Ray Lynam - The Essential Ray Lynam
Rosette Records ROSCD2758
I have fond memories of watching Irishman Ray Lynam at the old Wembley country music festivals. He was about the only ‘country’ singer from the Emerald Isle that I would stay in my seat to watch. Though he was brought up within the Showband tradition, he was never part of that scene, though sometimes, the way he was dressed, you might have be forgiven for thinking that maybe he was. I recall once that he came on stage wearing this garish green suit, but once he started singing, all fears quickly disappeared as he put a lot of energy into his singing without losing his composure and emotional smoothness. But it wasn’t just Ray Lynam’s voice that impressed, it was his impeccable song choice and then the superb, often understated accompaniment provided by his band, the Hillbillies.
This 2-CD set brings together 32 tracks covering Ray’s long and successful career. True, outside of country and Irish music circles, he remains very much an unknown, but to us music aficionados, he was and is, one of the UK’s finest and most distinctive country vocalists. In his early days his voice had echoes of George Jones and Buck Owens, without in any way sounding like either. Later, he took on the more contemporary feel of the likes of James Taylor and the country-rock of the Eagles, yet still retaining that distinctive and pleasing Ray Lynam sound. A trademark of Ray Lynam’s career has been his irreverent ability to subvert well-known songs with his own style. The first song I latched on to by Ray was his version of Dolly Parton’s Gypsy Joe And Me, a long, long time before it was fashionable to cover Dolly’s songs. His easy-going vocal with a touch of irony remains timeless, despite the slightly dated recording quality. His early versions of You Win Again, I’ve Loved You All Over The World, Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile and Girls, Women And Ladies embody the best of what country music is all about. Ray was on a different plane to most of the UK country acts of the day, setting the bar exceptionally high.
Though he was a massive fan of what we might today refer to as traditional country music—Hank Williams, George Jones and Buck Owens—he always remained contemporary in his approach. As well as making current country hits like Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler and Waylon Jennings’ Rose In Paradise his very own, he also branched out into new sounds and styles with songs by Irish writers like Charlie McGettigan’s A Bed For The Night and Billy Brown’s Wintertime. You’ll also find heartfelt renditions of James Taylor’s Shower The People and the Bee Gees’ Hold Her In Your Hand and his biggest hit, I Don’t Want To See Another Town. There is so much great music on this collection, I could go on and on and mention every track, suffice to say, this is timeless music, as country as anything you would have heard on the radio back in the day, yet much more than just nostalgia. If you’ve never heard of Ray Lynam, or maybe, dismissed him as just another Irishman trying to sing country music, I urge you to try and hear this collection. I’m convinced that you’ll agree with me, that Ray Lynam is the real deal when it comes to country music.
www.rosetterecords.com
I have fond memories of watching Irishman Ray Lynam at the old Wembley country music festivals. He was about the only ‘country’ singer from the Emerald Isle that I would stay in my seat to watch. Though he was brought up within the Showband tradition, he was never part of that scene, though sometimes, the way he was dressed, you might have be forgiven for thinking that maybe he was. I recall once that he came on stage wearing this garish green suit, but once he started singing, all fears quickly disappeared as he put a lot of energy into his singing without losing his composure and emotional smoothness. But it wasn’t just Ray Lynam’s voice that impressed, it was his impeccable song choice and then the superb, often understated accompaniment provided by his band, the Hillbillies.This 2-CD set brings together 32 tracks covering Ray’s long and successful career. True, outside of country and Irish music circles, he remains very much an unknown, but to us music aficionados, he was and is, one of the UK’s finest and most distinctive country vocalists. In his early days his voice had echoes of George Jones and Buck Owens, without in any way sounding like either. Later, he took on the more contemporary feel of the likes of James Taylor and the country-rock of the Eagles, yet still retaining that distinctive and pleasing Ray Lynam sound. A trademark of Ray Lynam’s career has been his irreverent ability to subvert well-known songs with his own style. The first song I latched on to by Ray was his version of Dolly Parton’s Gypsy Joe And Me, a long, long time before it was fashionable to cover Dolly’s songs. His easy-going vocal with a touch of irony remains timeless, despite the slightly dated recording quality. His early versions of You Win Again, I’ve Loved You All Over The World, Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile and Girls, Women And Ladies embody the best of what country music is all about. Ray was on a different plane to most of the UK country acts of the day, setting the bar exceptionally high.
Though he was a massive fan of what we might today refer to as traditional country music—Hank Williams, George Jones and Buck Owens—he always remained contemporary in his approach. As well as making current country hits like Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler and Waylon Jennings’ Rose In Paradise his very own, he also branched out into new sounds and styles with songs by Irish writers like Charlie McGettigan’s A Bed For The Night and Billy Brown’s Wintertime. You’ll also find heartfelt renditions of James Taylor’s Shower The People and the Bee Gees’ Hold Her In Your Hand and his biggest hit, I Don’t Want To See Another Town. There is so much great music on this collection, I could go on and on and mention every track, suffice to say, this is timeless music, as country as anything you would have heard on the radio back in the day, yet much more than just nostalgia. If you’ve never heard of Ray Lynam, or maybe, dismissed him as just another Irishman trying to sing country music, I urge you to try and hear this collection. I’m convinced that you’ll agree with me, that Ray Lynam is the real deal when it comes to country music.
www.rosetterecords.com