Finally snagged Mandy Barnett's new record, "I've Got a Right to Cry," and
haven't had so much fun listening to a record in a long time. Don's right;
this is the best of the year (that I've heard). I also prematurely
nominate Harold Bradley's electric guitar solo on "Who (Who Will It Be)"
as the best guitar solo of the year, so far. Inventive, confident,
understated, perfect for this wonderful song.
This record has everything, from Barnett's perfect-fit vocals (the
stretched out notes on "Who..." made me grin), to a great assortment of
pop and country songs, with so many poppy hooks that it nearly ripped my
earlobes. My question -- are "hooks" universal, or do they not transfer
across genres? In other words, if the answer to that question is, "yes,
hooks are hooks," how come a record like this one, chock full of
irresistable melodic turns, doesn't automatically find its way onto radio
playlists. I'm sure there's an easy answer, though I hope it's more
complicated than "commercial radio programmers are all assholes."
Again, though, I can't say enough about this record. Thanks all for the
recommendation. -- Terry Smith
ps And I didn't even mention the production -- but I will now. Owen
Bradley gets a lot of the praise for this record, though he produced a
third of the songs. He deserves it, because I'm sure his spirit infused
the whole project. But I also think that his kid brother, Harold, and
co-producers Bobby Bradley and Barnett deserve raves. The production is
creative, inventive, confident and perfect for these songs. And Emmons and
the other players show, conclusively why they're some of the best session
players who ever lived.
