Well, then this website is for you! Here's your chance to read all about Nashville pop, from the late-'50s "Nashville Sound" and the countrypolitan scene of the '70s to today's chart-toppers and pretty-boy hat acts, seen through the lens of DJ Joe Sixpack, a hick music know-it-all with a heart of gold...
Frank Ifield "The Best Of Frank Ifield" (Curb, 1991)
British pop-country crooner Frank Ifield landed a big Stateside hit in 1962 with "I Remember You," but in the final analysis there wasn't much to differentiate him from the legions of clean-cut vocalists who crowded the American charts in the early 'Sixties, when the music industry was doing its best to pretend that rock'n'roll ('50s style) was dead and gone. Which is to say, this is cornball material, emulating goopy pseudo-billy from the likes of Marty Robbins, Sonny James and Eddy Arnold... and while those guys had their moments, Ifield offered the palest imitation of their work. This is schmaltzy and nostalgia-drenched, but it ain't nothing to write home about.
Frank Ifield "The Yodelling Cowboy Years" (Jasmine, 2006)
Jack Ingram - see artist discography
Mike Ireland & Holler "Try Again" (Ashmont, 2002)
Waitaminnit... Now... why, exactly, do I have this album, issued on a microscopic indie label that no one in Nashville has ever heard of, listed as part of my Top 40 section? Well, 'cause this is, quite simply, one of the best countrypolitan albums recorded in the last twenty years. While rock refugee Mike Ireland's first album was compelling, this one's a dazzler. He's tightened up his hillbilly sound, retrenching to the golden days of early '70s country radio, where twangsters like Merle Haggard still mingled the countrypolitan crowd. Cover tunes like a version of the Charlie Rich classic, "Life Has It's Little Ups And Downs," tip you off that this guy has been doing his homework. But it's Ireland's originals that are most impressive -- he overwrites his lyrics to just the right degree -- almost too high-concept, but with strong hooks and a cohesive songcrafting style firmly in place. Tunes like "Love's The Hardest Thing You'll Ever Do," "Sweet Sweetheart" and "Close Enough To Break Each Other's Hearts" show a dedication to the form that is all too rare today -- and a real joy to hear. I can easily imagine some of these songs being played on the air in 1973; hopefully they'll find some bandwidth in the new millennium as well. Trust me: you owe it to yourself to pick this album up. It's really, really good. (Check out Ireland's website for more info...)
Commercial Country Albums - Letter "J"
Hick Music Index
