Any project involving Lee Hazlewood is virtually guaranteed a high degree of quality, even when the material is commercially targeted and, often, purely exploitative. All that is the case with The Shacklefords Sing, a project that ostensibly consisted of three fresh-faced kids singing in a folk-revival style, but actually featured the wizened Hazlewood plus fellow songwriter/producer Marty Cooper and Hazlewood's former wife, nee Naomi Shackleford. Such dubious origins rarely score in an artistic sense, but as with other Hazlewood projects, there are many bright moments. The arrangements were broad but sharply punctuated with brass and the songwriting material had quite a few high points, so Hazlewood fans with patience and open minds will easily enjoy this record, even though it's miles away from the usual Hazlewood work, wise and world-weary. That said, the highlights shine much more brightly than the rest; two of Hazlewood's originals, "The City Never Sleeps" and "Muddy Muddy River," are infectious singalongs that had been naturals for the folk/pop chart crossover rampant during the late '50s and early '60s. The trio's cover of "Five Feet High and Risin'" is excellent as well, but the LP is dragged down slightly by derivative Cooper songs like "One" and "Ain't It?, Babe." Hazlewood fans who have heard the highlights on other compilations can safely avoid this one; the rest of the record is for completists only.
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