Johns (1996

Follow-up volumes appeared in 1993 and 1996, extending the time period to 1979 and with additional songs from the 1972-76 period, available on cassette or CD (ALL 25 volumes were issued in both formats). Each volume has twelve songs. Despite the greater capacity of compact discs, the running time of each of the volumes is no longer than the limit of vinyl records in the 1970s, from 38 to 45 minutes long.

Sammy Kershaw knows the sights and smells of true honky tonks, but he keeps moving further away from the soulful slur and fun-loving style that made him sound so promising a few years ago. After too many novelty songs and mis-directed pop-country moves, Kershaw tries to focus himself and get serious on Politics, Religion and Her. Unfortunately, his material fails him. A couple of powerful, soul-baring ballads only serve to show how superficial the rest of the song choices are. And his stiff version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee" would get the vote for worst cover of the year, except it gets topped by his pale take on Sammy Johns's ludicrous '70s hit, "Chevy Van."

This four-disc box set takes the listener on a detailed tour of the Eagles' career. One of the most successful American groups of the '70s, the Eagles combined country-rock roots with the burgeoning L.A. soft-rock aesthetic that reigned in the U.S. at the time…

Paul Hillier, best known for his recordings of early music, brings that sense of urgency and simple piety to the delicate religious music of Arvo Part. This is music which combines gentleness with real force, and the intelligent singing, and capacity to make moments of silence tell as much as grand effects, is entirely admirable.