Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 09/16/2008
There's a 500-pound gorilla in the room when listening to this record, and its name is
Don Imus. Conservative radio host
Imus found himself in the midst of a firestorm of controversy in 2007 when during a discussion of the Rutgers University women's basketball team, he referred to the players as "nappy-headed hos." While
Imus apologized for the remark, it was hardly an isolated incident. For the purposes of this compilation, however,
Imus and his wife,
Deirde Imus, operate the Imus Ranch, a cattle ranch in New Mexico where children with life-threatening illnesses (and sometimes their siblings) spend a week as working cowpunchers, caring for and cleaning up after the animals to help the kids build self-esteem.
Imus has used his high media profile and corporate connections to raise money for the ranch (the children attend for free), and his latest fund-raising project is
The Imus Ranch Record, in which 13
country and roots music artists each cover a song
Imus has picked out for them.
As music, this is hit and miss, like most benefit compilations, and while a number of the good tracks are very good indeed, when this set goes wrong it's cringe-inducing. While
Willie Nelson could probably do a song like
"What a Difference a Day Makes" in his sleep, he delivers it with the easy, satisfying grace that's his trademark, and
Vince Gill's take on
"A Satisfied Mind" is splendid, while
Dwight Yoakam's rollicking tear through
Doug Sahm's
"Give Back the Key to My Heart" is a pleasant surprise that
Sahm would doubtless have enjoyed. And if
Lucinda Williams overplays her vocals just a bit on
"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys," she brings a bluesy resonance to the tune that been missing in most versions. But
Big & Rich's bombastic and irony-free rendition of
the Beastie Boys'
"You've Got to Fight for Your Right to Party" is simply embarrassing,
Little Richard gets lost in the mix on
"I Ain't Never" in what feels like a lost opportunity, and though
John Hiatt sounds fine on
the Bottle Rockets'
"Welfare Music," the song's open attack on
Rush Limbaugh feels rather curious on an album curated by another reactionary radio personality. As music, the good tunes on
The Imus Ranch Record outnumber the bad, but there are just enough misfires to keep this from being a truly satisfying listen. And as for the cause, it's certainly worthy, but it's worth noting there are plenty of other ways you can donate money for ill and needy children without involving the controversial
Imus.
~Mark Deming, All Music Guide
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