This is Capitol's second try at a
Tex Ritter collection...Bear Family's 28-song High Noon disc, though not perfect, is far preferable to this 15-song collection, which leaves out too many key songs...there are two previously unreleased cuts here, "I Was Out of My Mind" and "Waitin' and A-Worryin'," both of which are better than some of the previously released stuff here...the producers have focused too much on Ritter's pop songs ("There's a New Moon Over My Shoulder," "I'm Wastin' My Tears on You"), and a handful of non-hits, and left out his grittier and personal songs ("Rye Whiskey," etc.), ignoring large chunks of his career in the process. It's not that what's here is bad as music ("Have I Told You Lately That I Loved You" is superb) -- just too small in scope...And why the makers chose to use one of Ritter's re-recordings of "High Noon," rather than the 1952 original, is anyone's guess. On the plus side, there is so little overlap with the Bear Family High Noon disc that this one makes a good supplement to it... ~ Bruce Eder