A moment of reflection will reveal that
Charley Pride
is a natural idol for
Neal McCoy
. A trailblazing traditionalist of the '60s and '70s,
Pride
broke the color barrier for popular country music -- there had been African-American country singers long before him;
Ray Charles
blurred the boundaries between country and soul a few years before him, and
had peers like
Stoney Edwards
, but
Charley
was the first black country superstar -- due in part to his easy, friendly way with a song.
McCoy
has a similar amiable way with a tune and, as a singer of Filipino descent, he bucked country tradition even as he adhered to it.
Pride: A Tribute to Charley Pride
puts all this into relief while also being quite a good listen in its own right. As a traditionalist paying respect to a traditionalist,
doesn't play around with the arrangements in the slightest -- he even seems indebted to the sound of
's recordings, not the early ones of the '60s but the gleaming overproductions of the late '70s and early '80s -- but these are terrific songs performed well, by both
and his guests
Raul Malo
(who is on "I'm Just Me"),
Darius Rucker
("Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'"), and
Trace Adkins
("Roll On Mississippi"). There's almost a funhouse mirror quality here, with
looking back on
who was looking back on
Hank Williams
(the presence of "Kaw-Liga" underscores this), but that's part of the appeal of
: each bygone era it salutes is worth celebrating. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine