Sweet Rosie Jones arrived in the middle of a busy 1968 for Buck Owens & His Buckaroos, a year filled with concerts, recording, and filming The Buck Owens Ranch Show , a syndicated television series that helped maintain his position as one of the biggest stars in country music. His career was humming along but behind the scenes some changes were afoot within the Buckaroos. During the sessions for Sweet Rosie Jones, drummer Willie Cantu left the group so he could spend more time with his wife. His replacement, Jerry Wiggins, ...
Read More
Sweet Rosie Jones arrived in the middle of a busy 1968 for Buck Owens & His Buckaroos, a year filled with concerts, recording, and filming The Buck Owens Ranch Show , a syndicated television series that helped maintain his position as one of the biggest stars in country music. His career was humming along but behind the scenes some changes were afoot within the Buckaroos. During the sessions for Sweet Rosie Jones, drummer Willie Cantu left the group so he could spend more time with his wife. His replacement, Jerry Wiggins, laid down a solid foundation, so the absence of Cantu isn't notably apparent, especially since a good chunk of the album is straight-down-the-middle Bakersfield country. A close listen does reveal there's a gradual deepening and expansion of Owens' signature sound. "Sweet Rosie Jones" unfolds gently, almost more folk than country, "How Long Will My Baby Be Gone?" is layered with acoustic guitars and handclaps that align it toward progressive country, the Buckaroos take Merle Haggard's "Swingin' Doors" a shade slower, which turns it vaguely soulful, while "The Heartaches Have Just Started" carries an arrangement reminiscent of Hag's Strangers. These slight deviations from the norm are enough to keep Sweet Rosie Jones lively and fresh, which is a subtle and notable accomplishment from a band as prolific as the Buckaroos were in the 1960s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Read Less