[.ca] Fried Green Tomatoes

From Amazon.com:
Ricky Van Shelton sticks to his guns, specifically, the no-frills new-traditionalist sound that established him in the mid-1980s. While some stars of that era desperately chase current Nashville trends, Shelton never once allows his powerful voice to be obliterated by today's obligatory booming drums and bass. True, the gimmicky "From the Fryin' Pan" may be a lame attempt at a dance track, but "Call Me Crazy" and "Your One and Only" hearken back to his earlier uptempo hits. His skills with a ballad remain unimpaired, evoking passion on "Foolish Pride" and vivid desperation on "You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Crazy)." He also revives Charley Pride's magnificent 1969 plea "All I Have to Offer You Is Me." Yet occasional listlessness creeps in--understandable on the glib "Somebody's Gonna Lose," harder to fathom on the superior weeper "I Was Losing You." The album's true misfit, however, is "The Decision," a tale of an unwed mother's moral conundrum. This preachy homily clearly means a great deal to Shelton, but whether it fits the context of this particular album is another matter. Still, what's good here is good indeed, especially considering 2000's trendy market. --Rich Kienzle

Worthwhile but not the greatest.:
I bought this CD after hearing the song "Call Me Crazy" (which, by the way, is the best song on the CD). It's got several good songs, but as usual more slow ones than I care for (but I hate slow sappy sad songs). All in all, a good comeback CD from RVS. A lot better than the poppy crap that seems to have overtaken country music.

Super-Best Yet:
I have listened to this tape and think it is the best work, yet, by Ricky Van Shelton. I recommend it to everyone who loves music. This tape really shows off the multiple musical talents of Ricky Van. If you weren't a big fan before, you will be after hearing this one !

I Think I Love It:
Ricky Van Shelton has been the staple of country music in the late 80s and early 90s. Every song he seemed to release then seemed to be no.1 bound. His reportoire consists of hit songs like "I am a Simple Man," "Rocking Years," "Backroads" and many others. If you like his previous hits, you will like this new CD. It has been awhile since Shelton's last hit song but nothing seemed to have changed. This new CD has the same country flavor as his previous hit albums. Like his previous efforts, there are always some killer ballads. My favorite has to be "The Decision" a sad weeper about a teenage girl facing the dilemma of pregnancy. Shetlon seemed to have put his heart and soul into the delivery that you can feel the pain the protagonist is going through. "I was Losing You" and "Somebody's Gonna Lose" are both equally sung convincingly. Shelton can get all pumped up for an uptempo song like on the first single "Call Me Crazy." It has the groove not dissimilar to Shelton's no.1 hit "I am a Simple Man." If you are afraid that the production of an independent is not up to par to a major label product, do not worry. On this set, the production is superb, laid with a clear and tight production but overlaid with some excellent fiddling on certain tracks. The only criticism I have is that there are too many cover songs on this album: "I Was Losing You" (Cleve Francis), "Your One and Only" (Barbara Mandrell, Brenda Lee, McBride and the Ride), and "All I Have to Offer You is Me" (Charly Pride, McBride and the Ride). Somehow I wish he have had more originals, but well, that's only a minor flaw on this sparkling set of gems! If you like Shelton in the past, you'll love him even more on this album.

Fried Green Tomatoes:
Ricky's latest CD, Fried Green Tomatoes, has the traditional country sound that so many country fans want but can't get on their radio stations. Every song on the CD is a winner and you would be hard-pressed to pick just one favorite. This CD is classic Ricky and if you're a true "Country" music fan and have not heard this CD, you're in for a big surprise. This is one to play over and over and over. The CD starts out with "Call Me Crazy" - a fun, upbeat song, then goes right in to the traditional country ballad which Ricky is so good at - "Foolish Pride", and just gets better with each song after that. This CD displays quality in the writing, arranging, production -- and of course singing. This is a great listening, sing-along CD for country music fans!

A Good Return and Change:
I've never been a fan of Ricky Van Shelton. To me, much of his earlier music was too similar in theme, tone and delivery. With the release of this CD, however, Ricky performs a more diverse set of tunes and his voice has more dynamics and expression. "Somebody's Gonna Lose" "I'm the One" and the remake of "All I Have to Offer You is Me" are highlights of the set. Ricky manages to maintain some of his "traditional" sound, while coming into the 21st century with a little more progressive country influences. All in all, a very good CD and a lot better than his older stuff. Michael Butts

• Call Me Crazy
• Foolish Pride
• I'm The One
• Sonebody's Gonna Lose
• I Think I Like It Here
• You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Crazy)
• Who's Laughin' Now
• All I Have To Offer You Is Me
• From The Fryin' Pan
• I Was Losing You
• Your One And Only
• The Decision