Notes
For 20 years, Bob Manning & The Honky Tonk Road Show "have managed to combine the Vintage Electric Sound of Bakersfield Fame and the smooth Swing & Shuffle feel of South Texas" it says on his website. I also have it good authority that he is not only a connoisseur of country, but bourbon as well. Recently he has wed Heart Of Texas Records favourite Kimberly Murray (or "got hitched" as she referred to it in her inimitable way). He also has made one of the top records of the year with Just What I Wanted. The album's a real grower which benefits from repeated listens. Manning writes more like a singer/songwriter than a honky tonker, with a great depth to many of his songs, and he has solely written all of them here apart from Sally's Antique Store for which the new Mrs Manning helped out. You could listen to most of these songs and have trouble guessing the title. It's not that there isn't a hook, just not a really obvious repeated one to many of the songs. Rather, they get you by stealth, subtly working their way into your conscience, and before you know it you can't stop playing the album. Yes there's a Bakerfield influence, but it's more Haggard than Owens, and I was reminded of Dallas Wayne at times. You wouldn't go mistaking this for anything but a country record, the steel is to the fore (and superb), and Manning's delivery is wonderfully laid-back. In fact, the majority of the album is fairly laid-back with the stone country more abundant than the out and out honky tonkers. I was a little surprised that it took until track three before I heard anything really danceable but I didn't mind as I was enjoying it so much. It's beautifully played and produced and Manning makes good use of the backing singers to give a Jordanaires feel to a couple of the tracks, most notably the honky tonkin' closer When I Fall. Of the more dancehall orientated material, I'd Rather Live Lonely is made for two-stepping, and Linger Longer Lounge live up to it's title. I must have played this CD at least ten times and my favourite track changes every time. Initially it was the beautiful waltz Song Of Truth, then it was the shuffling The Least You Could Do with it's Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger- type storyline. Certainly Sally's Antique Store is a killer, but this time around it's the stone country of I've Already Been. If real country is your thing you need Bob Manning in your life. Duncan Warwick Country Music People Magazine.
