ITEM#: 13493944
Hank Williams completely redefined country music and moved it into the modern arena in the years just after World War II, and his infectious, confessional, and brilliantly written songs of hard love and hard drinkin' still remain the centre template for country music in the 21st century. Williams lived his life so close to his honky tonk persona that in the end it is impossible to tell where one ended and the other began, making his story a postmodern one of the anti-hero with tragic flaws who wins because he first 'songs are succinct, folksy gems that sketch out a timeless honky tonk soap opera with Williams at the centre, but what saves them from being set pieces are the very real and basic emotions that Williams spotlights in song after song. The best of them are simply brilliant expressions of loneliness and a desperate longing for redemption. There are more comprehensive collections out there, but this one pares things down to nothing but gems.~ Steve Leggett