Seventy-seven minutes of music, 29 of the songs that
Jack Guthrie left behind, and damn if this isn't as good as it gets.
Guthrie had an ear for good hooks, a memorable phrase, and a pleasing, twangy voice that recalled his one-time idol,
Woody Guthrie, as well as his friend
Ernest Tubb. The music here is among the finest country that Capitol recorded in the mid-'40s, and that's saying something, considering that the competition included
Tex Ritter,
Merle Travis, and
Hank Thompson. "Oklahoma Hills" is really good, but there's better here, and even the little throwaway dance numbers like "Okie Boogie" are such fun that they bear repeated listening.
Guthrie's music embraced country-folk and Western swing with equal aplomb, and virtually every word and note is memorable. A necessary part of any collection -- and Bear Family's best single-CD release -- as well as a reminder that the musical talent in the
Guthrie family flowed equally rich through several branches.