Eddy Arnold

From Willie Nelson to Lefty Frizzell and now one more old-school country gentleman, Eddy Arnold.

Strange, I have no patience for any new country music but give me anything old, ancient and preferably forgotten and I'm perfectly happy with it. It was because of  Lefty Frizzell that I suddenly remembered another singer who perfectly fits on this list - but where Frizzell had relatively short burst, Arnold turned into artist whose success had spread over decades and he worked continuously for probably half a century (if not even more). I only have this CD compilation with his earliest recordings and its wonderful.

On these earliest recordings - hit after hit, mind you - Eddy Arnold croons and yodels sweetly, kind of camp fire balladeer. He does not have impossibly beautiful voice of Lefty Frizzell but in his own way, Arnold creates magic too. This kind of old-fashioned country always had huge appeal to me although for the life of me I can't explain why since time, continents and culture stands between us, its simply very easy listening, gently swinging twangy charm. All sorts of pictures go trough my mind when I listen to this - camp fires, cowboys, herds, dust and Zane Grey. Yes, today this would be considered grandfather's music and probably here lies its beauty, life seems so easy and somehow natural with Eddy Arnold singing about cowboy's lonesome cattle call. For once here is somebody who don't mop around and drown his sorrow in whiskey but sings something uplifting, even when lyrics are about heartbreak it sounds sunny because melodies are so lilting and dreamy. Just wonderful.