T.G. Sheppard
Album: Legendary Friends & Country Duets
Label: Gold Lane
Tracks: 14
Website: http://www.tgsheppard.com

You know you are well regarded in the music business when you can call on the crème de la crème to collaborate on your latest album. This is exactly what's happened with T.G. Sheppard on his latest 14 track album Legendary Friends & Country Duets.

T.G. Sheppard has been a singer-songwriter since the late 1960's and has collaborated with so many over the years. He has had many number ones and high placing songs on the country and pop charts. Despite not many album releases over the past twenty years or so he is always popular on the live circuit and now he is back with an album he claims to be one of his best ever and 'the one' he's always dreamed of doing.

Starting off with the gospel tinged 'Down On My Knees' with the Oak Ridge Boys, then an original track written especially for the album 'The Killer' about and collaborated with the man himself Jerry Lee Lewis. There is a more religious tone to 'Why Me Lord' with Conway Twitty and a lovely delicate duet with Merle Haggard on 'Songman'.

There's a bit of a Latin Mexican flavour to "Fifteen Rounds With Jose Cuervo' and even though T.G. and Delbert McClinton sound like they're having a lot of fun Delbert seems to struggle a little with the duet parts but it does not detract too much from the song.

A very nice slow smoky jazz type duet with Lorrie Morgan follows in the 'Next One'. This is a fantastic duet of two great voices that complement each other beautifully with a delicate and slow piano backing accompaniment.

'100% Chance Of Pain' could be classed as a slow burner. BJ Thomas and Jimmy Fortune are the collaborators but there seems to be a little something missing that doesn't quite make the song stand out. Now we're talking with the next track 'It's A Man Song' in what would be one of the last songs by the late great George Jones. Both The Possum and T.G. sing about what it's like to be a male in this World but can't really explain it although they do seem to be having a lot of fun. 'Wine To Remember Whiskey To Forget' with Mickey Gilley is an interesting song title that has a nice pedal steel sound and another two voices that fit very nicely together.

T.G.'s wife and singer-songwriter Kelly Lang (who incidentally has a hand in the writing of a number of the songs in this collection) duets with her husband on 'Dead Girl Walking'. She has a wonderful tone and sings with real emotion and they both match each other perfectly in the standout collaboration of the album.

There just had to be a Willie Nelson duet and what a great choice of song with 'In Texas'. Willie sounds on top form here and T.G. joins in singing passionately about the famous US state. There's an interesting choice of song next with an Engelbert Humperdinck duet and a take on the Bryan Adams 'Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?' I think the vocals slightly struggle in parts but it is still a pleasant version.

Up next is another tender track with gentle piano backing for 'I'm Not Going Anywhere'. Crystal Gayle adds a fantastic and strong vocal. 'If You Knew' is another gentle offering with Ricky Skaggs & The Whites to round off a project that has been years in the making but well worth the wait. It's not often you will get to experience so many legendary artists collaborating on one album and at the same time the material fitting their voices in such a good way. It's obvious there's been a lot of thought put in to what is a really enjoyable album with a great selection of songs selected with the right duet partners in mind. You can tell that it is something that T.G. Sheppard has always wanted to do and he has succeeded although I feel there could possibly have been one or two faster songs thrown in for balance purposes only.

Craig Parry