Turn Me Loose

AMG Review of Turn Me Loose

Greg Adams
All Music Guide

For a short time in the early '80s, the 51 West label brought back a number of veteran country stars including Roy Drusky, Ferlin Husky, and Cal Smith. The albums contained covers of other artists' hits instead of original material, putting them in the questionable category of late-career budget recordings, but the high performance and production quality elevated the proceedings above typical truck stop fare. Cal Smith's entry, Turn Me Loose, does not include the titular Fabian hit, but has Smith's interpretations of chart items by Loretta Lynn ("They Don't Make 'Em Like My Daddy"), Don Williams ("Amanda"), and Charley Pride ("Burgers and Fries"). Smith also dips farther back into the country canon for favorites such as "San Antonio Rose" and "Walkin' the Floor Over You." Smith's vocal abilities are undiminished and, in fact, his chart career had not quite ended at this point. The 51 West albums were well-produced in a timeless, organic style that eschewed the trendy flourishes that often date recordings; from that perspective, they hold up better than some of the artists' higher profile efforts. The lack of original material suggests that they were intended to sell on the basis of the singers' star power rather than generate hit singles, but that doesn't significantly diminish their appeal.