If you love country music, you’ll love Kings of Country. If you don’t love country music, “Kings of Country” may well change your mind. It’s a wonderful, popular selection of songs from the beginnings of country to today as their most talented male singers and instrumentalists made the genre evolve. And there’s a number of places where a gal joins them. So what’s not to like?
Eric Scott Anthony announces you’ll be touring with him and group through the wonderful world of country music’s progression in types and geographical origins. So you’ll go from hearing about A. C. Robertson, who did the first recording of country—then known as hillbilly music, to Nashville today with combos of honky tonk, rockabilly, and pop. And Garth Brooks has the best-selling country music records of all time, surpassing Elvis Presley’s achievement.
The musicianship is first-rate, with Emily Mikesell primarily on the fiddle; Eric playing guitar; Jon Brown on guitar and keyboard; Ben Hope on guitar and banjo; Tony Bruno, the only one who doesn’t sing also, commanding a full set of drums from a corner of the stage.
While voices aren’t always perfect, they’re awfully close, with Ben doing modified yodeling in a solo and all the singers blending well both in featured songs and for backup. Good arrangements help considerably.
Among the audience favorites: Johnny Cash’s “ I Walk the Line” and, with vigorous drumming, “Folsom Prison”; Roy Acuff’s “Grand Ole Opry” favorites, especially “Night Train to Memphis”; Merle Travis’s electric guitar development shown on “I Owe My Soul to the Company Store,” in which the audience joins spontaneously. You enter Hank Williams’ world of honky tonk with “Hey Good Lookin’, Whatcha Got Cookin’?” and are reminded that it was outlaw country guy Willie Nelson who introduced “Crazy.”
Dwight Yoakam’s bringing of rock to country music is celebrated along with Brooks and Dunn’s “Neon Moon” with its drama. Others celebrated include George Jones and Tammy Wynette (she sneaking in as a Queen of Country Music), Waylon Jennings, Charlie Daniels, George Straight, and, finally, the hopeful Ben Hope, whose music is now being well received in Nashville. Don’t be surprised if your applause draws a few encores. At the performance I attended, the audience didn’t seem to want to leave. But the performers have to get “On the Road Again.” Good way to go.
