Patsy Cline - True Love: A Standards Collection

Like many prominent singers of the 20th century, Patsy Cline was encouraged by label figures to stray from her roots and record pop standards intended to broaden her appeal. However, only the greatest singers--talents like Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, and Etta James--can put a distinctive stamp on war horses and invest them with enough fresh emotional power to actually emerge from the experiment with an enhanced reputation. Cline certainly belongs in this group, as evidenced by this collection of 14 standards. Like James, for instance, Cline wasn't necessarily supportive of crossover dreams, but as long as she was in a studio she might as well deliver the goods, whether the musical backdrop was a steel guitar or a string section. Few singers--country or otherwise--have matched her ability to combine vulnerability and assertiveness, pain and power. --Marc Greilsamer Amazon.com

Improving with listening.

I am biased. Patsy is one of the all time greats, and everything she did was fine. That said, Greatest Hits is the one to get if you can only get one, and you want to find out what the legend is all about. Her voice meshes perfectly with the slightly overwrought vocals required by the country audience.

With popular music, there can sometimes be a need to play it straight. I have always loved the 1930s version of "Always", and "Love Letters" just has the definitive Pat Boone stamp. Patsy's versions of these and others adds a little spin to the proceedings, which I think will appeal to me more and more over time, but which stand a little in the shadow of the masterpieces created by the originals.

That said, what more enjoyable way to spend some time than to hear Patsy belt out the best she had to offer? If you get this you WILL NOT be disappointed. Not quite perfect, but extremely good. July 27, 2008

Excellent Songs- but remastering ruins the recording...

I have all of Patsy Cline's LPs and records. I have a few of her CDs. Some sound okay, but whenever you hear "digital remastering" -beware!. Its sucks the life out of the original recording and makes it sound hollow and compressed. If you want to hear how Patsy Cline is supposed to sound, get her on vinyl. Don't waste your money on a cheesy compact disc.
February 4, 2008

A perfect accompaniment

This album is a perfect accompaniment to those who only have a greatest hits collection. Her rendition of Always is a definitive recording and should be listened to....period. Again this collection does NOT have her well-known hits like Crazy and Sweet Dreams, but is well worth owning. All this said, i must state that I am NOT a country music fan. Patsy's voice deserves a listen and you will NOT be disappointed! August 30, 2001

Stunning Collection!!

The casual fan of Patsy Cline may think their collection is complete with the GREATEST HITS CD. But they are missing so much by not buying this CD. The first two songs TRUE LOVE and YOU BELONG TO ME have been sung by the greats but never been given such exquisite treatment as by the lips of Patsy Cline. The same can be said of Heartaches and BILL BAILEY. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN LONELY reveals the lush expressiveness of her voice, and on I LOVE SO MUCH IT HURTS ME you can here the pain from her very soul. Don't miss this! September 3, 2000

My Mom was Patsy Cline...

or so it seemed! Imagine the early 60s.Kennedy is on the black and white(sound off),Patsy`s torch songs on the hi-fi, my Mom in her capri pants ironing and singing along. If that bit of nostalgia doesn`t prompt your Patsy memories, allow me to tell of the pure magic of this cd. As if Patsy were in the room this cd has been re-mastered very artfully. Andy McKaie,Doug Schwartz and their team have taken the original Decca masters and created a fantastic cd. I hope they re-master the entire Cline catalog. Unless you had the pleasure of hearing Patsy Cline in person you havn`t heard her like this! July 12, 2000

More reviews at Amazon.com ...