Sammy Kershaw Album: “Honky Tonk Boots”

If you loved some of the early music that Sammy Kershaw did, then you will LOVE his new release, Honky Tonk Boots. The first song on the CD (as well as the new single), "Tennessee Girl", is the kind of fun true country song that is not getting played on country radio. All the songs on this CD have the true country song that is missing on radio these days...none of that "Pop" sound here. Some other great songs on this CD are the title cut "Honky Tonk Boots"--another tap your foot fun song, "Mama's Got A Tattoo"--love the way Mama shows her patriotic feelings, and "Cantaloupes On Mars"--this song is just GREAT. The ballads on this CD ("One Step At A Time" and "The Battle") are just fantastic country ballads! But my all time favorite song on this CD is "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" the old Mel McDaniels' song that Sammy Kershaw does justice! Great to here this old song!!

So go and get this great CD! You will not be disappointed!

New music, new time. And Sammy still can perform with the best of them. If your a Sammy Kershaw fan this new music will be greatly enjoyed by you as much as me. His voice lives on

Prime Cuts: One Step at a Time, Evangeline, Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On

Donned with a George-Jones vocal fedora, Kershaw has an in-born country credibility that one can't help but think country whenever he sings. However, rather than finding asylum as Jones' clone, Kershaw has carved his own niche with his brand of contemporary pop-country with an occasional toss of novelty thrown in (a la "Queen of the Double Wide Trailer," "Your Tattoo" and "National Working Women Holiday.") However, the lack of promotion and cycle of mediocre singles have had left Kershaw without the support of a major label since the turn of the millennium. "Honky Tonk Boots," is Kershaw's sophomore CD released on an independent imprint. This time being released on the enterprising Category 5 Records which also umbrellas artists such as Travis Tritt and Craig Hand. Despite, being released on a tighter budget, producers Buddy Cannon and Norro Wilson, have bent over backwards in helming a product that's vacuously superior boasting cuts written by some of Nashville's most sought after scribes including Craig Wiseman, Bob McDill, Bob Dipero, Jeffrey Steele and Tim Mensy.

Famed writer Bob McDill (writer of Alan Jackson's "Gone Country" and Alabama's "Song of the South") has a whopping three cuts here and they are this CD's apogee. "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On," a former number 1 hit for Mel McDaniels, is a sensuous trump card with an infectious melody that easily resides in the memory bank after a few listens. The second McDill entry, albeit a newly composed, is the Cajun-spiced romper "Evangeline" that is punctuated throughout by some toe-taping mandolin. While "High Society," this time finding McDill teaming with Dickey Lee, is Kershaw's version of Garth Brooks' "Friends in High Places," giving some well-deserved kowtow to the blue-collars.

When it comes to the ballads, Tim Mensy's "One Step at a Time," is regret-laden 3/4 lament finding Kershaw radiating a Jones-like ache that's sure to square with the heart. "The Battle," on the hand, deals with domestic unrest framed by some mournful sounding steel guitars. However, not everything works, lead single "Tennessee Girl," despite being written by Craig Wiseman and Bob Dipero, is a nondescript uptempo love ditty surrounded by a hot messy of a production. And "Mama's Got a Tattoo" (that's in the shape of America) is a far too desperate attempt at patriotism and social justice that turns around biting itself as trite. Much better in terms of upbeat numbers is Danny Mayo's Caribbean-tingled scorcher "Cantaloupes on Mars" --- a catchy kiss-off by Kershaw to his no-good paramour vowing that he'll never go back to her "even if there were Cantaloupes on Mars."

Overall, "Honky Tonk Boots" testifies to the still commanding voice of Kershaw that breathes and nuances country music at its best. With a set of mostly well chosen songs, this is a vast improvement from some of Kershaw's lackluster latter Mercury CDs. And with the number of "older" artists resuscitating again vis-à-vis independent albums, this shoulders as one of the better ones without given to any indications of inferiority. The boots that Kershaw wears still encase footprints of greatness to come.

It has been a long time for Sammy to be out of the spotlight. I used to enjoy him and missed some of his humorous songs. This is a good album for him and he stays pretty much with what he sings best. I liked it and it is more upbeat than downbeat. If you are a Sammy fan you will like it.

Excellent selection of country-country [with the emphasis on the first "country"], i.e., no pop music. The ballad "One Step at a time" is perhaps my favorite; also the "fun" songs are very good, such as Tennessee Girl, Honky Tonk Boots, Baby's Got her Blue Jeans On, and Cantaloupes on Mars. Plain old country, that rocks you off your feet or gets you singing along, and definitely, if you are in your blues, or feeling down and out, lifts you off and makes you feel good about yourself. All in all, a very good buy.