Search - Gary Stewart :: Essential Gary Stewart

Crusin' Town in His Cadillac

Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 11/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gary Stewart was one of those artists who seemed stranded between rock & roll and country. Shooting himself after the death of his wife of 40+ years was a great musical loss in 2003. This 1997 anthology opens with a Wayne Carson song. Carson will be remembered for writing the classic "The Letter" as well as "Neon Rainbow" & "Soul Deep" that were hits for the pop band The Box Tops in the 60s. Appropriately, "Drinkin' Thing" is a last call anthem filled with pedal steel teardrops, "It's a lonely thing, but it's the only thing to keep a foolish man in love hanging on." Stewart's big seller "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)" is another Wayne Carson song filled with heartbreak, "My heart is breaking like the tiny bubbles." Michael Murphy's song "Backsliders' Wine" that was also recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker highlights Stewart's excellent way of filling the lyric with emotion, "Fight for your rights, but don't just fight for right." Gary's own song "Single Again" is another hardluck romantic weeper with Gary's great snarl, "Last I heard a little while back, you were cruising town in his Cadillac." On Danny O'Keefe's "Quits," Stewart's voice has a vibrato that makes him sound like a man on the edge. On Wayne Carson's "Oh, Sweet Temptation" Stewart's voice trembles, "I look into your bedroom eyes & Lord, I want to stay." Gary's voice bursts with lustful emotion on the crowd pleaser "Your Place or Mine." Stewart mines Carson's catalog again on "Whiskey Trip," "Lovin' her with every sip, I'm just like a sailing ship." On of my favorite tracks is the rocking "Mazelle," "Who's going to star in your movie, Mazelle, who'll play the big shot in your scene? Will it be him or me on your silver screen?" "Cactus & a Rose" was my first Gary Stewart album. The title track from that set still sounds good these many years later. Stewart's country twang is accented on Carson's "I See the Want in Your Eyes." Listening back on this collection, I'm impressed by Stewart's passion, his clarity of his voice and the raw emotion that he wears with pride on his sleeve. "The Essential Gary Stewart" is a good collection to discover this classic country artist. Enjoy!"

Great honky tonk music will live on, but he will be missed

Bradley Olson | Bemidji, MN United States | 12/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although he'd not been recording since the time he was on Hightone, the material he recorded for RCA, such as the stuff collected on here, is the prime stuff and is the material that holds the legacy of his career. Gary unfortunately didn't have that many huge hits that charted in the top 10, only 3 of his 13 top 40 hits peaked in the top 10, "Drinkin' Thing" (#10 in 1974), "Out of Hand" (#4 in 1974), and his only #1 hit from 1975, "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)." Although not all of his charted hits are on here, the majority of his hits are on this 20 song disc and among the other major hits on this package include "Quits," "Ten Years of This," "Your Place Or Mine," "Single Again," "Whiskey Trip," "Oh Sweet Temptation," all of this stuff is classic and as all great music does, it stands the test of time and the stuff that didn't chart is classic material and is equally as good as the hits. Unfortunately Gary committed suicide a few hours ago at his home in Florida, but if you don't have at least this CD which contains a great selection of his best work, pick it up right now."

Honky-Tonk's BEST

Frank Garon | Breinigsville, PA United States | 08/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nothing short of perfect, Gary Stewart gave us EXCELLENT music in his time. The crud today can't even come close...Gary will make you cry, make you feel pain, make you feel so many emotions, it's as powerful as music can get. Get this and see what all the buzz is about..."