Collins Words

Two full albums from the man who was an important influence on California country giants Merle Haggard and Buck Owens! The first album is pure genius from the young Tommy Collins – an early figure on the Bakersfield scene, and an artist who almost single-handedly shaped the sound of the west coast scene with his Capitol Records material included here! Collins had a wonderful way of updating older hillbilly modes – traces of Texas and Arkansas, moved over to postwar Cali – where things got tightened up, became a bit more confident, and were given a razor-sharp sound by the excellent Capitol production. Every tune here is a classic – and many have a sense of double-entendre that rivals the hippest R&B work of the period, but with a very different sound overall – on titles that include "You Better Not Do That", "How Do I Say Goodbye", "It Tickles", "You Gotta Have A License", "Smooth Sailin", and "Whatcha Gonna Do Now".

Edwyn Collins made a remarkable and unexpected comeback with Gorgeous George, and it's not hard to see why. The album represents a consolidation of Collins' skills as a songwriter, demonstrating both his vicious wit and his effortless melodicism. Working with former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and bassist Claire Kenny, he develops the hardest-hitting musical attack of his career, but it's also surprisingly versatile, capable not only of glam rock, but also jangle pop, folk-rock and blue-eyed soul. And while Collins can occasionally be accused of lyrical sniping – the attack on Guns N' Roses in "North of Heaven" is simply silly – there's no denying that when his words and music hit the same target, such as on the darkly catchy Iggy Pop tribute "A Girl Like You," the results are wonderfully cerebral pop music.

Phil Collins took a long time to deliver Testify, his first record since redemptive post-divorce album Dance into the Light. On that 1996 affair, he was open to all the possibilities that may arrive during this new act and, accordingly, the album felt expansive…

Phil Collins took a long time to deliver Testify, his first record since redemptive post-divorce album Dance into the Light. On that 1996 affair, he was open to all the possibilities that may arrive during this new act and, accordingly, the album felt expansive. He dabbled with new sounds, perhaps excessively so, but it helped mirror his newfound freedom. In contrast, Testify feels a bit hemmed in, the sound of a singer/songwriter marching through the drudgery of life. This isn't to say that Testify is underpinned with despair – it certainly lacks the melancholy undertow of Both Sides, one of his moodiest and best records – but rather it feels diligent, with Collins intent on hitting all of his preordained marks.