Don Walser
Dare to Dream: The Best of Don Walser
Texas Music Group / Lone Star
Nothing compares to the voice of Don Walser. Pure and fluid, he alternates between soulful crooning and otherworldly yodeling, taking simple country songs such as “I Don’t Really Want to Know” into the realm of high art. Dubbed “the Pavarotti of the Plains,” Walser’s brand of classic country and western swing is finally getting national recognition. This collection gathers some of his best moments, as well as soundtrack items and cuts from tribute records (including a great “Truck Driving Man” from Rig Rock Deluxe, that features Bill Kirchen from Commander Cody on guitar). Walser has long been produced by Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson, and the match of Walser’s voice and Benson’s spacious, haunting production is as good as it gets. In fact, when Walser combines with The Kronos Quartet on the old standard “Rose Marie,” it’s better than good. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. The music of Don Walser makes you long to return to the prairie, with your boots up on the table of a honky-tonk, even if you’ve never set foot in Texas.
Texas Music Group: http://www.antonesrec.com
