Among Porter's Best Work
Don Thomason | Dunbar, KY United States | 08/21/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Perhaps his genial, rhinestone-encrusted image obscures the broad impact Porter Wagoner has had on country music; for every lighthearted "Company's Comin'" or "Y'all Come," there's been a meaty "Skid Row Joe" or "The Carroll County Accident." The Best I've Ever Been triumphantly covers the universal themes and rural life slices Wagoner did in his heyday, and if he were age 35 instead of in his 70s they'd be calling this a comeback album. The songs, all written by Damon Black, showcase Wagoner the chronicler whose singing and speaking draw pictures of ordinary life and go straight to the emotional heart of a matter. "Daddy`s Ole Sayins, Mama's Beliefs" recalls a character father and devout mother, the type of parents many rural folks had. The unraveling of a May-December love stabs at the heart in "I Knew This Day Would Come." He sings of love on the way out in "Watching Eagles Fly," puts you right inside the hard scrabble Mississippi childhood of "Dusty Delta Memories," takes shots at the government and business conglomerates in "Brewster's Farm," and makes you feel the ongoing desolation of "Broken Hearts Beat On." "I'd Like To Make That Same Mistake Again" and "Till The Right One Comes Along" are infectious stone country. Wagoner proves here that George Jones ain't the only over-60 country singer that's still on his game."
Porter Wagoner's Back & Critics Agree
Randy Harrell | USA | 12/19/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
""If this isn't the best Wagoner has ever been, it's certainly close." -THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER"If the counry crowd is looking for a new hero, they need look no further than this 70-plus years-young elder statesman." -SONICNET.COM"At 73, Porter Wagoner holds court at the Grand Ole Opry with classic songs and time-worn war stories. But this new record proves his past magic still has a place in country music's present." -NO DEPRESSION MAGAZINE"
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1