AMG Review of Anthology (1956-1980)

John Bush
All Music Guide

Brenda Lee hasn't been treated well by reissue culture -- no remastered albums -- and, excepting the Bear Family box set she deserved (and received), only a few compilations, like this two-disc set from MCA. Fortunately, Anthology, Vols. 1 & 2 (1956-1980) is all most fans will need to appreciate why Lee was one of the most intense performing personalities recording in Nashville, just behind Elvis Presley. But Lee had more power than Presley, and more control as well, and the two ranked nearly even in delivery. (Of course, Elvis received song material of a much higher quality than she did.) Her first hit, "Dynamite," along with "Sweet Nothin's," and "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home" rank with the best country/pop/rockabilly performances of the era. Lee could pull off bright novelties such as "Let's Jump the Broomstick" or "Dum Dum" with no problem, and add something new to a well-worn standard, like her bluesy, swinging version of Leiber & Stoller's "Kansas City," or the vocal jazz chestnut "You Can Depend on Me." As the later material here proves, Lee also excelled in the melodramatic countrypolitan mode; moving from teenaged exuberance to middle-aged reflection and resignation -- in character, of course; she only turned 30 in 1974 -- to bring across moving country heartbreakers "Johnny One Time," "As Usual," and "Emotions." The track selection is excellent, touching on every major performance of her career, as well as those she's best known for in rock circles: "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "Is It True?," the latter a 1964 rock & roll hit recorded in London with Jimmy Page on guitar.