Here's To Country Music
Don Walser has a unique approach to "Top 40" country music: he plays the top country songs from 40 years ago (or longer).Here's to Country Musicincludes such vintage favorites asBob Wills's "Sugar Moon,"Floyd Tillman's "It Makes No Difference Now,"Red Foley's "Tennessee Saturday Night," andMarty Robbins's "At the End of a Long, Lonely Day." InHank Thompson's title track, the singer wonders why he's hearing rock & roll on his country radio station, bringing an old complaint up to date. This album was recorded in Nashville with such veteran studio hands as steel guitaristBuddy Emmonsand fiddler Buddy Spicher, along with guest vocalists Crystal Gayle and Teddy Wilburn. While there's less here of the daredevil yodeling that has made Walser a legend among alt-country audiences, he's still the best damn cowboy singer in Texas, with a sky-high range that erases the distinction between opera and opry.--Rick Mitchell