Stu Phillips - Grassroots Country (2018) [Hi-Res]

Canadian country singer Stu Phillips delivers country music with a light touch on Grass Roots Country, recorded in Nashville with Chet Atkins producing. Like George Hamilton IV, Phillips' singing is soft, almost conversational, as he interprets bittersweet country favorites such as "Green, Green Grass of Home" and Johnny Cash's "Guess Things Happen That Way" in his mild-mannered style, with countrypolitan strings instead of the fiddles and steel guitars of honky tonk music. His repertoire maintains the mellow mood throughout, with folk songs from the traditional "Through the Night" (for which Phillips claims composer credit) and Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind" to covers of songs by gentle, pop-oriented country crooners like Bill Anderson and Burl Ives. Phillips' original "Walk Me to the Station," a Jim Reeves-ish ballad, nearly cracked the country Top 40. Phillips recorded distinctly Canadian country music in the '50s before moving to Nashville, where his biggest hits were Mexican in flavor; Grass Roots Country shows yet another side of his artistry: his aptitude as a Nashville Sound balladeer. -- Greg Adams