Spadella: The Essential Spade Cooley collects 20 highlights from
Cooley's stint as one of the most popular Western swing bandleaders in America. All of the selections on the album were recorded between 1945 and 1946, when
Cooley and his group scored six straight Top Ten singles, all of which are included here ("You Can't Break My Heart" is in an alternate version). This is when the group was at its peak, and vocalist
Tex Williams was always in stellar form. Although it doesn't cover his entire career,
Spadella remains the one essential
Cooley compilation. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine