Music review: Vince Gill and Paul Franklin — ‘Bakersfield’
Country music veteran Vince Gill rejoins his former music label, MCA Nashville, to release a stunningly old-school tribute to two music legends that helped create the Bakersfield sound. Gill, along with steel guitar legend Paul Franklin, pay tribute to the workings of Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.
The down-to-earth songs delivered by Owens and Haggard are pristinely covered by two equally talented artists. Gill, a 20-time Grammy Award-winning guitarist and singer, flawlessly captures Owens鈥� organic and inviting vocal style while Franklin demonstrates why he鈥檚 top dog at what he does and why he鈥檚 garnered 13 Academy of Country Music Awards for Steel Guitar Player of the Year.
鈥淔oolin鈥� Around鈥� opens the album with Gill鈥檚 smooth and gentle voice echoing the heartache of an unfaithful spouse as the fiddle playing of Kenny Sears tenderly eases the pain. The 1964 Owens鈥� classic 鈥淭ogether Again鈥� is as good a country arrangement that you鈥檒l ever find with Franklin鈥檚 steel guitar serenading the genuine relief revealed through Gill鈥檚 heartfelt singing. 鈥淭he Bottle Let Me Down鈥� is the quintessential cry-in-your-drink song written by Haggard and perfect to be played that any local honky-tonk joint where the memories of a failed relationship are slowly erased round after round. By the end, things get a little rowdy with Haggard鈥檚 spirited 鈥淭he Fightin鈥� Side of Me.鈥� Gill may not possess the gritty toughness of Haggard鈥檚 original version, but the powerful lyrics still evoke plenty of passion, emotion and conviction.
鈥淏akersfield鈥� was made in only two days at Gill鈥檚 home studio with Gill and Franklin both sharing the producing duties. Hearing these classic arrangements again remind me that they simply don鈥檛 write touching tunes like this any more. Thankfully, we still have artists like Gill and Franklin around to preserve the past by showing a new audience the genius of the bona fide country sound of Southern California that rivaled the calculated, polish style coming out of Nashville at the time. The marvelously crafted songs of 鈥淏akersfield鈥� sound as good today as they did back in the 1960s, making it easily one of the best country albums of the year.