Search - Ray Price :: The Classic Songs of Ray Price

What You Need To Know

Cary E. Mansfield | Studio City, CA USA | 06/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection features modern recordings and updated arrangements of Ray Price's classic songs, including two of his biggest pop and country hits "For The Good Times," and "I Won't Mention It Again."



The tracks featured in this release were produced by Ray Pennington (Waylon Jennings, Norma Jean, Billy Walker and Kenny Price, among others), and backed by some of the best musicians in Nashville.



This CD includes a pair of songs written by Willie Nelson "Night Life," and "I'm Still Not Over You," as well as songs by written by Kris Kristofferson and Bill Anderson."

1980s re-recordings of hits finds Price in good voice

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 09/08/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Issued in parallel to Price's latest release ("Last of the Breed" with Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard) and Columbia/Legacy's 2-CD original hit retrospective "The Essential Ray Price," this volume of latter day re-recordings is the odd-disc out. Price was in good voice for these sessions, and with a lush string section and a studio full of Nashville A-listers (including Price's steel player, Buddy Emmons) these aren't simply cheap knock-offs. Still, with an eye towards creating a new stake in his catalog of hit titles, neither did Price and producer Ray Pennington didn't set out to reinvent the wheel. The result is more an echo of Price's original innovations than a direct copy or something wholly new.



The song list features many of Price's smooth ballad hits of the '60s, including the seminal transition piece "Crazy Arms" and the 1970 Kris Kristofferson penned chart-topper, "For the Good Times." Price also revisits a few of his earlier honky-tonk shuffles, including Harlan Howard's "Heartaches by the Numbers" and his own "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)." The newly struck arrangements include the vibraphone playing of Blondie Calderon, adding a fresh, jazzy element to the standard swing. Price's honky-tonk and crooning eras collide when "Release Me," originally recorded in 1953 is reworked here with soft strings.



Recorded for the Step One label in the late '80s, these re-recordings filled in for reissues that had dried up in the latter half of the '70s and early '80s. Price's familiarity with the material, born of repeated performances on stage, is a double-edged sword. He brings comfort and ease that distinguishes these recordings from the originals, but there's also a loss of discovery that can leave the performances overly casual. This is an interesting disc for Price collectors, but newbies would be better off starting with an anthology of the original hit recordings. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]"