Tennessee Ernie Ford - Gather 'Round (1959/2019)

Gather 'Round is similar to Tennessee Ernie Ford's 1955 album, This Lusty Land!, in that both contain mostly traditional songs. Unlike its predecessor, Gather 'Round is not arranged strictly as a pop album and offers a greater variety of moods. The Delmore Brothers' "Brown's Ferry Blues" is unwittingly transformed into a vocal jazz piece, and "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair" is slowed down to dirge speed and performed by Ford in the lower reaches of his vocal range. "Old Blue" is a teary dog story along the lines of "Old Shep," and is the album's highlight. Ford wasn't making any country hits at this point, but directed his efforts toward the pop charts, where he received a lukewarm reception. Accordingly, Gather 'Round is very pop-oriented in its approach to country repertoire, and proffers a nostalgic but surprisingly inauthentic trip through the folk canon.