But Milsap’s bouncy “Button of My Shirt” could bear comparison to some of 10cc’s crafty constructions, and one almost could imagine Michael Stipe intoning the moody “Smoky Mountain Rain. Sure, his “Back on My Mind Again” is such an obvious steal from Ringo’s “Octopus’ Garden” that they could probably do us all a favor and spend the next few years locked in a courtroom. He gets all the pieces in place, and there’s lots of chrome, but there’s hardly a spark of life there.Īgain, from a purely technical standpoint, Milsap can at times be an effective pops-meister. Milsap, rather, writes songs as if he’s gluing a model together, and not even a cool model like a Weirdo character or a ’64 Barracuda, but something stolid like a ’73 Belvedere. The Essential Ronnie Milsap (Compilation) I Wouldnt Have Missed It for the World Any Day Now Stranger in My House What a Difference Youve Made in My Life. Top Ronnie Milsap songs What A Difference Youve Made In My Life Prisoner Of The Highway I Wouldnt Have Missed It For The World Lost In The Fifties Tonight.
(Like that record Willie did with Julio, Jim? No, but cut the guy some slack, ok? The IRS just sold his golf course.) A Merle Haggard or Willie Nelson can turn a country song into a page of autobiography, reaching far inside to come up with truths common to the human condition. But far more grievous than his diluting the style of the music is the way Milsap ignores country’s great capacity for personal expression. Milsap’s brand of country crosses over so far toward pop that he can more easily be likened to Lionel Richie than to anyone with a twang in his heart. All of these songs were produced in a manner not too different from. The veteran singer-pianist is a polished tunesmith and gifted performer, but sadly he applied his talents to a show so calculated and slick that there was nary an instant of emotion to it. This was followed by RONNIE MILSAP's cutting his Pure Love in 1973 one year later.
It can only be a country show when the song titles are as long as “Are You Lovin’ Me Like I’m Lovin’ You” and “What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life.” And it is even more obviously a Ronnie Milsap show when the pat, medley-ized versions of such songs are scarcely longer than their titles.Įven in such skimpy portions as Milsap was vending at the Crazy Horse Steak House and Saloon on Monday evening, many of his syrupy musical snow cones melted to goop long before they were finished. Milsap’s biggest crossover hits include 'It Was Almost Like a Song,' 'Smoky Mountain Rain,' ' (There's) No Gettin' Over Me,' 'I Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World,' 'Any Day Now,' and 'Stranger in My House,' among others.