Patsy Cline - The Divine Ms. Cline (Alternate Version) (2013)

Tracklist

01. Why Can't He Be You? (Alternate Version)
02. Have You Ever Been Lonely? (Alternate Version)
03. Half as Much (Alternate Version)
04. San Antonio Rose (Alternate Version)
05. Crazy (Alternate Version)
06. I Fall to Pieces (Alternate Version)
07. True Love (Alternate Version)
08. I Love You so Much It Hurts Me (Alternate Version)
09. You Belong to Me (Alternate Version)
10. Leavin' on Your Mind (Alternate Version)
11. Tennessee Waltz (Alternate Version)
12. The Wayward Wind (Alternate Version)
13. A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold) (Alternate Version)
14. South of the Border (Down Mexico Way) (Alternate Version)
15. So Wrong (Alternate Version)
16. Heartaches (Alternate Version)
17. Seven Lonely Days (Alternate Version)
18. Foolin' Around (Alternate Version)
19. I'm Blue Again (Alternate Version)
20. Just a Closer Walk with Thee (Alternate Version)
21. Strange (Live)
22. She's Got You (Live)
23. Imagine That (Live)
24. Shoes (Live)
25. Lovesick Blues (Live)
26. Life's Railway to Heaven (Live)

Her name was Virginia Patterson Hensley, but most people know her as Patsy Cline. She had a reputation for being somewhat bawdy but very kind-hearted. Fifty years ago today she died in a plane crash. Some folks were lucky enough to hear her pure, one-of-a-kind voice in a live performance. But now new fans can experience a Patsy concert, and old fans can reminisce, thanks to Producer Larry Jordan and H&H Music’s new CD.

She helped define country music and was a pioneer. Unfortunately some of her vocals were covered with instrumentals and background voices. The new CD strips away the distractions and lets Patsy be, well, Patsy. Even the CD title, “The Divine Ms. Cline” says it all. The CD is divine, and more.

Masters of Patsy’s greatest hits were stripped down to the bare essentials. The vocals were given 24-bit digital remastering. New instrumentals were added using local players and singers. The result is clean, clear, and no less than amazing.

The CD features “Why Can’t He Be You,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “The Wayward Wind,” and, of course, “Crazy.” There is also an added treat of six “Live in Concert” tunes. You would swear you were in a smoky bar, candles on the table, dark except a spotlight on the stage where “The Cline” (as she called herself) was swaying onstage, lost in music.

Patsy had a strong connection to the Nashville area. She had a home was in Goodlettsville, just north of Nashville. The plane crashed in Camden. Of course, she recorded in Music City. She graced the stage of the Grand ‘Ol Opry when you had to be invited and it was not a rental venue. The CD echoes that old “real country” sound, before people’s voices were overdubbed and relied on electronics. Her “Tennessee Waltz” will either make you tear up or get chills.

There are 26 cuts on this special CD. There are liner notes including quotes from people who knew Cline personally. “I won’t live past thirty,” she told people. With “The Divine Ms. Cline” in your collection, she does live on … in song.

Perhaps the most poignant moment on the CD is the last song. Patsy signs off after performing a heartfelt, live “Life’s A Railway to Heaven.” You can see her smile as she says, “This is Patsy Cline saying bye-bye, and God bless you.”

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