Gene Watson: CMP Album Reviews
Gene Watson has been singing professionally since the late 1950s & has been
a country music (album) recording artist since the late 1960s.
Gene Watson steps into a recording studio and, like a great chef, uses the
perfect ingredients to create an aural feast. When Gene Watson takes a step
behind the microphone, magic happens.
Gene Watson's contribution to the country music genre is immeasurable and it
is here that you have an opportunity to read a CMP review of Gene Watson's
'Matters of the Heart' (Hump
Head Country, 2008), as published in the
November 2008
issue of Country Music People.
Country Music People is the United Kingdom's No. 1 Award Winning Country
Music Magazine, and was the recipient of the Country Music Association's
2003 Wesley Rose International Achievement Award.
Country Music People was first published in 1970 and protects its integrity
fiercely. The magazine has always brought its readers detailed, honest
record reviews untainted by advertising considerations, as well as genuine
interviews with country stars that are not faked from interview discs sent
out by publicists and record labels.
Country Music People have
long ago nailed its colours to the mast where Gene Watson is concerned.
The magazine has rigorously championed Gene's cause down through the years
and have published a number of reviews of his album releases.
'Matters of the Heart' (Hump
Head Country, 2008)
This CMP review by Al Moir, which was published in the November 2008 issue of
Country Music People, is reproduced here with the kind permission of the
publishers.
Album Review by Al Moir
(***** out of 5)
'Gene Watson is the epitome of genuine honky tonk music but, despite having
enjoyed 21 top twenty hits between 1975 & 1997, and having released numerous
excellent albums on, firstly, Capitol Records, followed by MCA, Epic and
Warner Brothers, he was never really accorded the level of recognition he
deserved.
As the face of country music altered and countless new names showed a
willingness to bow to the demands of mainstream country, Watson steadfastly
remained true to his roots, a stance highly commended by followers of a more
traditional approach. To the best of my knowledge, the four albums he
released on MCA between 1981 and 1983 - 'Old Loves Never Die', 'Between This
Time and the Next Time', 'This Dream's on Me' and 'Sometimes I Get Lucky' -
from which these 20 tracks have been compiled, have never been made
available on CD.
Watson excelled at sad tales of losers in love, the very bedrock of honky
tonk, and there is no shortage here: 'Fourteen carat mind' (his only
Billboard #1 hit), 'Lonely me', 'Maybe I should have been listening',
'Sometimes I get lucky and forget', 'Old loves never die' and 'You're just
another beer drinkin' song' being prime examples of the genre.
Another staple theme of honky tonk is, of course, cheating songs, and these
too are well represented through titles like 'Til Melinda comes around',
'You sure make cheatin' seem easy' and 'What she don't know won't hurt
her'. Watson infuses songs like these with such soul that he makes them
totally convincing.
The same passion is evident when he tackles songs of remorse and straight
down the line love ballads as he does on 'This dream's on me', 'You waltzed
yourself right into my life', 'Babe me baby', 'If I were you, I'd fall in
love with me', 'Roads and other reasons' and 'The girl I used to run around
on'. Add to these Tom T. Hall's tragic 'Three' and the ironic 'From cotton
to satin' and you have a carefully thought out selection of material from
some of the finest writers of the time.
Long-time fans will welcome this generous offering to supplement their
25-year-old vinyl copies and, just as importantly, newer followers of honky
tonk who are less familiar with one of the greatest exponents of the genre
will find this to be an excellent introduction to Gene Watson and his music'.
Al Moir
Country Music People
November 2008
