"the female Elvis of Rock-A-Billy ~ Wanda Jackson"

Varese Records presents an album enough to give you goose bumps with every track inclusive ~ "Heartache", featuring Wanda Jackson and a collection popular songs of the '60s and '70s...with Jack Jackson & His Band...Dennis Burnside [piano], Jerry Kroon [drums], Larry Sasser [steel guitar]. Paul Worley [guitar] and The Sheldon Kurland Strings...certainly brings it all together for a pumped up performance, a style of her own and a powerhouse voice to match.



Stand outs of her own "FANCY SATIN PILLOW", "LET'S HAVE A PARTY" and "RIGHT OR WRONG", Jackson's signature is clearly stamped on these classic tunes..."CRAZY", "I FALL TO PIECES" and "WALKIN' AFTER MIDNIGHT", belts out a memorable tribute to the late Patsy Cline and it works ~ Wanda delivers one after another, every tracks a real gem...she's certainly the one and only...being a country gal, Wanda's performed many different genres, became a Rock-A-Billy with some success...but there's no denying, she's one of the most talented artists ever in the recording business!

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Total Time: 38:22 on 16 Tracks ~ Varese Records 66540 ~ [2/10/2004]

A great rockabilly and western cd!

I am NOT a fan of country music, however I do like genere crossers like Patsy Cline, who is considered country but was versitile enough to add swing in her performances. In any case the country part of this 1982 album is mostly Patsy Cline songs, and they are GREAT covers of I Fall To Pieces, Crazy, Sweet Dreams Of You, and Walkin' After Midnight. the rockabilly stuff is real killer diller, including a difinitive remake of her classic hit Let's Have A Party, and cover of other rockabilly artists liek Buddy Holly's Oh Boy and Jerry Lee Lewis' Breathless. And the rest of the album is more or less honky tonk ballads, with forgettable back up singers, but overall thsi is a rockin' fun album, with lot's of great Patsy Cline covers, many of them as good as Clines' original version, fun vintage sounding music(it sounds more liek it was recorded in 1955 then 1981!). Wanda was in prime voice, and this is as good as any of her comeback albums(although her latest "Heart Trouble" shoudl not be overlooked).

Surprising country and rockabilly set plucked from 1982

This appears to be an unreleased set of fine country and rockabilly tracks that Jackson recorded in 1982, oddly capping the run of Christian albums she waxed throughout the '70s. What's truly astounding is how smoothly she picks up where she left off a decade earlier. Produced by bassist Jack Jackson at Nashville's Audio Media Recorders, Jackson is backed by a small combo of Nashville sessioneers, and though they occasionally sound a bit slick (in an Elvis'-band-in-Vegas sort of way), they can't detract from Jackson's spunky rockabilly and country vocals.

The song list features classic tracks from Jackson's own catalog ("Let's Have a Party" "Right or Wrong" "Fancy Satin Pillow") and reanimates classics from both country and rock. Her trademark growl is the perfect compliment to the hiccupping vocal of Buddy Holly's "Rave On," and a trio of Patsy Cline tunes ("I Fall to Pieces" "Crazy" "Walkin' After Midnight") show how effortlessly Jackson can straddle country and pop. Other highlights include torchy readings of Charlie Rich's "It's Only Make Believe" and Don Gibson's "Sweet Dreams (Of You)."

Jackson was only just starting to catch her second wind here - one that would carry her through European tours in the '80s and drop her on the doorstep of a third revival in the mid-90s. These tracks stand tall all on their own, and all the more so considering her decade-long hiatus from secular performing.