This 32-minute budget sampler of
Eddy Arnold
songs essentially represents an entire subgenre that has come to be known as "
Countrypolitan
". That means the singer is suspended in a cloud of Nashville
pop
production that typifies those inescapably accessible trends in
country
music that dominated entire portions of the entertainment industry during the late 1960s and throughout the '70s and '80s. Indeed a song like
"The Green, Green Grass of Home"
might well constitute proof that one-time "Tennessee Plowboy"
served as a role model for
Jim Nabors
. While tried and true
Arnold
fans will best be able to appreciate these sentimentally infused performances, the best way to really understand and appreciate
is to venture back towards the beginning of his lengthy career. Later, slicker material like what you hear on this compilation does serve one important purpose; it demonstrates exactly why
became one of his country's all-time most successful recording artists. This is music that does not challenge or confront the listener in any way. It comforts, soothes, calms, and reassures while appealing to emotional sensibilities that most people carry somewhere in their hearts. ~ arwulf arwulf