What a Crying Shame
|
 |
Description
What a Crying Shame is more commercial and conventional than its debut predecessor, but every bit as enjoyable. Raul Malo has such a terrific voice that he can wear his broken heart on his sleeve without lapsing into self- pity. In fact, the very act of confessing his hurt seems to charge him with rocking excitement, especially when he gets a melodic hook as juicy as that on the title track or the Roy Orbison tribute, ""I Should Have Been True." Trisha Yearwood sings harmony on the saloon ballad ""Neon Blue," and the band turns Bruce Springsteen's ""All That Heaven Will Allow" into the honky-tonk shuffle it was always meant to be. --Geoffrey Himes
Description
A simply stunning country album. Granted, the songs here mark a disappointing retreat from the complex emotional truths and social commentary of the band's previous From Hell to Paradise, but with a sound centered around the gorgeous, soaring tenor of singer-songwriter Raul Malo, the newly simplified songs here still manage to convey rich emotional moods. With updated Ray Price shuffles, Roy Orbison-influenced country pop, a crossover cover of Bruce Springsteen's "All That Heaven Will Allow," and catchy Nashville hits like "O What a Thrill" and the title track, What a Crying Shame includes some of the finest mainstream country music of the last 25 years. --David Cantwell
|