After recording several hits in the '70s and '80s for
Capitol
and
MCA
, traditional country vocalist
Gene Watson
, along with many of his influences like
Merle Haggard
George Jones
, started to disappear from the country charts as radio programmers began dictating trends and touting them as the "real thing." To his credit,
Watson
stuck to his guns; he continued to record throughout the '90s, putting out several gospel discs and seeing his early albums being reissued. On his first release for the
Shanachie
label,
In a Perfect World
,
carries on in the hard country tradition with a combination of hand-picked tunes and complementary vocal assistance from friends
Vince Gill
Lee Ann Womack
Joe Nichols
Mark Chesnutt
Connie Smith
, and
Rhonda Vincent
. Seven of the 11 tracks are new compositions, written mainly by songwriter
Tim Mensy
, while the rest are tried and true favorites,
"Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me,"
"Let Me Be the First to Go,"
"Today I Started Loving You Again,"
"Together Again."
once again finds
sticking to his guns and maintaining command of his roots. ~ Al Campbell