Sweet Memories: The Music Of Ray Price & The Cherokee Cowboys

When Vince Gill and Paul Franklin reunited to cut a sequel to their acclaimed 2013 album, Bakersfield, the intention was to mirror that records construction by dividing it equally between two celebrated artists. As they gathered songs for the album, they realized that one artist had a deep songbook filled with underappreciated gems ripe for discovery: the Texas legend Ray Price. A revolutionary figure in 20th century country music -- he created the 4/4 shuffle beat that became synonymous with post-war country -- Price was a fixture on the charts from 1952 through 1982, cutting such enduring standards as "Crazy Arms," "For the Good Times," "Night Life," and "Heartaches By the Number." None of those songs are here. Gill and Franklin dig deep into Prices catalog -- the only Top Ten single of his that they cover is the folk standard "Danny Boy," which isnt generally associated with him -- and then set about to capture the spirit of his backing band the Cherokee Cowboys. Thats not the same thing as a period re-creation. Although they play the Ray Price beat and show an equal facility with both barroom ballads and honky tonk two-steps, the duo arent replicating recordings, theyre merely working in a milieu. The result is warm, nuanced, and nourishing -- a record that feels old-fashioned because it focuses on instrumental interplay. Working with many musicians who played in the Cherokee Cowboys, the duo keeps things lively and relaxed, letting their guests stretch out in the groove. By emphasizing interaction, Sweet Memories: The Music of Ray Price & the Cherokee Cowboys winds up as an unusually alive tribute album: it shows how old music can still sound fresh in modern contexts. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine