard in the song. I did not get into this song for anything.

#14 Exile

Nobody’s Talking/Don’t Hang Up (Girl)- Exile

“Nobody’s Talking”- I enjoy simple pop songs. This country one throws out lyrics that do not deviate from the norm. “Nobody’s talking… talking straight. I ask about you, and they… hesitate”. You have to enjoy that.

“Don’t Hang Up (Girl)”- Ha, ha, ha. They use a phone dialing in the beginning of the song. Moreover, they dial slowly. It is not in beat, or a preface for the rhythm, no. It is a lame addition because somebody thought it would add to the song. It does not. In addition, he has his friends singing the chorus, as if having all of your friends on the phone would emphasize your character for this (girl). I love that addition to the title, to. As though I would wonder who he did not want hanging up on him. The a-side was a better attempt towards a love song. I bet she accidentally hung up from laughing so hard when his gang of cronies on three-way, or downstairs using the kitchen phone, start singing to her. Yikes.

#13 Flaco Jimenéz

Jealous Heart/ Por Una Mujer Bonita- Flaco Jimenéz

“Jealous Heart”- The accordion! Flaco goes to town with his accordion on this… TexMex(?) sound. It has that jumpy tuba bass and the rolling drums typical with traditional music from Mexico. The lyrics are in English and this it is personally refreshing, because I understand what is going on. The accordion solos are full of the wailing bursts and rapid-fire notes that make your head bounce & bob. Funny how a human responds in just that way to a particular instrument.

“Por Una Mujer Bonita”- Now we have the Spanish lyrics song and I am lost. I understand the title, and that is all. Quicker rhythm associated here and that accordion stands up and out for a giant enjoyment. I’m sure if I threw a party, the Spanish cats would yip and holler for this song.