Maverick Magazine – the new voice of country music
Issue 81 • April 2009
NEW RELEASES
R.W. Hampton
Oklahoma...Where
The West Remains
Cimarron Sounds-CS11072
1/2
Country & Western and cowboy
music as it should sound!
Where The West Remains was just a little melody going round inside attorney and writer Edna Mae Holden's head, until a few years ago that is when R.W. Hampton and musician/producer Rich O'Brien started work on making that tune into this amazing centennial journey set to both story and song.
R.W. Hampton's links to Oklahoma go back many years, when he worked as a young cowboy breaking horses in south-east Oklahoma. He was then hired as the face of the ‘On To Oklahoma' ad campaign for the Oklahoma tourism department. Hampton also has an incredibly smooth country baritone voice that could melt ice in the coldest climate.
Many of the songs are written by Hampton, O'Brien and Edna Mae, but there are a few exceptions which include wonderful versions of the Jack and Woody Guthrie tune Oklahoma Hills and Cindy Walker's Dusty Skies.
There is some very interesting narration in-between many of the tracks by Hampton, but it is his delightfully enchanting vocal delivery that is the true winner on this album, and throughout he is ably supported by some fine musicians which includes the Enid Symphony Orchestra with musical direction from Douglas Newell.
Tunes such as the fun Wish I'd Stayed In Jail, and the Bob Wills tribute song We've Taken Bob Back To Tulsa about one of Oklahoma's greatest music men, all go to make this a top class country & western CD.
This is a great story album mixing songs with narration, and it works incredibly well. A highly enjoyable and interesting CD that runs for over an hour. As the liner notes state ‘This is the story of Oklahoma, where the west remains.' DK.
maverick | April 2009
(Printed with permission of Maverick Magazine and
David Knowles, April 2009)
