Americana Music Reviews

 

Ray Price
Time
Audium Records

by David Pilot

Oh man. Listen to that fiddle, the heartbeat of the honky-tonks I love. Hear it slide softly into the background, letting Buddy Emmons' steel take the lead. And then,...that Voice. Say what you will about Ray Price and his multi-hued career, but let's agree right up front on one thing. That Voice is the Truth. From Texas pit stops like Abilene and Arlington (well, it was a pit stop then, at least) back in '48, to the Big D Jamboree showcase in Dallas around '49, on to Nashville with Hank, that voice was golden.

If you're of my generation, you know Ray Price as the guy who sang some chestnuts like "The Same Old Me" and "Heartaches By the Number" that still get occasional airplay on late-night niche radio shows here and there. But, like those who grew up with the man know, when Ray was starting out in the business the landscape was something us youngsters wouldn't readily recognize. Hank was big. Jimmie Rodgers and Ernest Tubb were revered in practice, not just in name and with lip service like they are today. Elvis Presley was just starting to make some noise. Willie had short hair. Country was, well, country. Nobody was thinking about an attack on the World Trade Center, because nobody had even thought of something as big as the twin towers yet. It was a different world, and Ray Price as a kid put together a band that over the years counted as members a lot of names we think of as icons in their own right today: Buddy Emmons, Roger Miller, Johnny Paycheck, Willie. Those Cherokee Cowboys made some noise.

Country music as a genre began to undergo its first round of the now-familiar tradition vs. modern wars, and for a long time Price stayed on the tradition side of the fence, maintaining a strong chart presence while Presley and the Beatles et al. began to really change the world. When Ray did cross over, he did it with strings, lush arrangements and a business suit, but he kept That Voice.

But the years kept rolling by, and though Price stayed active, well, the great equalizer took him out of the spotlight and his role as a leader was traded for that of icon. With his new release on Audium, aptly and simply titled Time, Price appears to make his peace with the changing of the guard while adding a significant new entry to his stellar legacy.

Time, as you might have guessed above, starts out with that pristine fiddle that fades to Emmons' steel. (Who's played that thing better than Buddy, ever?) And then, That Voice. "After all the good times/After all the things/ That we've gone through" Warm, strong and as captivating as ever, right from the start. All the facets of Price's career are on display with this effort, from the polished country-swing of "Ft. Worth, Texas" to the pure unadulterated honky-tonk of Price's "Take Back Your Old Love Letters" and the stunning balladry of the title track.

Time is a monster
That lives in our clocks
It's heartless and shows no remorse
Consuming our future as we fight
That hundred year war

Time is a soldier
Steady and true
Relentlessly trudging along
And time takes no prisoners, nothing
But time marches on

This track, like much of the disc, thrives on Emmons' steel, but the rest of the players have earned an accolade or two along the way as well. In fact, Buddy Harmon (drums), Bob Moore (bass), Jimmy Capps (acoustic guitar), Pete Wade (electric), Rob Hajacos and Joe Caverlee (fiddle), Harold Bradley (acoustic and bass), and David Briggs (keyboards) represent a living snapshot of Nashville's past A-team session men and present standouts. And everywhere on this disc, their cumulative skills are on display as an effort tight and perfectly nuanced comes to life.

For proof, look no further than one of the purest, sweetest country songs your ears can hope for, the beautiful and heart-breaking "Both Sides of Goodbye." Every note is in place, mixed for effect, and Price's phrasing is allowed to take center stage in the crowded but exceptionally balanced result.

I've loved and I've been loved
But not at the same time
I've been on both sides
Of goodbye

For poignancy, heartbreak and self-deprecating humor and acceptance of both, country music hasn't done this well in decades. What you already know is that those qualities have long been a hallmark of Price's style. What you'll find here is that, after fifty-plus years in the business, Ray hasn't lost a step. Some voices just transcend genre. Where George Jones is lauded for having maybe the best country pipes ever (not that anyone can really make that distinction), artists like Gene Watson, Tom Jones, Mel Torme, Nat King Cole, and Johnny Cash have built their libraries on the strength of voices that transcend genre boundaries and leave an indelible imprint. Ray Price fits well in that company.

One thing you'll quickly learn with this disc is that time hasn't changed much for Ray. Compare "The Same Old Me" with tracks like "Next Voice You Hear" on Time, you'll see what I mean. In short, this is pure listening pleasure, top to bottom. Every facet of Price's career gets a nod, resulting in a record that plays like a snapshot history of five decades from Music Row's "Best Of" archives. Any of these tracks could have been hits for Ray back in the day, and it's a tragedy that much of this record, like Merle's recent effort The Peer Sessions, won't get airplay. So much of what makes the genre original and relevant is on display here, and you do yourself a disservice if you don't take the time to listen. There's nothing new on Time, nothing you haven't heard before. Which means no lightshows, no flashpots, no screaming guitars or rock en Stetson bullshit. No, just the basics, the soundtrack of a life - - yours, mine, Ray's, Hank's, just the soundtrack of a life. Turns out Time can be an old friend and a thing of beauty after all.

Contact David Pilot at: tailgunner-at-rockzilla.net

 
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