 
Roy Rogers
Very few reconciled the often-conflicting
agendas of art and entertainment as deftly as Roy Rogers. The
King of the Cowboys owned a tenor voice so amiable and mellifluous
that it had the power to disarm even the most jaded among us.
Perhaps that's why he was such a popular figure in the years
during and after World War II: his music was an antidote to the
unsettled nature of the times, recalling the simple and sincere
life of the cowboy, but revolving around timeless themes that
even the slickest city boy could relate to. The bulk of this
three-CD collection comes from Roy Rogers's steady stream of
radio shows, and the performances are highly professional yet
never stiff, musically resonant yet never self-serving, and they
usually are more exuberant and spontaneous than the original
studio versions. The comprehensive set brilliantly showcases
the range and depth of Rogers's talents: he could croon a congenial
ballad one moment, yodel passionately and fluently the next,
and lead a hot-swinging big band after that. Many of the cuts
feature the incredible instrumental and vocal talents of the
Sons of the Pioneers or the harmonies of wife Dale Evans, while
the studio numbers usually feature the top players of the day.
The majority of his Western songs were written not on the prairie,
the ranch, or the trail, but in Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley.
Still, Roy Rogers had an uncanny ability to make the unauthentic
and calculated sound genuine and refreshing. And while this may
not be authentic Western music, it is without question authentic
Hollywood-style Western music, which has its own distinct rewards.
The result is an immensely charming collection that celebrates
Rogers's charismatic performances, but more than that, pays homage
to midcentury radio and film and their valiant (yet ultimately
futile) attempt to recapture America's rapidly fading innocence.
--Marc Greilsamer |
