Solid single-disc overview of Davis’ country and pop hits

Skeeter Davis was one of Nashville’s early female crossover stars, producing twangy country sides, Brill Building pop productions, and several hits that straddled both worlds. Her recording career opened on the country charts as half of The Davis Sisters with the sad duet “I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know.” Though sung in forlorn harmony with a strong pedal steel, the 1953 country chart topper also found its way into the pop Top-20. Sadly, Davis’ partner (though not actually her sister), Betty Jack Davis, was killed in a car crash, leaving Skeeter Davis to partner with Betty Jack’s sister for a couple more years.

When the reformulated Davis Sisters failed to click, Skeeter Davis moved on as a solo, signing with RCA and coming under the care of guitarist/producer Chet Atkins. Atkins’ doubling of her voice on country hits “Set Him Free,” “Am I That Easy to Forget,” “My Last Date (With You)” and “Where I Ought to Be” suggested the harmonies of the Davis Sisters, with Skeeter stepping out solo on selected verses. Davis returned to the pop charts as a solo artist with 1960’s “(I Can’t Help You) I’m Falling Too,” this time employing a countrypolitan sound shorn of steel and fiddle. Her original lyrical version of Floyd Cramer’s “Last Date” (retitled “My Last Date (With You)”) continued the dual country/pop success, and in 1963 she scored her biggest crossover hit with “The End of the World.”

The violin chart and heartbroken lyric of “The End of the World” suggested superb pop productions on the horizon. She reached the pop Top 10 with Goffin & King’s “I Can’t Stay Mad at You,” featuring Neil Sedaka-styled “shoobee doobee” backing vocals, a full Brill Buildling production, and a chipper girl-group lead. She also picked up “Let Me Get Close to You” from the Goffin & King catalog, doubling her vocal with pop harmonies that suggest Carole King’s early sides. Davis sang Brenda Lee styled ballads, pop confections, and continued to mint hits throughout the 1960s, including the lovely pizzicato “What Does It Take (To Keep a Man Like You Satisfied)” in 1967, and a ’50s styled cover of Dolly Parton’s “Fuel to the Flame.” This collection closes with Davis’ last two major hits, 1970’s Loretta Lynn flavored “I’m a Lover (Not a Fighter),” and 1971’s autobiographical “Bus Fare to Kentucky.”

Davis had too many hits to collect on a single disc, but the Essential set does an excellent job of balancing important tracks from both the country and pop sides of her career. Several lower charting country hits, including her Grammy® nominated cover of the Original Caste’s (and later Coven’s) “One Tin Soldier,” are omitted due to space constraints. Still, this is the most comprehensive single-disc collection issued so far, and makes a perfect starting point for enjoying Davis’ twenty year career as a hit maker. Those looking for a deeper helping of her country sides should check out the Country Legends collection, those craving more from the pop side should find the Pop Hits Collection (Vol. 1, Vol. 2). [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]