Search - Ronnie Milsap :: Rose By Any Other Name

The Real Ronnie Milsap

Calvin Stout | Des Moines, Iowa - USA | 05/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How this original 1971 Warner Brothers vinyl LP didn't sell a million copies is one of the biggest mysteries of the record business. Ronnie's version of the Mickey Newbury & Doug Gilmore

heartbreaker "She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye" is pure magic.

Produced by Chips Moman, this version is even better than Jerry Lee Lewis' 1969 hit. His original version of the Kris

Kristofferson song "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends" (found on this CD)is superior to his later recorded #1 RCA hit.

Credit producer Dan Penn for this one. Every cut on the CD is fantastic. There are no clunkers. "Keep On Smilin'" and "I Just Can't Help Believin'" sound as if they were written for Milsap.

From his 1970 Chips Record label minor hit "A Rose By Any Other Name (Is Still A Rose)" to his early Scepter Records association with writer Mark James' for the 1970 pop chart hit "Loving You Is A Natural Thing", also on the Chips Record

label, they're all here. If you love Ronnie Milsap, you must have this CD for your collection. It really should have been titled "Ronnie Milsap's Greatest Hits Volume 1".



"

A fine compilation of Milsap's Warner Brothers recordings

Cory B. | Arizona | 02/22/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ronnie Milsap was making good music in the 60's and early 70's before the world knew who he was, and this is one album that proves it. Originally released in 1975 after Milsap had already become a country star on RCA, this CD compiles 10 worthy recordings from Ronnie's brief stay with Warner Brothers in 1971. Ronnie spent the first decade of his career as a little-known R&B singer in Atlanta and Memphis, and these recordings were made at the end of this period just before he moved to Nashville and turned country. Most of the songs here show Ronnie breaking away from the hardcore R&B sound of his 60's recordings to a more pop-country sound for the first time.



Ronnie's impressive ability to take songs made famous by others and sing them as well or even better than the original artists is showcased on this CD. The Mickey Newbury masterpiece "She even woke me up to say Goodbye" is one of the finest country songs ever written, and although Jerry Lee Lewis had a great country hit with it, Ronnie's version gives the song a more polished pop arrangement and his vocal performance is top-notch as always. The pop ballad "I just can't help Believing" could've easily been a hit for Ronnie if he had recorded the song before B.J. Thomas. He clearly delivers the song just as well as Thomas or Elvis ever did, and his remake of Roy Orbison's "Crying" is also excellent! Another noteworthy song is the upbeat "Loving you is a natural thing" which actually managed to get onto the charts although it wasn't a big hit.



Five of the best songs on this CD are also included on another CD released in 2006 titled "Ronnie Milsap" {shown at the top of this page} that is even better than this collection! Considering how obscure Milsap's pre-country recordings are, both CD's are wise purchases for serious Milsap fans."