Tammy Wynette I Still Believe in Fairytales / Til I Can Make It On My Own Review by Gary Hill
This is a new reissue of two classic Tammy Wynette albums on one CD. It's a great way for fans of Wynette to get two albums in digital form with one price tag. I have to say that all of the songs here are pretty good. Listening to start to finish, it seems to be a bit "sad ballad" heavy, but that's kind of Wynette's forte.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2016 Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
I Still Believe in Fairy Tales
This mellow cut works pretty well. It's a solid piece with a real old school country vibe.
I Did My Best (To Fall in Love Last Night) A sad old time country tune, this is another classy piece.
Brown Paper Bag A very slow and mellow ballad, this is pretty. It's one of the stronger cuts here.
I Just Had You on My Mind Another mellow tune, this is a very pretty one.
Dallas There is a bit more energy and "oomph" on this one, but it is overall still a ballad. The string arrangement lends some charm.
I'll Take What You Can Give Me (When You Can) Mellow country elements are the idea here. This is a sad song.
I'm Not a Has-Been (I Just Never Was) Even mellower and slower, this one doesn't really work for me.
The Man from Bowling Green More of a rocking tune, I love the guitar picking on this song. It's still a slow tune.
The Bottle
A bit more of a pop music vibe permeates this one. It has some more energy, but is still a mellow cut.
Your Memory's Gone to Rest The last song on the first album here, this is another mellow balladic cut. It's very evocative. It's actually one of the best tunes here.
Til I Can Make It on My Own The opening track of the second album, this is one of the best pieces here.
Just in Case This mellow number is very much old school country balladeering.
He's Just An Old Love Turned Memory
This is very much a classic country ballad.
The World's Most Broken Heart Another love gone wrong kind of piece, this is solid, but nothing revolutionary.
If I Could Only Win Your Love
This is still a slow tune, but not really a ballad.
The Heart Another mellow tune, this is good, but not a standout.
You Can Be Replaced Now, this one does manage to stand taller than some of the rest. It's another mellow piece, but somehow particularly effective.
Love Is Something Good for Everybody
This is a change because it's not a sad song. It's also one of the energized numbers. This is bouncy and fun. It's one of my favorites of the set.
Where Some Good Love Has Been For my money the string arrangement here is a little heavy handed. Beyond that, this is sort of more of the same.
Easy Come, Easy Go Starting with a piano and vocal arrangement, this is one of the most effective pieces of the set.
