I've Got You on My Mind
represents the first real stumble from
Buck Owens
, his first vocal album to miss Billboard's Country Top Ten (its immediate instrumental predecessor
The Guitar Player
didn't crack the Top Ten either, yet it was always destined to be a niche record), and his first not to have a single hit number one since 1963. The slowing of his hot streak was inevitable. Tastes change along with the times, something that's evident on
, which is filled with music that breaks
Owens
' Bakersfield template. The most notable change is the presence of honeyed harmonies, overdubs that give the record a bit of burnished warmth at the expense of the vigorous snap of
the Buckaroos
. Some of this is a continuation of the expansion hinted at on
Sweet Rosie Jones
, particularly the acoustic instrumentation reminiscent of
Merle Haggard
's albums with
the Strangers
, but there are also new twists, like the piano on the title track and "Alabama, Louisiana, Or Maybe Tennessee," a wily boogie that has a cousin in "Love Is Me."
Buck
also brings in his son
Buddy Alan
for duets on "Let the World Keep a Turnin'" and "I'll Love You Forever and Ever," an attempt to expand his
Buckaroo
empire that works better on the former than the latter.
Buddy
's presence adds a vague hint of show biz, while the harmonies soften
muscle a tad, a combination that makes
appear to be in soft focus -- an unusual departure from
, one that isn't without its charms, but ultimately feels a little slighter than a usual
Buckaroos
album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine