Country hall-of-famer sings inspirational songs of faith
Varese Sarabande extends their lineup of country legends singing songs of faith with this remastered reissue of K-Tel’s The Old Rugged Cross (something K-Tel also reissued as Country Gospel). The tracks were originally recorded in the mid-90s, and though Price’s voice wasn’t the polished instrument of his earlier hit-making years, he still sang strongly; there’s some wavering in his pitch, but it’s balanced by passion and conviction. The arrangements are mostly by-the-books (or by-the-clock, as per Nashville recording practice), though the uncredited steel and fiddle players add some nice lines. If you’re a fan of the singer, or simply a fan of inspirational song, you’ll enjoy hearing the older Price sing these works of praise, but if you’re new to Price’s catalog, you’ll want to start four decades earlier with his 1950s honky-tonk sides and his subsequent turn to crooning in the 1960s and 1970s. For the bigger picture, check the anthology The Essential Ray Price. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com] 