Fabulous
It's hard to imagine a singer today with the cheek to label himself "fabulous" right there in the title, but then there isn't a singer today who can hold a candle to Charlie Rich. On this elegant, country-soul classic, Rich's expressive rasp pleads for undeserved forgiveness in "Sittin' and Thinkin'," reluctantly says good-bye in "San Francisco Is a Lonely Town," and rages through "Bright Lights, Big City." Best of all, in "Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs," Rich apologizes to his wife for all he can never give her--and thanks her for loving him anyway. At the end, when he cries "She wears a gold ring on her finger ... and it's mine," no singer has ever sounded so completely grateful. "Fabulous" doesn't do it justice.--David Cantwell