Johnny Bush is the best!
Rafe McDougal
Chelsea,Ok
Johnny Bush is one of a very few.
Johnny Bush is one of a very few.
Johnny Bush is one of a very few.
I have been listening to Johnny Bush since I was a little boy (although I'm only 22). Green Snakes and Texas Dance Hall Girl are among my favorite songs. I saw him once live at the Harris County Fair about 3-4 years ago. He's good stuff!
My biggest complaint about this CD is that I wish it had a few more songs on it. We all know that Asleep At The Wheel has reached new heights of popularity with their Bob Wills tribute CD's, but Johnny Bush does ol' Bob and the Texas Playboys justice on this one, too. Time Changes Everything is a signature tune and probably my personal favorite. For all of us Texas nationalists, Bush performs two great tunes "And God Created Texas" (amen) and "Don't Sing Me No Songs About Texas" (because he's in New York and homesick). The only other weakness of the CD is its mastering; some songs play okay while others sound a bit muted. This may have to do with the fact that the master tapes, as Bush explains in the liner notes, sat around for a while after the IRS confiscated them along with everything else from Willie Nelson's studios. The liner notes really add to an appreciation of the music, except for the 'sour grapes' section in which Bush alludes to the fact that he was 'beaten to the punch' in reviving Bob Wills by others (AATW, although he doesn't name them)while his tapes were property of the IRS.
This is honky-tonk at its absolute best. Johnny Bush's gruff voice gives the songs authority; you can imagine that it must have taken a lot of whiskey and cigarettes to get it to sound that way. And yet he still manages a smooth delivery that gives each song a certain poignance. The musicians give top-notch performances and the song selection is great. I could have done without the duets, though. I don't think Bush's voice and pacing are up to those of his duet partners. Still, I highly recommend this CD to those who want to enjoy a trip back in time or who just want to cry in their beer for a while.
