Glen Campbell - Meet Glen Campbell

The Wichita lineman calls back

Despite the formality of its title, this new collection of soft rock covers is less of an introduction and more a reunion with the celebrated redneck crooner of old. Swoops of strings and the articulacy of Jimmy Webb’s songs helped Campbell stand out from the 60s country crowd, and he approaches his latest batch of recordings with equal sophistication.

Tom Petty’s Walls has more than a hint of Campbell’s classic Galveston about it, while Jackson Browne’s These Days (originally written for Nico, lest we forget) is held together by a banjo-pickin’ rhythm that recalls Gentle On My Mind. At 72, the voice has lost none of its range or emotive power, as Campbell’s take on Green Day’s Time Of Your Life clearly testifies.

Johnny Cash and, latterly, Neil Diamond opted for Rick Rubin’s sparse reinventions, while others in the same age bracket have stumbled along the ironic novelty covers route. Campbell has chosen to revisit what he does best, selecting songs that feasibly could have been custom-written for him a couple of generations back, and has arguably made his most appealing record since Rhinestone Cowboy more than 30 years ago.

3 stars 3 stars 3 stars

EMI | 234 1322

Reviewed by Terry Staunton
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