RCA Country Legends: Jerry Reed

 (7 customer reviews)

First of all let me say I'm not a country music fan. I am a third rate guitarist though and I was told Jerry Reed was someone I should listen to. I was familiar with a couple of his hits but had never really listened to him. This CD blew me away from the first listen! If you play, or you simply appreciate great playing you gotta listen to this. I especially like the few instrumentals on here. Never heard anyone play like this. Do yourself a favor and buy this!

Like the Dolly Parton volume, this entry into the RCA Country Legends series is a well-chosen intro to a highly enjoyable artist. I had heard a couple of Reed's songs before (the utterly delightful "Tupelo Mississippi Flash," "When You're Hot, You're Hot," "Alabama Wild Man"), but here I found out for the first time how versatile he really is. There are instrumentals ("Navy Blues," "Nervous Breakdown"), sad songs full of self-mockery ("The Likes of Me"), down-home tunes ("Are You From Dixie," "She Got the Gold Mine"), even cynical social commentary ("Lord, Mr. Ford"). If you're unfamiliar with Reed, this is a great stepping stone to curing the shortfall.

Yeah, I know, it's totally out of character for me to like something like this, but I really like it a lot. I picked up a free promo copy of this at work and listened to it on the subway the next day...it's a terrific collection! I knew a couple of Jerry's songs from a while back, and am really impressed with his guitar playing and his songwriting skills. He also has an easygoing sense of humor that always puts a smile on my face. Highlights for me include "When You're Hot, You're Hot," "Guitar Man" and "Amos Moses."It's probably completely unhip to rave about this disc, but who cares? It's great fun.