Time (Audium, 2002)
Ray Price
Reviewed by Jon Johnson
The good news is that Price's voice is in terrific shape. "No One But You" is nothing less than the Ray Price of old. And listen closely for a guy named Vince Gill supplying backing vocals on "What If I Say Goodbye."
If there's a downside, it's that over the past few decades Price has tailored his voce for orchestras and large bands, rather than the stripped-down honky-tonk outfits of his youth. And it shows. It's not age - almost any vocalist a third his age isn't fit to carry his jock - but 25 years of experience (and a little overproduction from Fred Foster) - working against Price here.
Still, one almost feels guilty faulting Price for any shortcomings. The material is generally strong, he's playing honky tonk again, and he 's backed by the best country musicians alive. Buy it and enjoy while he feels inclined to revisit a genre that he almost single-handedly invented.
CDs by Ray Price
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