The Many New Sides Of – CHARLIE RICH****

Mohair Sam/I Can’t Go On/Dance Of Love/A Field Of Yellow Daisies/I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water/ Everything I Do Is Wrong/She’s A Yum Yum/It Ain’t Gonna Be That Way/Just A Little Bit Of You/Moonshine Minnie/Down & Out/Lonely Weekends

On albums such as The Many New Sides Smash records allowed country star Charlie Rich the freedom to be creative. Unfortunately, he would have to wait some time before he achieved commercial recognition.

“The Many New Sides contains songs that sound nothing like the Charlie Rich who brought you one chart topper after another in the '70s. The music here is grittier, groovier, bluesier, and a whole lot blacker than what he would soon move onto. And, it's not really country at all, but it's still fantastic.”

“The Many New Sides isn't terribly deep on emotion - there are only a few songs that can be seen as confessional or reflective. Most are rather tough rhythm and blues numbers, and though the songs often don't speak of anything very emotionally profound, Charlie delivers them with heartfelt vocals that not only sound great, but also add depth that may not be apparent in the lyrics.”

“Rich was a genius at blending styles, and these sessions caught him at the perfect moment. This stuff never ceases to make me smile.”

“At Smash Records, Charlie Rich worked with kindred souls who let him do what he wanted. He's young and full of juice. The vitality of these recordings, as Rich rolls from hip stuttering growls to transcendent falsetto, and tosses jazzy piano arabesques against throbbing rock rhythms, is unbelievable.”

“It would be hard not to appreciate how good Charlie Rich was at blending multiple genres of music into his own high quality unique style. I think Charlie Rich was cheated out of his fair share of recognition because he could not be easily pigeonholed into a narrowly defined type of music.”

“If you are a Charlie Rich fan and don't have this LP, your collection isn't complete. Charlie considered these tracks among his best studio work. There is such a variety here that listeners will be stunned. Unfortunately, the charts didn't give him the recognition he deserved. The Smash Sessions show Charlie Rich at his best moment ever.”