Skip to content
Elly Roberts reviews
Spectrum Music
- Cat.no: 9833226
- Released: January 2006
- Rating: 10/10
Feast yourself on this outstanding bumper two disc set with 41 tracks fromAmerica’s best loved concert band, The Mavericks.
Since scoring a bit hitwith Dance The Night Away in 1998 (UK No.4) the band have remaineda popular and cult act around the globe. Now’s your chance to get yourhands on their ‘definitive’ collection, released on January 23, 2006.
Starting in 1989playing honky-tonk in Florida bars, they evolved their sound and haveremained true to their name since developing a more expansive mix ofcountry, Rock’n’Roll, Cuban and lounge music, bewildering the Nashvilleestablishment from the outset. In the process they won over quite a few popand rock fans.
This collection provides a superb timeline of their radio friendly crossoverappeal spanning over two and a half hours.
You get melancholy like Children (kids are a backup vocal feature) andrippling banjo, mixed with up-lifting belters that make for seriouslistening – Mr. Jones. For party moods try Excuse Me I Think I’ve Got AHeartache and Hey Good Lookin’.
Then there are beautiful ballads such as This Broken Heart with its sublimepedal steel guitar with Raul Malo’s top class voice bringing real emotion tothe classic. We also get a glimpse of their early honky – tonk leanings onThere Goes My Heart and Pretend.
Western swing shuffle surfaces on The Things You Said To Me, whereas Foreverprovides some classy rockabilly on Forever Blue.
Apart from some very impressive twanging lead guitar work, a main feature ofthe band, the solid rhythm section is one of the best in the business – hearFrom Hell To Paradise as the perfect example – with banjo and violins addingthe finishing textures to a magnificent track.
Line dancers will surely find plenty of footwork fodder on There Goes MyHeart. Mavericks fans will be delighted by the inclusion of concert covers –Something Stupid (featuring Trisha Yearwood), Blue Moon.
Best track of the lot, and there are many to choose from, is a Roy Orbisonsound-alike I Should Have Been True. I defy anyone not to like this – it’sworth every penny.
Brilliant musicianship and a brilliant collection.
Weblink: Mavericks Music.com
The full list of tracks on the CD are :
Disc 1:
1. Here Comes The Rain
2. Mr Jones
3. Missing You
4. End Of The Line
5. All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down
6. Excuse Me (I Think I’ve Got A Heartache)
7. Writing On The Wall
8. This Broken Heart
9. I Got You
10. Loving You
11. From Hell To Paradise
12. I’m Not Gonna Cry For You
13. Better Way
14. Something Stupid
15. Forever Blue
16. I Don’t Care If You Don’t Love Me Anymore
17. Dance The Night Away
18. Hey Good Lookin’
19. Children
20. Someone Should Tell Her
Disc 2:
1. I’ve Got This Feeling
2. There Goes My Heart
3. Dolores
4. What A Crying Shame
5. Dream River
6. Pretend
7. I Should Have Been True
8. La Mucara
9. Blue Moon
10. Things You Said To Me
11. Just A Memory
12. She Does
13. All That Heaven Will Allow
14. Panatella
15. Neon Blue
16. Lion Sleeps Tonight
17. Here Comes My Baby
18. O What A Thrill
19. Ain’t Found Nobody
20. Think Of Me (When You’re Lonely)
21. Losing Side Of Me
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.