George Jones Albums (94)
'Burning Your Playhouse Down: The Unreleased Duets'
Release Date 7/8/2008
Tracks 12
Label Vanguard
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What The Critics Say
The subtitle of Burning Your Playhouse Down makes plain that this compilation rounds up scraps from the Possum's vaults -- unreleased cuts not from the '60s or '70s, but a more recent vintage, as this relies on recordings from the '90s and beyond. Much of the album gathers up leftovers from 1994's The Bradley Barn Sessions, which was designed as a superstar duet album, so there are plenty of discards left behind, including the title track with Keith Richards, one of the better cuts here, as it has a loose honky tonk vibe. It's no coincidence that the sloppiest vocalist here spurs on the liveliest performance. Apart from an appealingly faithful "You're Still on My Mind" with Marty Stuart, everything else here is crisp, clean, and tasteful -- even Leon Russell's piano feels pristinely digital on "The Window Up Above." The Keith and Marty tunes turn out to be the highlights overall, although also noteworthy is the new "You and Me and Time," a duet with Jones' daughter Georgette where George gladly takes a back seat, thereby turning it into a sweet coming-out party for his kid. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'A God's Country: George Jones and Friends'
Release Date 10/17/2006
Tracks 11
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What The Critics Say
Contrary to the title of this 2006 album, God's Country is certainly not a gospel album; any album that boasts two songs celebrating the joys of liquor ("White Lightning" and "Beer Run") could not be considered gospel. Contrary to the artist credit, God's Country is not a duets album between George Jones and a bunch of very special guests. The Possum only sings on two of the ten tracks on this set -- the previously released Garth Brooks duet "Beer Run," plus the swaggering title track, a new recording that's an infectious pro-America anthem, not a gospel tune. The rest of the record finds a variety of Nashville veterans covering some of George's greatest hits. There are no great surprises in terms of song selection -- "She Thinks I Still Care," "White Lightning," and "He Stopped Loving Her Today" are all here -- and the arrangements are faithful as well, as are most of the performances. Some of the cover versions are better than others -- Vince Gill pours his heart into "She Thinks I Still Care," Tanya Tucker invests "The Window Up Above" with her maverick strut -- and some fall a bit flat (Sammy Kershaw's "He Stopped Loving Her Today" is too mannered and affected), but at no point is God's Country unlistenable. It's professional and respectful, at times spirited, yet it's hard to tell for whom exactly this album is intended: it's billed as a George Jones release, yet he barely shows up here, which means it will not satisfy his fans, nor is this quite a tribute album designed to introduce his music to new listeners via interpretations by today's stars (after all, the singers on this record aren't exactly burning up the charts today). So, God's Country doesn't seem to fall into any specific niche -- but for those who do stumble upon the record, they'll find some good music here, along with some competent but not compelling readings of some of George's biggest hits. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'The Gospel Set'
Release Date 11/23/2004
Tracks 10
Label BMG Special Products
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'Still the Same Ole Me'
Release Date 6/24/2003
Tracks 10
Label Sony Special Products
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What The Critics Say
Recorded at the peak of his popularity, this album is sometimes restrained, and sometimes finds Jones at his uncontrollable best. Though predominantly honky tonk ballads, the best cuts (besides the obvious hits) include: "Good Ones and Bad Ones," "Together Alone," and the raucous "You Can't Get the Hell out of Texas." ~ Tom Roland, All Music Guide
'High-Tech Redneck'
Release Date 11/20/2001
Tracks 10
Label Universal Special Products
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What The Critics Say
George Jones' third MCA album is a 10-track, pure country outing. Despite the digital sound and short running time (less than 32 minutes), it is produced in classic fiddle/steel instrumental glory. Jones sounds steely on the title cut, and such songs as "I've Still Got Some Hurtin' Left to Do" and "Tear Me Out of the Picture" are the type of earnest, unsophisticated heartache songs that define country. He concludes things with a tribute to the departed Conway Twitty, an urgent "Hello Darlin'" that rivals any version Twitty ever issued. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
'The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001'
Release Date 9/11/2001
Tracks 12
Label BNA
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What The Critics Say
One album with Asylum was enough for "the Possum," and even if The Cold Hard Truth's mastermind Keth Stegall has been retained for a couple of cuts on The Rock: Stone Cold Country 2001 (possibly the most awkward title of any George Jones record), it's clear that the pure hardcore country of that album has been abandoned for a refined, commercialized version of that sound. That's not entirely a bad thing, since this is hardly as compromised an album as High-Tech Redneck and, by and large, the material is good. But, apart from the last-minute addition of the Garth Brooks duet "Beer Run," few of the songs really stand out -- they all occupy a pleasant midlevel that sounds good while playing but doesn't really register in memory. That still doesn't hurt the record, since it's unencumbered by unnecessary superstar duets and is appealingly lean, but it is the kind of record for the dedicated believers who like to hear Jones performing cleanly as a professional. Not really something to celebrate like The Cold Hard Truth, but it results in a solid latter-day effort, much like I Lived to Tell It All. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Live With the Possum'
Release Date 11/9/1999
Tracks 12
Label Elektra
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What The Critics Say
Arriving a mere five months after George Jones' much-hyped Asylum debut, Cold Hard Truth -- a record that was touted as his return to hardcore country -- Live With the Possum, his second Asylum outing, seemed on the surface to be a live equivalent of its studio predecessor, but it's not. It's a rushed, cheaply packaged release that simply replicates the 1994 video Live in Tennessee. Jones gives a good journeyman performance, balancing classic hits with a couple of latter-day numbers ("She Loved a Lot in Her Time," "The One I Loved Back Then [The Corvette Song]"). It's not an exceptional performance, though, and its sudden, unannounced CD release is a little puzzling -- especially since the album sounds as if it was directly transferred from a laser disc. It seems as if Alan Jackson's intro to "No Show Jones" was taped from a TV, while other parts of the mix sound a bit off. The only thing that appears to be changed is the crowd noise, which seem to be enhanced (the end result is that it sounds like everyone in the audience is on the verge of hysteria, as if they were teenage girls watching the Backstreet Boys). The audio transfer is disarming, as is the very appearance of the disc -- there's no mention anywhere on the disc that this is indeed Live in Tennessee, the cover looks as if it was assembled a half-hour before it went to the printer, and there are no liner notes. This wouldn't be so bad if it was a budget-line release from a fly-by-night operation, but this is Jones' second album for Asylum and it's not unreasonable to expect more, given that his association with the label was supposed to be a dignified affair. If you can ignore all of the disc's shortcomings and just concentrate on the performance, Live With the Possum is reasonably entertaining, but it's not an essential release -- just something for the hardcore fans, who probably have the video already. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Touted as George Jones' return to hardcore country, Cold Hard Truth -- the Possum's first record for the revitalized Asylum Records -- certainly does achieve that goal. Under the guidance of producer Keith Stegall, Jones returns to the sound of his classic Mercury and UA recordings, meaning that there's nothing but honky tonk ballads and ravers throughout. Impressively, Stegall made sure that Jones didn't take the easy way out: there are no covers or superstar duets, just strong new songs. And, unlike almost any of Jones' previous albums, there's not a single novelty or throwaway. In short, it's the album hardcore fans have said they've always wanted Jones to make. Like most realized fantasies, Cold Hard Truth doesn't quite live up to the imagination, yet it still delivers enough that it isn't a disappointment. Much of the credit must be given to Stegall; his production may be a bit too clean and echo-laden, but he made a wise move in adhering to simple, traditional instrumentation and guiding Jones toward a great set of songs. George sounds terrific, not necessarily better than on his latter-day MCA records, but the strength of the material makes it seem so. For all of its virtues, there's a curious distance on Cold Hard Truth, possibly because it's too careful in both its song selection, and there's no grit in the production. Silly songs and rushed performances always gave Jones' albums character, and it's hard not to miss that reckless spirit on Cold Hard Truth, no matter how good the music is. But ultimately, such complaints amount to nitpicking. There's little question that Cold Hard Truth boasts the finest set of songs Jones has had in nearly two decades, and he delivers the performances they deserve. It's refreshing to finally hear a Jones album that holds up from beginning to end. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
