Burning Memories

Take away the string arrangements and the choirs, and Burning Memories is as perfect as Night Life, Ray Price’s 1962 masterwork. While country purists will always deride Nashville’s antique production touches, the strings and choirs here aren't nearly as intrusive as they are on other albums from the period. In fact, the way the strings manifest on “Release Me” and “A Thing Called Sadness” makes them seem like a figment of the narrator’s imagination, adding to an overall feeling of regret and longing that pervades this set of heartbreaking songs. Though the recordings are markedly spare—featuring Price’s operatic tenor set against a backdrop of Nashville sessioneers, most notably pianists Floyd Cramer and Pig Robbins—the singer is joined in spirit by some of the world’s greatest songwriters. Price had impeccable taste in songs, as proven by a set that includes superlative works by Willie Nelson (“Are You Sure”), Harlan Howard (“You Took Her off My Hands”), and Hank Cochran (“That’s All That Matters”). They gave Price the gold that he then crafted into timeless jewelry.