BAILEY MARIE
Keepin’ It Country
You Ain’t Woman Enough To Take My Man – Jones On
The Jukebox – He Walked Out The Door – Walkin’ Talkin’ Cryin’ – Delta
Dawn – Wouldn’t Change You If I Could – Rocky Top – Do You Still Love Me
– Honky Tonk Angels – I’ll Fly Away
It never ceases to amaze me, just when I think ‘real’ country is
down the tube, and we’re all stuck with an imitation on country radio
today that doesn’t sound like they know what the word ‘country’ means.
According to my American College Dictionary it means ‘of the country,
rural, unpolished.’ That’s what it was all about in the early days,
three chords and the truth. Boy has that changed, but just when I think
it’s all gone, here comes an attractive 16 year old girl from Iowa, of
all places, from Corning, who can sing a ‘country’ song with polish like
she was born to it. That’s all it takes, the original definition
‘unpolished,’ skipped out of town when Bailey took the mike. I said
‘country’ meaning ‘real country.’ Bailey’s been entertaining since she
was six, and that was ten years ago. Check out the songs she selected
to record on this really nice CD. Are they ‘country’ or what? Baily
has a nice straight forward voice perfectly suited to the country style
she is developing. It’s the ‘real deal’ and I surely hope she continues
her music path in this same genre that she is doing so well with on
this, I believe might be her first CD. Her grandfather is an old
friend, Jim Wymore, who makes his home in Villisca, Iowa. He’s playing
rhythm guitar on this fine CD. Another old friend Mark Howard is on
drums. Add Dennis White on banjo (especially good on Rocky top) and
steel, and you can begin to see what I’m talking about. Dave Reeves and
Gary Walker appear at various times on guitar, and Rick Titus and Paul
Fay hold up the bass parts. This is a perfect combination of instruments
to make it the ‘real deal.’ It just thrills me, at this time in my
life when I’ve been all over the world it seems, playing and plugging
real country music, to hear a young woman give her heart and her voice
to it. I see a very pleasant experience ahead for Bailey. Mind, it
won’t be easy, the doors are mostly shut today, but if you follow this
particular ‘style’ of country music, you will always find fans who will
love what are doing, simply because of the fact they can’t hear it on
radio anymore. Be sure to make this CD available to these fans wherever
you appear. “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could” are the perfect words I
would personally attach to Bailey. Keep doing what you are doing.
Don’t stop, even if it gets tough sometimes. It’s the world we live in,
not the beauty a young woman can bring to this beautiful totally
American genre of music. I also really like the old-time practice of
ending a set of music with a Gospel song. Nearly all the early groups
did this, so did Bailey. One of my favorites. Off this CD goes to the
Rural Roots Music Commission in the hopes that they will consider it for
their CD of the Year awards.
www.music-savers.com RECORD REVIEW By Bob Everhart, President, National Traditional Country Music Association for Country Music News International