Red Sovine is basically a dependable, middle-of-the-road
country artist. Since he comes from the old school, he has mastered certain wonderful
country grooves such as the so-called
Ray Price shuffle, which drives along
"More From Habit Than Desire." Of course,
Sovine has been practically elevated to the status of a kitsch icon for his maudlin and sometimes bizarre song stories.
"I Think I Can Sleep Tonight" is a letter from a young boy to his father, and it is this album's portion of this type of
Sovine specialty. It is a sad and solemn discussion of this child's seperation, and although some listeners may feel its power comes from sheer sentimentality, those with more experience in life will hear the lyrics as surprisingly realistic. It is followed by
"Long Night," some of this artist's fine trucker
country in the style of
Dave Dudley, complete with grunting guitar licks. Then the western swing is back for the superb
"Don't Let My Glass Run Dry." This sequence is described to indicate just how much fun this album is, and it is pretty typical of the output of this artist. The fact that he is also a co-writer on a good share of the tunes adds to the growing respect. He doesn't create an irrestible aura of hopelessness or tear the walls down and his brand of
country and western would never be considered deep philisophically. But he sings with great skill, over mystery session men tracks that are full of clean surprises. On
"Too Much," a bass is subtly doubled on the piano, while on the hilarious
"Nobody's Business," featuring an unidentified female vocalist, there is both a madly swinging beat played with brushes and
Collins Kids-style electric guitar insanity. This label was an adjunct of
Starday, one of the few labels
country fans might buy just on the basis of so-called "label identity." On the back cover there is an offer to get an illustrated
Starday catalog; that combined with the $3.00 sticker price from the used record pile could by itself inspire serious sentimentality about the good old days. Don't get too excited about the bargain aspect, since this entire album could have fit on one side of vinyl easily. ~ Eugene Chadbourne
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