20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Hank Williams [Dig

Performer: Hank Williams
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Includes liner notes by Colin Escott. Digitally remastered by Gary Mayo (Polygram Studios). Includes liner notes by Joseph F. Laredo. All tracks have been digitally remastered. This is part of MCA's 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection series. Those seeking a thorough overview of country legend Hank Williams's career can seek out one of the impressive box sets devoted to the singer. Other interested parties might examine 20 GREATEST HITS or its two-disc cousin 40 GREATEST HITS. The more frugal-minded newcomer, who wants only to dip a tentative, inexpensive toe into the Williams waters, will be well suited by this budget-priced compilation. It does a fine job of encapsulating the career of an American genius in just a dozen songs. All the sides of the artist are represented here, from the hard-living honky-tonker ("Move it on Over"), to the woebegone wastrel ("Lost Highway"), and the repentant sinner ("I Saw the Light"). While this disc only gives the listener a brief taste of the treasures waiting in the Williams catalog, that taste is undeniably tantalizing.

The Robert Johnson of country, Hank Williams was a troubled visionary who hung around just long enough to change the face of American music forever. He added electric instruments and touches of Western swing and proto-rockabilly to the post-hillbilly sound of his idol Roy Acuff, writing a wealth of unforgettable tunes along the way. In the late 1940s and early '50s, Williams rose to fame with a series of these chart-topping hits, including "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Hey, Good Lookin'." Though Williams' hard living caught up with him in 1953, his legacy lives on in his timeless songs and the legions of musicians he inspired.

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