AMG Review of Greatest Songs, Vol. 2

Steve Leggett
All Music Guide

The genius of Hank Thompson was in his ability to take his gentle Western swing roots into the realm of honky tonk, and he did it with a full awareness of the importance of presentation, dressing the part in flashy western outfits and overseeing all aspects of his live show, right down to the lighting, and in some ways he prefigured the razzle-dazzle stage shows that so-called new country acts like Garth Brooks rode to gold in the 1990s. This brief ten-song set, the second of two such volumes from Curb Records (the two installments could have easily fit on one disc), includes his familiar "Oklahoma Hills," the ballad "Tears Are Only Rain," and the almost Tin Pan Alley impressionism of "A Girl in the Night."