Essential
As much as any performer this side ofPatsy Cline, Jim Reeves exemplified the Nashville Sound.Chet Atkins's lush production fit like a cardigan sweater around the Texan's cozy baritone; it was a sound traditionalists believed was antithetical to true country music. Record buyers, however, begged to differ--in droves. The so-called countrypolitan movement produced its share of schlock, but Reeves had much going for him, most notably a knack for finding apropos material, including "Welcome to My World," "Four Walls," and "He'll Have to Go." This 20-track overview features 20 trademark tunes cut between 1957 and his death in a 1964 plane crash. For refined rural Romeos and Juliets, these are the cozy tunes that established the country crooner as something of aNat King Colein cowboy boots.--Steven Stolder