J.J. Cale - Gold [Remastered] (2007) [CD Rip]

With his laconic vocal style and a guitar style that matched it in depth, tone, and weariness all laid over easy, loping shuffle rhythms, J.J. Cale also happened to be a heck of a songwriter, and he established less a persona with his approach than his own brand of blues roots rock, and he has stuck to it throughout his career, never adjusting or deviating for the pop market. All of this means his recorded output is remarkably consistent, as this two-disc set of Cale's hit songs and other key tracks clearly shows. The big ones are here, including "Crazy Mama," "Call Me the Breeze," "Magnolia," "After Midnight," and "Cocaine," along with several essential album sides, and they portray an artist who knows exactly what he does well and then does it, no matter what storms are swirling around in the tides of current pop culture. ~Steve Leggett