AMG Review of 19 Hot Country Requests

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

19 Hot Country Requests contains a selection of early-'80s mainstream country hits recorded by a variety of Columbia and Epic artists, including Merle Haggard ("Going Where the Lonely Go"), Mickey Gilley ("Talk to Me"), Willie Nelson ("Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning"), George Jones ("I Always Get Lucky with You"), Ricky Skaggs ("Highway 40 Blues"), David Allan Coe ("Ride"), Janie Fricke ("He's a Heartache (Looking for a Place to Happen)"), Ronnie McDowell ("You're Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation") and a duet by Haggard & Nelson ("Pancho & Lefty"). The track selection is a little uneven and there are a few dull moments, but on the whole, it's a very entertaining disc with a handful of classic songs.