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"Lucky Man"
Through this song cycle of love's salvation,
Hal Ketchum tries to renew the commercial success he enjoyed
a decade ago with "Small Town Saturday Night" without
sacrificing the critical respect he earned with his previous
release, Awaiting Redemption. The plainspoken simplicity and
heartfelt sincerity of "You Can't Go Back" and "Richest
Man in Texas" bring out the best in Ketchum's reedy tenor,
while overblown duets with Dolly Parton ("Two of the Lucky
Ones") and Lisa Brokop ("Keep Mom & Dad in Love")
succumb to schmaltz. The sound is generally slicker and sweeter
than one might expect from producer Rodney Crowell, though Ketchum's
soulful reading of a pair of Crowell originals, "Loving
You Makes Me a Better Man" and "Dreams of Martina,"
reflects an artistic kinship. --Don McLeese |
Customer review from Amazon
Reviewer: Rebecca Hale from Decatur, IL
United States
I am a longtime fan of Hal Ketchum,
but this CD will delight even those listeners who are not as
devoted as I am. I keep listening to this CD over and over again!
From the very first song, "You're Everything," you
are grabbed and find yourself humming along. "You Can't
Go Back" will get your toe tapping and fingers snapping,
and "Don't Let Go," has the influence of swing behind
it. The songs are upbeat and catchy. The downside to this CD
is the two duets. Dolly Parton sounds off-tune most of the time
and Lisa Brokop's voice was never a favorite to begin with. He
would be better off to keep it a solo act next time or find someone
who is more compatible to his vocal style. Overall though, a
great buy. You will keep this one close at hand and listen to
it often! |
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