Rockin' In The Country

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Now this is a switch -- or at least appears to be. In 2007 contemporary country singer Daryle Singletary returned to recording with the fine Straight from the Heart, a collection of classic honky tonk songs and barroom weepers. They came from the likes of Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard, George Jones, and others, and though the production leaned on the modern side, the music was classic country. That said, imagine the surprise at the opening title track, which not only features an appearance by Charlie Daniels, but rocks harder than anything he's ever cut and fits the cookie-cutter mold of big guitar contemporary country seamlessly. It's such an obvious attempt at a hit single that it's almost pitiable. Thankfully, the rest of this set doesn't follow suit, and Singletary goes back to what he does best: singing more traditionally oriented material with contemporary lyrics and production. Singletary's baritone is so rich and so expressive and soulful that he could sing the obituaries out of the newspaper, so, while his desire for chart success is understandable, his producers Greg Cole and Chuck Rhodes only give so much. They get the sheen that makes so much contemporary country music sound like the equivalent of 1970s polyester, but they keep the arrangements close and honest and most of the material inside the realm of Singletary's great emotional strength as a vocalist. Other cuts on this set that are more notable include "Love You with the Lights On"; "How Can I Believe in You (When You'll Be Leaving Me)"; "If I Ever Get Her Back"; his own "She's a Woman," a beautiful ballad with a gentle bossa groove (!!!); and the stellar "She Sure Looks Good in Black." There are other potential singles here for Singletary in his reading of Jimmy Wayne's "Going Through Hell (With You Again)," with its bluesy groove and high lonesome banjo introducing the electric guitars, and "They Know How to Grow Em," which continues the faux Southern rock reprise of the title cut.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo