Songs From Sopchoppy

Presentación del Álbum

Tom T. Hall's two-disc box set -- the outstanding Storyteller, Poet, Philosopher -- revived interest in the one-of-a-kind performer. So Mercury Records, the label that Hall worked for from 1967 to 1986, agreed to release Songs From Sopchoppy, his first album of original tunes in ten years (not counting a children's project). Unfortunately, the collection is not up to Hall's usual standards. Part of the problem comes from production. Tom Collins once guided hits for Ronnie Milsap and Barbara Mandrell, but he hasn't been active in leading record production since the mid-'80s. That's where his sound seems stuck, as he saddles Hall with a decidedly old-fashioned, stilted sound. Hall's observations are still witty, but rarely as incisive as on such classics as "Homecoming" and "Ballad of Forty Dollars." Still, the best song on the album, a ballad titled "Shoes and Dress That Alice Wore," is a devastating and artful piece of work. It suggests Hall still has it, if someone is willing to push him to dig a little deeper.

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