Warner Mack "The Bridge Washed Out" (Country Stars, 1993)
It's hard to imagine, but this European bootleg still seems to be the only CD representation of the handfuls of hits racked up by Warner McPherson in his years as a Decca label second-stringer. Apparently many of the tracks on here are re-recordings, but don't fret: the music is quite nice! McPherson's albums always had a soft, folkie air about them, but when looked at through the lens of a best-of set, his rougher edges come into focus... Indeed, I'd never realized before how much he sounded like roadhouse honkytonker Gary Stewart... A revelation which was a real eye-opener for me! Anyway, I liked this disc quite a bit and would recommend it, particularly for any hard-country fans who've been turned off by the wimpy qualities of Mack's old LPs. He's worth another look!

Raul Malo "You're Only Lonely" (Sanctuary, 2006)
(Produced by Peter Asher)
A mellow set of emotive romantic tunes, worthy of Roy Orbison or Aaron Neville. While the nod towards J.D. Souther (on the title tune) is certainly welcome, the overall tone of this album is too syrupy and soft for me; also, there's little variety to the tempo and feel from beginning to end. Still, if you like romantic ballads with glossy modern production, you might really dig this... It's certainly in keeping with Malo's earlier work, the soft stuff at least.

Barbara Mandrell "Treat Him Right" (Columbia, 1971)
(Produced by Billy Sherrill)
On her debut album, future superstar Barbara Mandrell was definitely still paying her dues... She'd signed to Columbia two years earlier, but was put on the backburner until the label could figure out what to do with her. Her earliest chart hits were countrified R&B covers -- Dan Penn's "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," "Treat Him Right," "I've Been Loving You Too Long" -- all of which were gathered here, along with a slew of other covers such as "Games People Play," "The Letter" and "I Almost Lost My Mind." She proves herself game, even given the lackluster material, and shines a bit when some newer tunes provided by producer Billy Sherrill are steered her way. Sherrill's touch is strongest on these songs, particularly the tunes that open up the album, and Mandrell slips into the countrypolitan mode with remarkable ease. It didn't take them long to shed the cover tune trap, which was good since she was much better suited to original material, and seemed to know it, pouring herself into a handful of songs here, while letting the others slide by. The overall impression is of a new artist whose talent was much larger than the opportunity she'd been given. She made the most of it, though, and having persevered, eventually took the town by storm. In the meantime, this wasn't a bad album by any means, and traditional country fans'll probably like it a lot better than her work at the end of the decade. Worth checking out.

Barbara Mandrell "This Is... Barbara Mandrell" (ABC, 1976)
(Produced by Tom Collins)
Mandrell's first album after leaving Columbia... Even this late in the game, she still sounded relatively rootsy... Relative, that is, to the horrendously disco-fied pop of her later work, which is prefigured here by the bland, Olivia Newton John-ish "Love Is Thin Ice," which kicks off Side Two. Make no mistake, this isn't great country music, but it is decent countrypolitan, and she can carry the story on these weepy, goopy tunes. It takes a little extra effort to get past the production -- which ranges from icky to innocuous -- but there are a few good songs on here. "Standing Room Only" was the big hit -- pegging out at #5 -- but there are other ballads that hit the mark as well. Side note: among the backup singers was Janie Fricke, who broke out as a solo star the following year.

Barbara Mandrell "Super Hits" (Sony, 1997)
When she started out on Columbia, back in the early '70s, Barbara Mandrell actually wasn't that bad! Her earliest hits (produced with Billy Sherrill) were purty darn country, if the truth be told... Worth noting in this category are gems like the trucker tune, "Tonight My Baby's Coming Home," and the honkytonkin' "Treat Him Right." If you want to be surprised by an artist that many of us had written off as a hopeless cheesoid, this budget line best-of (or any of the albums it draws on) is definitely worth a spin!

Barbara Mandrell "The Ultimate Barbara Mandrell" (Universal, 2001)
This disc shows where it all started to go horribly wrong... Somewhere in the late '70s, she started doing country-soul weepers that were kinda like Barry White on helium; that lest to some outright disco tracks, and then to the slick pop-fusion crossovers she's best known for. Scary stuff, but it will tell you a lot about how country music sounded in this crucial (yet unfortunate) transition... Even though she always had pop-leaning proclivities, husky-voiced Barbara Mandrell was an uneasy match for the tinkly, synthy New Wave-era production of the early '80s... This disc collects tracks from her waning days in the Top Ten, with only a handful of tunes early in the decade pegging out at the top. Highlights include "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" and "Fast Lanes And Country Roads," but many of these "Xanadu"-esque keyboard-heavy ballads seem more like cruel jokes from the boys in the control booth, rather than worthy contenders from a former countrypolitan diva. For true fans only...

Louise Mandrell "Anthology" (Renaissance, 1998)
A comprehensive collection of the "best" work by a decidely lesser commercial country artist. Barbara Mandrell's little sister, Louise also married her way into show biz, singing numerous 1980s duets with then-husband R. C. Bannon (which are also collected here)... With a thin but perky twang, she threw herself gamely into these relatively rootsy, somewhat synthy popbilly ditties. She has a convincing earnestness which manages to get through the indifferent production and the general sub-Sheena Easton vibe, but even with her moderate charms, this is still second-string material.

Marcel "You, Me And The Windshield" (Mercury, 2003)
Well, say what you will, this guy has a pretty distinctive voice. Contrivedly confessional, teeny and reedy sounding, but distinctive. I dunno if that'll be enough to elevate his patently generic, cluttered soft-rock country above the common herd, but it might be. This is mercilessly, meticulously crafted Nashville uber-pop, the gimmicky kinda stuff that sucks you in, try as you might to resist its formulae. Even so, he seems like a pretty minor player, and the longer this album goes on, the less you want to listen.

Daniel Lee Martin "On My Way To You" (Chin Music, 2007)
(Produced by Jan Stolpe)
A fine, independently released set of would-be Top 40 country, from the huge wellspring of talent bubbling under the surface of the Nashville hit factory. Martin has the same sort of gosh-heck, down-to-earth boyish charm as Dierks Bentley, and the same willingness to go with the flow and sing mainstream material, yet still infuse it with a sense of fun and conviction... The tracks have a lot of rock-tinged guitar, but there's still plenty of twang, and nothing ever drowns in over-the-top pop (ala Tim McGraw), so by default Martin emerges as a member of the traditionalist side of contemporary country... I guess these off-the-radar releases mostly function as demo tapes and (hopefully) stepping stones to bigger and better things. Choice tracks include "That's What God Made Rivers For," "Just What You Did" and "Crazy's All They Got," as well as his earnest covers of oldies like "Take Me Home Country Roads" and "Keep You Hands To Yourself." Top Country fans who appreciate the earthier, more honest singers such as Bentley and Blaine Larsen will also want to check this guy out... Even if he doesn't make it to the top of the charts, it's still a pretty solid record, and shows how strong the independent side of Music City can be.

John Arthur Martinez "Stand Your Ground" (Jam, 2001)

John Arthur Martinez "Lone Starry Night" (Dualtone, 2004)
Austin native Martinez was a second-place runner up of the cable TV country music talent show, Country Star, the Nashville version of American Idol, and on the opening track of this new album, you can see why he made it to the top of the pile. He's likeable and confident, and with the right backup behind him, he can really carry a tune. That song is the highlight of this disc, though -- there are a couple of nice acoustic Western swing tunes not far behind, but the album soon devolves into material that has a feel that's all too familiar to folks who've heard a few of the gazillions of self-produced country records out there today. Martinez is the top of the heap when it comes to that kid of country, but he hasn't yet transcended the limitations of the style, although his bilingual lyrics and nods towards Tex-Mex culture (as on "Tonight At Fiesta") bring something new to the mix. Martinez recorded a couple of self-released albums before this -- 1999's Spinning Our Wheels and Stand You Ground, in 2001 -- and one hopes that he'll keep working at it; it'd be nice to see that the little guys can still crack into the big time.

Mila Mason "That's Enough Of That" (Atlantic, 1996)
Kentuckian Mila Mason is an adequate singer, backed by fairly run-of-the-mill country-pop arrangements, roughly in the Martina McBride/Shania Twain neck of the woods. Didn't really rock my world, but there are some glimmers of ruggedness and vigor in her presentation, though mostly it's pretty glossy and generic. Nothing special, really. The title track was a Top 20 hit, as well as a career highwater mark.

Mila Mason "The Strong One" (Atlantic, 1998)

Mila Mason "Stained Glass Window" (Twinbeat, 2003)

Kathy Mattea "A Collection Of Hits" (Mercury, 1990)
Covering her first three albums (Walk The Way The Wind Blows (1986), Untasted Honey (1987) and Willow In The Wind, from 1989) and tossing one new tune in just for good measure, this set covers her early work quite nicely. It opens with her cover of Nanci Griffith's "Love At The Five And Dime," which is a nod in the right direction, but also points out Mattea's weaknesses as well as her strengths. The good part is that she's a heartsong traditionalist, relying on good songs and simple arrangements, and doesn't fall for the glossy, high-tech approach that swept Nashville in the '80s and '90s. The downside, for me at least, is that she has a mumbly, folk-ish delivery that gets a bit slushy and saccharine at times. For the most part, though: Kathy Mattea, yay. Worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of Nanci Griffith, Rosanne Cash, or Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Kathy Mattea "Time Passes By" (Mercury, 1991)
(Produced by Allen Reynolds)
Blechh. Gooey, milky, overly poetic, folkish material that over-emphasizes her sententious, florid vocal style, all of it all-too-frightfully reminiscent of Mary Chapin Carpenter, who I can't stand. There isn't a single performance on here that I liked, although she does an okay cover of Julie Gold's "From A Distance," which is a song I love, as well as a song by Scottish folkie Dougie Maclean. For those so inclined, I'm sure this is a lovely, moving album, but I thought it was dreary and enervating.

Kathy Mattea "Lonesome Standard Time" (Mercury, 1992)
(Produced by Brent Maher)
One of Mattea's finest, most upbeat and hook-laden albums. The mainstream-y melodic approach is matched by the quality of the songs, which come from a variety of sources. There's the obligatory Nanci Griffith cover ("Listen To The Radio"), the title track, a fine number written by Larry Cordle, and tunes by Kieran Kane, Bob McDill and others. Standouts include Mike Dowling's rather clever "Lonely At The Bottom" and "33, 45, 78 (Record Time)," an ode to the charms of things gone by the wayside. I have to admit, it took me a while to get into this album... As noted before, Mattea's voice kind of bugs me, but after listening to the record a couple of times, I found myself humming along, and got into it. This is catchy material, and thankfully free of the heavy poetics and would-be philosophizing that drags some of her other records down. Recommended!

Matthews, Wright & King "Power Of Love" (Columbia, 1992)
(Produced by Steve Buckingham & Larry Strickland)
This trio -- Raymond Matthews, Woody Wright and Tony King -- had kicked around on the margins of Music City, scoring minor hits while in a couple of obscure bands a decade or so earlier. This album was their shot at the bigtime, and while the commercially promising title track fell just short of the Country Top 40, their followup album went nowhere chartwise, so that was pretty much it for these guys. For their fans, I'm sure it was a big disappointment, and no doubt they had a bunch of diehard fans at the time... Folks nowadays who are able to track this disc down may still enjoy its easygoing sound, with soft vocals and windy melodies that bring to mind bigger hitmakers such as Ricky Skaggs and Shenandoah. Not bad.

Matthews, Wright & King "Dream Seekers" (Columbia, 1993)

The Mavericks "The Mavericks" (1990)

The Mavericks "Fron Hell To Paradise" (MCA, 1992)

The Mavericks "What A Crying Shame" (MCA, 1994)

The Mavericks "Music For All Occasions" (MCA, 1995)

The Mavericks "It's Now! It's Live!" (MCA, 1997)

The Mavericks "Trampoline" (MCA, 1998)

The Mavericks "Super Colossal Smash Hits Of The '90s: The Best Of The Mavericks" (MCA, 1999)
Okay, so maybe they don't hit the mark all of the time, and maybe their marimba-ish Latin stylings sometimes have a whiff of Jimmy Buffet exotica to them, but I still dig the Mavericks. They may be slick, but they seem more playful and adventurous than most Top Country acts, and Raul Malo's crooning Roy Orbison vocals do the trick for me. This best-of covers a lot of turf, and gives a pretty good sense of the band's range and diverse, lavish pop-country stylings.

The Mavericks "The Millennium Collection" (MCA, 2001)

The Mavericks "The Mavericks" (Sanctuary, 2003)
It's been a while for these guys -- and the resulting new album may be surprise for many expecting a continuation of their twang'n'oldies formula. The doo-woppish Roy Orbison-style crooning is still there, but don't expect much country sounding material on here... The band seems to have staked out a neither-fish-nor-fowl sound that leaves them sounding too brainy and soul-influenced for commercial country, too slick and bombastic for alties to enjoy... Instead, there's plenty of bouncy melodic pop, kinda along the lines of a Ben Folds album(!) A few lightly cynical, topically-oriented songs as well, but Malo and the guys seem to advocate an apolitical, apathetical detachment -- which, while perhaps in line with the current attitude of mainstream America, is not, I think the answer to the problems that confront us. Still, it's an interesting change of pace, and songs like the Beatles-y "Would You Believe" are kinda thought-provoking. Willie Nelson guests on one of these fuzzy-philosophy tunes, "Time Goes By," which has a nice bluesy soul feel to it. But a "country" album, this definitely ain't.

The Mavericks "Gold" (MCA Nashville, 2006)
This slam-bang, 2-CD best-of set captures Raul Malo and his posse at their finest, from the exaggerated twang of their early work to the romantic, Roy Orbison-esque croon that became Malo's signature sound. Although the Mavericks initially brought a fresh blast of traditionalist twang to the country charts, they never quite made it to the top, mainly warming the benches in the back half of the Top 40. They made some mighty nice records, though, and this generously programmed collection should just about cover it for the average listener. The first disc has all their early hits, while the second tracks their slide off of the Nashville radar. Included here are about a half-dozen previously unreleased tracks and a slew of one-off singles and rarities, including bonus tracks and tunes from various soundtracks and tribute albums. If you want to check these guys out, this is a great way to go.

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Hick Music Index

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