Pop Hits From the Country Side rounds up a dozen country songs that also found favor with the pop audience, as interpreted by the king of crossover music,
Eddy Arnold. The twist is that the songs are presented in a "completely pop context," to quote the liner notes, and the album sounds a lot like those made by pop vocalists
John Gary and
Al Martino when they tackled similar material.
Arnold's versions of pop-oriented country songs like "I Fall to Pieces" and "Four Walls" are even more languid than the originals, with lush orchestral arrangements that contrast with
Arnold's homey baritone. The album was a departure for
Arnold in that it was recorded in New York instead of Nashville and cleaves to its pure pop concept.
Rosemary Clooney did this sort of thing over a decade earlier with "Half As Much," so
Pop Hits From the Country Side can hardly be considered a groundbreaker, even though it was an experiment of sorts for
Eddy Arnold. ~ Greg Adams