Everything I've Always Wanted exists in the mainstream of 1981, playing off the softer sounds of the era, but it feels slightly old-fashioned in its sensibility. Some of this is due to the traditional aesthetics of the writing -- this material is proudly made in Music City, following formulas for both ballads and uptempo numbers, not to mention a couple of nods to cowboy tunes -- but the whole feel of
Everything I've Always Wanted is a bit stuffy, emphasizing
Marty Robbins' crooning. By many measures, this is as much an adult contemporary soft rock record as it is a country-pop one, designed to appeal to mature audiences left behind by modern music. Appropriately,
Everything I've Always Wanted didn't chart -- "An Occasional Rose" scraped the Billboard charts at 28, "Completely Out of Love" stalled at 47 -- but it's a pleasant enough record, notable for how it exists at a crossroads between both styles and eras, a soft pop album with the songs of the '50s and the sounds of the '70s released in the '80s.