Various Bob Harris Country Sessions (2-CD)

(BBC/Hump Head Records) 34 trackswith exclusive live sessions. - great acoustic versions - Featuring 'North Side Gal' by JD McPherson and many other Highlights!*****

Bob Harris has been a leading figure in the music industry for fifty years. Known for his current shows Bob Harris Country and Bob Harris Sunday on BBC Radio 2, he is also one of the forces behind C2C: Country to Country, which has been a huge success in the UK in recent years. To coincide with the 2016 festival, Bob Harris has released The Bob Harris Country Sessions, a 2-disc set of 35 live recordings from country music's leading artists.

Looking at the track list for Bob Harris Country Sessions, it's easy to see the impact he's had on the genre. It reads like a "Who's Who" of country music, celebrating all styles of the genre and a wide range of artists. Fans of country - whether traditional or contemporary - will get their money's worth on the 2 discs.

The collection begins with Downtown by Lady Antebellum, one of the band's best songs, which always sounds better live. The collection features a real mix of artists, including longtime favorites like Lee Ann Womack (The Way I'm Livin'), Emmylou Harris (Pancho and Lefty) and Steve Earle (Burnin' It Down), as well as newer artists like Andrew Combs (Silk Flowers) and Maddie & Tae (Girl in a Country Song).
Highlights from the two CDs include Sam Hunt's impassioned rendition of Break Up in a Small Town, Brandy Clark's tongue-in-cheek Stripes, and Thomas Rhett's superb rendition of his #1 hit Die a Happy Man. British artists The Shires and Ward Thomas hold the flag of British country high with their songs Only Midnight and Town Called Ugley.

It's not often you get to hear country music live in the UK unless you go to an artist's concert, which makes this collection extra special. Bob Harris Country Sessions highlights the genuine talent of the artists in this genre and reminds you why country is one of the most popular genres in the world. This is a collection you should listen to often.