Everyone jump on board the Night Train to Nashville and prepare for a sweet ride.  The two-disc set is the companion piece to the exhibit running through the summer at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.  An amazing compilation of 37 tracks captures the amazing sounds and styles of the black community of Nashville from the post WWII era through the Motown R&B period.

Beginning with Cecil Gant's "Nashville Jumps," you can dive into the feel of those deep south, country-flavored songs and listen as the music evolves and takes shape and form in the segregated clubs of 40's Nashville.  The early tracks are a little raw and gritty, but they have a heart and a passion that's clear and shines through the old recordings.  As a history lesson, these discs are invaluable.  As entertainment, they don't fall short.

From the late 40's through the 50's and 60's and into the 70's, you can hear as the music gained its own feel and its own rhythm.  With such tremendous performances as Arthur Gunter's "Baby Let's Play House," The Marigolds' "Rollin' Stone," Jimmy Beck and his Orchestra doing "Pipe Dreams" on the first disc, the listener is transported back in time to jump, jive, and boogie with those that started it and did it best.

The second disc brings us forward with such awesome tracks as Etta James' "What'd I Say" and Ruth Brown's "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean."  Arthur Alexander gives a beautiful rendition of "Anna (Go To Him)"and you can hear the cultural and racial barriers drop and familiar songs begin to filter in, such as The Avons' "Since I Met You Baby" and Johnny Adams' classic "Reconsider Me."

For those of us who can't make it to the Country Music Hall of Fame this summer to see the exhibit, this disc is a marvelous chance to at least hear it.  It's all about the music, roots rhythm and blues, and it's the best part of a history that breaks down walls and brings us all together.

Standout Tracks: "Sunny" by Bobby Hebb; "Rockin' The Joint" by Esquerita; "Baby Let's Play House" by Arthur Gunter; "Reconsider Me" by Johnny Adams

Final Word: If you can't get to the exhibit, at least get the CD.  It's music that's worth savoring.

http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/index.html

Kathy Coleman TakeCountryBack April 2004