At the age of 74, Ray Price has released an album that can be heard as both a career capper and an ambitious new chapter. After acknowledging his honky-tonk roots with the opening "Better Class of Loser," the countrypolita... more »n crooner addresses the classic American songbook, applying his conversational phrasing to material immortalized by the likes of Louis Armstrong ("What a Wonderful World"), Frank Sinatra ("Fly Me to the Moon"), and Billie Holiday ("Body & Soul"). Only the Beatles' "In My Life" sounds like too much of an interpretive stretch for Price. Where many of his crossover hits in the '60s and early '70s suffered from saccharine production, here the string arrangements by David Campbell (father of pop star Beck) recall the bittersweet sophistication of Nelson Riddle's Sinatra sessions. File Prisoner of Love next to Willie Nelson's Stardust on the short shelf of genre-busting country classics. --Don McLeese« less
At the age of 74, Ray Price has released an album that can be heard as both a career capper and an ambitious new chapter. After acknowledging his honky-tonk roots with the opening "Better Class of Loser," the countrypolitan crooner addresses the classic American songbook, applying his conversational phrasing to material immortalized by the likes of Louis Armstrong ("What a Wonderful World"), Frank Sinatra ("Fly Me to the Moon"), and Billie Holiday ("Body & Soul"). Only the Beatles' "In My Life" sounds like too much of an interpretive stretch for Price. Where many of his crossover hits in the '60s and early '70s suffered from saccharine production, here the string arrangements by David Campbell (father of pop star Beck) recall the bittersweet sophistication of Nelson Riddle's Sinatra sessions. File Prisoner of Love next to Willie Nelson's Stardust on the short shelf of genre-busting country classics. --Don McLeese
"I have listened to Ray Price for many many years and I have never found anyone that comes close to his music or his wonderful voice. I have as many albums,cassettes and CD that I can find. I played his music so much I have my children as crazy over him as I am. He has not gotten the recognizion he deserves. I saw him in Casper, Wyoming again in Sparks, Nv. and I absolutely love his music. He puts on one of the best shows I have ever seen. He is worth traveling miles to see."
A Great Voice
laurent czerniewicz | gouy sous bellonne France | 01/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ray Price as a crooner.All the album is not liked .Then after several listening,one adores the remainder.One is captive by this voice.this great voice and these great musicians.
One swingue on "better glass of loosers,"soft rain","ramblin' rose","i've got a new heartache".....
One must have this album of Ray Price.It is essential.
How not enter in the legend after that!"
Ray Demonstrates His Versatility
Kent Moore | 11/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"After buying Ray Price's "Time" CD (highly recommended) and seeing him in concert (fabulous), I went back and bought "Prisoner of Love." His voice remains excellent in his 70s. This CD expands his versatile output by doing pop standards. The best song on the CD is the gorgeous "If It's Love (Then Bet it All)." Other highlights are the poignant "I Wish I Was 18 Again", "The Only Bridge", "In My Life", "Soft Rain", and a very nice cover of "Ramblin' Rose." His pop-style re-recording of "I've Got a New Heartache" is almost a different song than this honky-tonk version of the 1950s. Which one you like better is a matter of personal taste, but I like the new version better. If you like Ray's countrypolitan sound when he did "For the Good Times" and "I'd Rather Be Sorry", you definitely should buy this CD."
THE VERY BEST
V. A. Peek | Summerville, SC | 07/09/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It doesn't matter what he does and when he does it and where he does it, it's the very best. He should have been in the Hall of Fame the first year when it was established along with his early boss, Hank Williams. As well as a lot of others. They should just induct as many as it takes each year to get all of the OLD TRUE COUNTRY MUSIC PERFORMERS INTO IT. If they have 25 years of being great musicians and singers and performers they should be in the hall of fame. If they have more than twenty five years, it should be fancied up somehow or other. And if they've been performing as long as Willie, Ray and Merle and others, they should get gold medals to hang around the statues or whatever it is they get. Let me run that place awhile. He oughta be inducted again for LONGEVITY while he's still around to enjoy it. I've been listening to him from when he was with Hank Williams at least, because I sure did listen to Hank Williams a lot. Country and Western music was all we had to listen to in my little home town."