Burl Ives Little Bitty Tear Soundtrack CD

Burl Ives did score a handful of country hits in the period covered by this five-disc box set, but don't assume that his Nashville years were devoted to cry-in-your-beer country music. Ives had more pop than country hits during this time, and recorded Hawaiian music, sacred songs, cowboy songs, and pop oldies in addition to the novelties and saga songs that comprise the bulk of the material. Fans of the faux-historical saga song fad, typified by Lefty Frizzell's "Long Black Veil" (which Ives covers) and "Saginaw, Michigan," will find much more of the same here. Nearly every track benefits from inventive arrangements and choral vocals by the Anita Kerr Singers, and Ives puts everything into his funny and dramatic performances. The set isn't all-inclusive -- his popular early-'60s Christmas recordings are omitted, and Ives recorded country music for Decca before and after the given time span -- but this is some of his greatest and best-loved music. ~ Greg Adams

A Little Bitty Tear is an engaging collection of Burl Ives' country-pop hits of the early 1960s -- outside of the smash title track, other highlights include "Funny Way of Laughin'" and "Call Me Mr. In-Between." ~ Hank Small

Personnel: Burl Ives (vocals, guitar).