Glen Campbell: See You There
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Alzheimer’s has forced Glen Campbell to stop touring. But the 77-year-old country-pop great hasn’t quit the studio yet: See You There, remarkably, is his 62nd album. The only new song is “Waiting on the Comin’ of My Lord”, a routine expression of Nashville piety; the rest consists of covers of Campbell’s best-loved songs, their countrypolitan polish sandpapered away in favour of starker, grittier arrangements.
The change in tone is well judged. “Rhinestone Cowboy” is set to a fuzzy electric guitar, as though Campbell were teaming up with Neil Young, while “Wichita Lineman” becomes an epic barroom ballad, Campbell a powerful yet plaintive figure at the centre. His voice has grown husky but remains strong, and his phrasing is as skilful as ever, a perfect mix of sentimentality and sophistication.
Glen Campbell
See You There
(Surfdog)
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