A1 	Tell It All Brother 	3:18
A2 	Shine On Ruby Mountain 	3:00
A3 	The King Of Oak Street 	4:06
A4 	I'm Gonna Sing You A Sad Song Suzie 	3:03
A5 	Love Woman 	2:45
B1 	I Heed The Call 	3:17
B2 	Camptown Ladies 	2:03
B3 	Molly 	3:04
B4 	After All (I Live My Life) 	3:16
B5 	We All Got To Help Each Other 	2:22

Kenny Rogers - Composer, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals
The First Edition:
Mike Settle, Terry Williams, Thelma Camacho, Mickey Jones
Larry Cansler - string

Appearing on their sixth album, Tell It All Brother, are the last two hits from Kenny Rogers & the First Edition, their sixth and seventh Top 40 chart-climbing 45-rpm records. Deep vocals with a bass-heavy rock sound employing just a touch of country leanings are what resonate through the title track. Alex Harvey's "Tell It All Brother," a political song that went Top 20 in the summer of 1970, is followed by Kin Vassey's "Heed the Call," one of the three weakest of Rogers' 27 Top 40 hits released between 1968 and 1984 (it lingered in the Top 35 in November of 1970). But "Heed the Call" is a great song, more uptempo than "Ruby," "Reuben James," and "Tell It All Brother," and with undeniable charm. "Heed the Call" begins with tambourine and has gospel-inflected vocals over handclaps, marching drumbeats, and a campfire feel. It is, along with being the band's final hit, one that displays individual talents working in unison perhaps better than any of their previous commercial efforts. It contrasts with the title song chant, which is all Rogers, his big voice over the bass drum and tambourine, with piano and bass taking a back seat and the guitars invisible. "Shine on Ruby Mountain" is a Kenny Young song, and it has the uptempo square dance drive that is present on many of the non-hit album tracks. Rogers' adaptation of the traditional "Camptown Ladies" continues the party atmosphere with a hootenanny vibe. Mike Settle gets only one composition here, a far cry from the nine songs Settle wrote on the first album and the four he composed on First Edition '69, perhaps indicating how settled in Rogers and producer Jimmy Bowen were at this point in time. "I'm Gonna Sing You a Sad Song Susie" isn't a bad song -- it just sounds like the singer/songwriter was listening to Glen Campbell's 1969 hit "Where's the Playground Susie" a little too much. Rogers' sole original, "Love Woman," co-written with Douglas Legrand, is an uptempo country-rocker, with the direction of the group more defined -- it is no longer just a band but a vehicle for an emerging major star. After "Heed the Call," things come down a bit on side two with Harvey's third composition on the album, the beautiful ballad "Molly." It should have been a hit, for it is Harvey's "Delta Dawn" slowed down and ready to become a part of Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection album. "After All (I Live My Life)" is a perfect showcase for new addition to the group Mary Arnold, and why she didn't climb the charts with this group is a mystery -- she arguably has the best and most distinctive voice. The two hits on this album did not get on Rogers' 1977 Ten Years of Gold retrospective, and though they aren't his best-known songs, they show that this crew had no aversion to experimenting with the formula. Both tunes add an interesting dimension to the band's classic 1971 release, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition's Greatest Hits. ---Joe Viglione, AllMusic Review

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto gett bayfiles

back

CD1
1   Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
2   Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town
3   Reuben James
4   Something's Burning
5   Tell It All Brother
6   Love Lifted Me
7   Lucille
8   Daytime Friends (with Dottie West)
9   Sweet Music Man
10   Every Time Two Fools Collide (with Dottie West)
11   Love Or Something Like It
12   Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight (with Dottie West)
13   The Gambler
14   All I Ever Need Is You (with Dottie West)
15   She Believes In Me
16   'Til I Can Make It On My Own (with Dottie West)
17   You Decorated My Life
18   Coward Of The County
19   Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer (with Kim Carnes)
20   Love The World Away
21   Lady

CD2
1   What Are We Doin' In Love (with Dottie West)
2   I Don't Need You
3   Share Your Love With Me
4   Blaze Of Glory
5   Through The Years
6   Love Will Turn You Around
7   A Love Song
8   We've Got Tonight (with Sheena Easton)
9   Scarlet Fever
10   Islands In The Stream (with Dolly Parton)
11   Buried Treasure
12   Crazy
13   Morning Desire
14   Make No Mistake, She's Mine (with Ronnie Milsap)
15   Twenty Years Ago
16   The Vows Go Unbroken
17   The Greatest
18   Buy Me A Rose (with Alison Krauss and Billy Dean)
19   It's A Beautiful Life
20   My World Is Over (with Whitney Duncan) (new song)
21   We Are The Same (new song)

Personnel: 
Kenny Rogers (vocals); 
Dolly Parton, Dottie West, Kim Carnes, Ronnie Milsap, 
Sheena Easton, Billy Dean, Whitney Duncan (vocals).

Kenny Rogers compilations tend to drift in and out of print, yet in a sense it doesn't matter much, because most featured most of the big hits. However, very few contained them all and, as of 2004, the only collection in print that contained all his big hits, from the First Edition through the mid-'80s, was 1999's four-disc box set Through the Years, which was too exhaustive for all but dedicated Rogers fans. So, there was a need for a new, relatively concise collection that featured all the hits; hence Capitol's 42 Ultimate Hits, a double-disc set that spans Kenny's entire career, from the First Edition to two new tracks, including a duet with Whitney Duncan. There's not much missing -- a few First Edition singles, along with several post-Eyes That See in the Dark hits that weren't all that memorable, neither of which are missed -- and it could even be argued that it stretches a little bit too far into the present on its second disc, which loses its momentum halfway through. Nevertheless, these are minor complaints, since the bulk of the collection provides Kenny Rogers' biggest songs -- among them "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," "Lucille," "Every Time Two Fools Collide," "The Gambler," "Coward of the County," "You Decorated My Life," "Lady," "Love Will Turn You Around," and "Islands in the Stream" -- in a chronological order and a listenable sequence. It may fall a little short of definitive, but it's still the best compilation on the market as of this writing. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

download (mp3 @192 kbs):

yandex 4shared mega mediafire uloz.to cloudmailru uptobox ge.tt

back

1. The Gambler
2. Through The Years
3. Lady
4. Lucille
5. Coward Of Th eCounty
6. I Don't Need You
7. We've Got Tonight - (with Dolly Parton)
8. Crazy
9. Islands In The Stream - (with Sheena Easton)
10. She Believes In Me
11. Every Time Two Fools Collide - (with Dottie West)
12. You Decorated My Life
13. Make No Mistake, She's Mine - (with Ronnie Milsap)
14. Share Your Love With Me
15. All I Ever Need Is You
16. Buy Me A Rose - (with Allison Krauss)
17. Daytime Friends
18. Love Of Something Like It
19. Love Will Turn You Around
20. Morning Desire
21. What Are We Doing In Love - (with Dottie West)
22. Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer - (Bonus Track, with Kim Carnes)

Given Kenny Rogers' long and successful recording career, it would seem that a collection like 21 Number Ones would be a useful to way to collect all of his biggest and best hits. That's not necessarily the case. First of all, this 2006 compilation has nothing from the First Edition, with whom he had his earliest hits, including "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" and "Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town." Then, because of the nature of number one singles -- once an artist has had one number one single, it's easier to rack up subsequent singles, particularly on a genre-specific chart like Country, which is where nearly all of these 21 tracks charted -- his more interesting music from the late '70s and early '80s is left behind in favor of the slick ballads of the second half of the '80s. These are songs that did hit number one on the charts, but they're a little samey and not is interesting as the singles he made on his way up the charts. That said, with the exception of the previously mentioned First Edition singles -- and some other good '70s sides like "Something's Burning," "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got?)," and "Love Lifted Me" -- all the big hits are here in their original hit versions, including the bonus track of the Kim Carnes duet "Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer," which may not have hit number one, but made the Top Five on the Pop, Country, and Adult Contemporary charts. While it's hard not to miss those First Edition songs, this is the best single-disc collection of Rogers' biggest songs -- it's half the length of 2004's 42 Ultimate Hits, after all, so many listeners may find this more manageable -- which makes it both a useful overview and introduction. Plus, it has terrific song-by-song liner notes by Kenny Rogers himself, offering such insights as: "Around the world, I am known as the Gambler. When I go to Korea or Japan, for example, people see me and go, 'Ah, the Gambler.' The song really is a wonderful piece of philosophy, not just about playing cards or gambling, but about life in general"; "Sheena Easton had some Streisand-like qualities, this wonderfully lyrical singer who sang with a little more everyday passion than Streisand"; and "Kim Carnes and I, we sound like we're hemorrhaging half the time when we're singing in full voice." For fans who already have this music elsewhere, these notes very well may make 21 Number Ones a worthwhile purchase. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

download (mp3 @192 kbs):

yandex 4shared mega mediafire uloz.to cloudmailru uptobox ge.tt

back

1. Will The Circle Be Unbroken
2. Peace
3. I’ll Fly Away (Featuring The Whites)
4. The Rock Of Your Love
5. In The Sweet By And By
6. He Showed Me Love
7. Grace					play
8. What A Friend We Have In Jesus
9. Circle Of Friends (Featuring Point Of Grace)
10. For The Love Of God			play
11. Amazing Grace
12. Leaning On The Everlasting Arms

Kenny Rogers will release ‘The Love of God,’ his second album through Cracker Barrel, on March 7. Rogers will be the first artist to release a second album through the store’s exclusive music program. ‘The Love of God’ is a collection of inspirational, spiritual classics that Rogers loved through his childhood and is designed to invoke memories, and the release will be available at all Cracker Barrel locations. “‘The Love of God’ is the culmination of an idea I had been thinking about for years but never had the opportunity to bring to life,” says Rogers in a statement. “It’s been a musical awakening to me. To all of the wonderful musicians, vocalists, and songwriters who lent their amazing talents to this record, I want to thank you for making it so special. It seems I have a personal relationship with every song on it. For example, ‘In the Sweet By and By’ was my mom’s favorite song. When I was a kid, as I was leaving to go to school, I remember hearing her sing along with the radio. Music is by far the best ‘memory creator’ I know, and that memory is very special to me.” In other Rogers news, he will celebrate his storied career of pop and country hits during ‘Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years,’ a special premiering Tuesday, March 8 at 8:30PM ET on GAC. This multi-artist spectacular features performances from stars that Rogers has both befriended and inspired including Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Alison Krauss, Tim McGraw, Smokey Robinson, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, Wynonna, Chris Isaak, The Oak Ridge Boys, Sheena Easton, original members of the First Edition and others. --- Amy Sciarretto

Kenny Rogers’ historic music career celebrates a few more firsts when his new The Love of God CD debuts exclusively at all Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® locations today. The CD is his first authentic Gospel album featuring twelve new recordings of songs that have touched him musically and spiritually through the years. And it’s the first time an artist has released a second album through “The trick to doing a good concept record is surrounding yourself with unique musicians, singers, and creative talent,” said Rogers. “When you hear ‘I’ll Fly Away,’ there is no question that The Whites are singing. Anything they sing takes on their own special sound, and it feels perfect for this record.” Point of Grace, the trio credited with twenty-seven #1 hits on the Contemporary Christian Radio Charts, joined Rogers on his version of their song “Circle of Friends.” And if you listen closely to the background voices on “In The Sweet By And By” you’ll hear the uniqueharmonies of country duo Winfield’s Locket. “Kenny Rogers has placed his unique stamp on this album with songs that are his personal favorites,” said Chris Ciavarra, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Cracker Barrel. “WithKenny’s voice and the wonderful arrangements on this inspirational collection, we hope our guests will be touched by both the sounds and the images they evoke.” ---Tawny Tucker

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex 4shared mega mediafire uloz.to cloudmailru uptobox ge.tt

back