Times Like These ~ Buddy Jewell ~ Country ~ CD ~ Used VG

Overview

Don't be misled: Beneath his burly-boy image, Buddy Jewell is a genuine sensitive guy, but with a zero wimp factor. Sturdy, big-hearted balladeering is what he does best, and he does it often on this, his sophomore album. Banjo, fiddle, organ, pedal steel, and an infectious stomping beat drive the opening tune, "Me Loving You," in which Jewell pledges to "be faithful and true," and sings unashamedly of making a fool of himself for the sake of love. Good man. Taking chances and learning to live with the consequences, for ill or good -- especially when it comes to falling in love -- is the message of "You Ain't Doin' It Right," an infectious mid-tempo toe-tapper. Getting a tad swampy and funky, Jewell sings the praises of a woman who's stuck with him through hard times and kept his feet "on solid ground," in a keening billet-doux, "If She Were Any Other Woman." A beautiful country-pop item, "Dyess, Arkansas" floats along on a sing-song melody reminiscent of a Mac Davis tune, and Jewell offers up a fine, low-key vocal in singing the praises of the unchanging small town and its received values; it happens to be the same town Johnny Cash grew up in, and the acutely observed details of life in Dyess are worthy of the Man in Black's appreciation of the little things that matter. Producer Garth Fundis keeps it country with ample flourishes of fiddle, pedal steel, harmonica, and twang-rich guitar, and Jewell applies his husky baritone in precisely the right proportions to be an effective belter, although he really thrives on the more introspective numbers, when he can dig down for some soulful musings on the state of the heart. This fellow figures to be around a while.