With
Country on My Mind,
Carl Smith finds time to walk in the "California Sunshine" and celebrate womanizing ("Wonderful World of Women") before settling into the songs of honky tonkin' and heartache for which he is known.
Smith wears
Merle Haggard's "I Threw Away the Rose" like an old boot, and handles "Little Ole Wine Drinker" more capably than
Robert Mitchum, for whom it was a hit.
Marty Robbins' "Knee Deep in the Blues" and
the Browns' "I'd Just Be Fool Enough" -- two songs written by Melvin Endsley -- are likewise right up
Smith's alley, and he fills them with the kind of weariness and defeat that make you want to reach for a whiskey bottle.
Country on My Mind produced no hits and was recorded very quickly, but is yet another fine album from a singer whose way with a honky tonk ballad is unsurpassed. This is music made for crying in your drink, so pull up a barstool and enjoy. ~ Greg Adams