George Jones - Cold Hard Truth - If That Ain't Country

Western Red

Your weekly, 3-hour fix of the very best in traditional country, honky tonk, bluegrass and western swing from the golden years til today. Hosted by Western Red.

Some call it old country; classic country; real country. We call it traditional country, and that's exactly what we do here at "If That Ain't Country". For three hours each week, we feature the very best traditional country, honky tonk, bluegrass and western swing from the golden years 'til today. It's pretty simple but we think you'll like it. Hosted by Western Red - it's US country with an Australian twist, keeping true to the traditions that make country great. With a genuine love and deep respect for the foundations of the genre, the legends are right alongside the best of today's independent artists - a mix you won't find anywhere else. For more information, email: westernred@ifthataintcountry.net. Become a supporter of this podcast (with thanks!!): www.patreon.com/ifthataintcountry

Conseillé par :

Bertrand

In this week's episode, we're featuring George Jones' last album of the 20th Century: "Cold Hard Truth" (1999). After an association with MCA for most of the 90s which resulted in decent sales but not so many radio hits, he found himself signed to Asylum Records - a signing which turned out to be his last major label deal. At 68 years of age, Jones was still in sterling vocal form and all that was asked of him was that he "do the record he would have done 20 years ago had he been sober". Jones approached the project with vigour, laying down the vocal with the pickers live in studio for all ten tracks with the intention of coming back to touch up certain parts later. However, after a serious alcohol-related SUV crash, those touch ups never happened. The Possum's near-death experience scared him into sobriety for good, and while he was hospitalised, Asylum released the album's first single. "Choices" wasn't given the radio attention it deserved - but to many fans, and perhaps to Jones himself - it served as a bittersweet summary of his career. Alongside the stark title track this album saw Jones return to his hard country best - after half a century of doing it better than just about anybody else, despite his self-inflicted pitfalls.