Hank Wilson, Vol. 2

by Leon Russell

Overview

Leon Russell used his alter ego, Hank Wilson, to explore his love of country classics, and the songs here certainly qualify, be it the venerable "Wabash Cannonball" or "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," or a run through the honky-tonk "If You've Got The Money Honey (I've Got the Time)," Lefty Frizell's hit tune. The real problem -- if it really is one -- is that everything here gets treated the same. So "Oh Lonesome Me" gets the same blithe rendering as "Waltz Across Texas," with the band banging away, albeit in very musical fashion, without much subtlety or thought about the lyrics. While that works very well on Harlan Howard's wonderful "Heartaches By the Number," it's less successful elsewhere, as with "On the Wings of a Dove." It's as if, though Russell's heart is in the right place and his ability is beyond question, his taste abandoned him during the making of the disc, and the (uncredited) sidemen just do what they're told. So, while none of that stops this being a pleasant listening experience, it can't be anything more. Russell doesn't have the greatest voice, an acquired taste, although happily he keeps it at its least grating, but all the parts contribute to a whole that's never more than background music for the evening rush at a truck stop. ~ Chris Nickson

Product Details

Release Date:	04/19/2024
Label:	Bmg Rights Managemen
UPC:	4099964037852
Rank:	7145

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Leon Russell   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Leon Russell   Producer,Arranger
Don Gibson   Composer
Lefty Frizzell   Composer
Ernest Tubb   Composer
Pee Wee King   Composer
Redd Stewart   Composer
Ray Price   Composer
A.P. Carter   Composer
Hank Williams   Composer
Hank Snow   Composer
Harlan Howard   Composer
Bob Ferguson   Composer
Bob Nolan   Composer
Rusty Gabbard   Composer
Talmadge Tubb   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Slim Willet   Composer
Jimmy Beck   Composer
Jim Beck   Composer
Hiram Williams   Composer