SLIM FORSYTHE
This Is
Mother Queen Of My Heart – Singing Waterfall
– Wreck On The Highway – Riders In The Sky – My Little Shoes Away –
Slim’s Been Everywhere – I’ll Never Tear Your Memory From My Heart –
Slim Forshythe’s Swingin’ Monohagela Blues – Works Of Straw –
Yesterday’s News Tommorrow
Can’t think of a better way to begin a ‘real’ country music
CD than with a tribute to the ‘father’ of country music, Jimmie
Rodgers. The introduction and the first song features just Slim
Forsythe and his acoustic guitar. Using the voice similar to Rodgers,
yodel and all makes this a most admirable indication of respect to
artists from the past. This is one of Forsythe’s older CD’s, recorded
in 2016, and released in July of 2017. The respect of the artists of
the past, doesn’t end with Rodgers. Nor does Slim see the necessity of
having anything more than an acoustic guitar for backing. The second
song is a Hank Williams treat. Slim Forsythe has that ‘just right’
ability to sing ‘real’ country music. What that means is, he doesn’t
‘only’ show his respect publicly as he has done on this CD, it’s also
something inside him that makes him respect the simple honest and
sincere music of country music’s past as a very gentle genre of music
dedicated to truth, to the very best ability of anyone writing and
playing the music from the past. Roy Acuff is the next one to be
honored, and honor Slim does. He goes on to honor cowboy-western music
immediately followed by Bill Monroe style bluegrass. Quickly followed by
Canadian Hank Snow style country music, Slim doesn’t slow down even a
little bit, and then includes an original song of his own creation.
Considering he’s only using one acoustic guitar as backing, I find this a
most interesting and entertaining CD. Totally artistic representation
and creative abilities. And like any realistic creative artist, Slim
takes us right up to the present with a summary of yesterday’s
news…..tomorrow. It’s kind of a ‘last breath’ of a dying man, but it
takes anyone who understands the word ‘Revelations’ it does indeed take
us to the apocalypse. Slim Forsythe has a terrific ‘country’ voice. He
uses it most effectively to ‘create’ a very reverent and honest
dissertation on what it’s like to really know what country music is, how
it survived it’s origin, and how it continues to bring the past
alive. As well as adding new stories to the tremendous volume of train
wrecks and broken hearts that have been revealed in early country music.
Good times too, and love stories, and impossible victories over
hardship. It’s all still alive and well in the hands that write, and
the voice that sings……from Slim Forsythe.
RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART, President, National Traditional Country Music Assn. for Country Muisc News International