Canadian country singer
Stu Phillips delivers country music with a light touch on
Grass Roots Country, recorded in Nashville with
Chet Atkins producing. Like
George Hamilton IV,
Phillips' singing is soft, almost conversational, as he interprets bittersweet country favorites such as "Green, Green Grass of Home" and
Johnny Cash's "Guess Things Happen That Way" in his mild-mannered style, with countrypolitan strings instead of the fiddles and steel guitars of honky tonk music. His repertoire maintains the mellow mood throughout, with folk songs from the traditional "Through the Night" (for which
Phillips claims composer credit) and
Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind" to covers of songs by gentle, pop-oriented country crooners like
Bill Anderson and
Burl Ives.
Phillips' original "Walk Me to the Station," a
Jim Reeves-ish ballad, nearly cracked the country Top 40.
Phillips recorded distinctly Canadian country music in the '50s before moving to Nashville, where his biggest hits were Mexican in flavor;
Grass Roots Country shows yet another side of his artistry: his aptitude as a Nashville Sound balladeer. ~ Greg Adams