BILL HENDREN Just Country
Cold Cold Heart – There’s Still A Lot of Love in San Antone – Cinderella – Leavin’ – I’ll Break Out Again Tonight – Soft Rain – Anniversary – The Man in The Moon – Wino’s Prayer – Montana Fever – Happy Family – Family Bible
Bill Hendren has been singing traditional and classic country music for quite awhile in the upper Midwest. This CD is a good example of his powerful country voice, as well as his ability to provide some unique new ideas into country music. The first song for instance has a marimba in it. Reminds me so much of my delightful time in Veracruz, Mexico, listening to the itinerant musicians playing this lovely instrument. Hendren however, lets it just be a ‘passing’ sound. He immediately jumps back into classic country in the second song with instant fiddle and steel. He used some really good ‘paid their dues’ musicians for the backing. Snuffy Elmore, Dale Morris Jr., and Fred Stienly on fiddle. Derk Spigner, Bobby Hibbitts and Brent Dracus on percussion. Gary Carpenter on steel. Curt Ryle and Rich O’Brien on lead guitar, and Randy Elmore and Ron Jones on bass. He doesn’t tell us who’s playing the marimba. Bill Hendren also added some of his own compositions to this fine, truly country CD. Leavin’, Anniversary, Montana Fever, and Happy Family are all written by Hendren, and all of them are stand-outs. This is really where country music should be today, but it’s not. I can’t really put a finger on a ‘sound-alike’ for Bill Hendren, he’s his own guy, his own voice, and his own songwriter. He’s got a couple of his own on here, I especially like “Montana Fever” which has a nice ‘western’ approach. The back-up girl singer is very good. “Happy Family” is also a good country-oriented song. Bill closes the CD with the Claude Gray hit “Family Bible.” He also gives Willie credit for writing the song, which he did, but sold it to Claude for $50, but that doesn’t change WHO wrote it, does it? Good classic country CD here, should be in everybody’s library that likes their country music real, and extremely well done. Bill Hendren’s voice is well suited to the romance and non-romance songs he does, cheatin’ and otherwise. Expect to see him at the SpringFest in Anita, Iowa, at the Oak Tree Opry, April 20-21-22. We’ve not had the opportunity to have Bill sing in concert the intimate way it happens at the Oak Tree, so we’ll sure be looking forward to that. This is a remarkably good CD all the way through.
BUY THIS CD DIRECT FROM: Bill Hendren, WHN Sounds, P O Box 236, Dumont, Iowa, 50625
Bob Everhat