Chock Full of Country Goodness

AMG Review of Chock Full of Country Goodness

Maria Konicki Dinoia
All Music Guide

Fans of the Amazing Rhythm Aces can start proclaiming "Yippe Yi Yo Yo!" (the first cut on the album). Back as a full-time band after a number of years out of the spotlight, the Aces serve up the same combination of classic rock, soulful blues, and stone country that made them so popular back in the '70s and '80s on Chock Full of Country Goodness. Perhaps best known for such colossal hits as "Third Rate Romance," "Amazing Grace (Used to Be Her Favorite Song)," and the Grammy Award-winning "The End Is Not in Sight," the Aces have recaptured the unique and emphatic sound that have kept fans loyal despite the band's 14-year hiatus (1981-1995). With 12 original songs from lead singer and songwriter Russell Smith, and with the rest of the original band members intact (minus founding member and influential drummer/songwriter Butch Dade, who succumbed to cancer in 1998), the Aces rekindle their fire for cheap guitars and rednecks. With so many new country artists making the crossover to pop, Chock Full of Country Goodness is a refreshing reminder of our good ol' country roots.