Posted by Larry Jordan on December 5, 2014, 3:04 am
"The Great Jim Reeves" 8 CD set, which has been described as positively THE BEST release on Reeves since that 16 CD boxed set years ago, features a spectacular group of musicians, singers and others who helped bring Jim's music up to date. His voice NEVER sounded better than on these tracks and I don't think people even comprehend just what this set even constitutes if they haven't bought it for themselves.
And at $49.95 for 176 tracks, that makes it about 23 cents a song -- less than a digital download. Plus you get the beautiful presentation case with it, the 48 page full color booklet that has anecdotes about all the songs, etc.
Two of the outstanding tracks are duets on which I combined Jim's voice with that of Kenzie Wetz, a member of the current Grand Ole Opry band in Nashville. She not only plays fiddle on some tracks (like "Railroad Bum") but she also SINGS. Her rich, sultry voice is the perfect compliment to Mr. Reeves.
In fact, David Allan, who did so much to promote Jim on "pirate radio" and then the BBC, and who writes a monthly column for "Country Music People" magazine over in the EU, said the Jim/Kenzie version of "I Fall To Pieces" is THE BEST he has ever heard (except for Patsy Cline's original). What a compliment!
Kenzie also sings "Have You Ever Been Lonely (Have You Ever Been Blue)" with Jim. These include totally new musical backings. How we isolated Jim's voice and laid in the new tracks was quite a fete that still has people wondering and speculating.
Anyway, so many fans have asked me about Kenzie that I wanted you to see a video of her performing in a club in Nashville. It's just an amateur video so the sound quality is not great, but you will still be able to discern how fantastic her voice is and how well she sings.
Click the link below to see and hear the gal who helped make "The Great Jim Reeves" such a hugely popular 8 CD release around the world, and played on radio stations from Malta to Gibraltar to New Zealand to India and everyplace you can think of...
Just watched the video of Kenzie, and I thought she was amazing! The song was very nice too! I really loved her duets with Jim on "The Great Jim Reeves" 8-CD set, and it was nice to see and hear her in a solo performance. She's beautiful, has a lovely voice and is very talented!