George Jones - Cold Hard Truth

(Asylum/Warners)

***

Review: Graham Reid

The cold hard truth about George is that his recent albums are patchy affairs and don't bear comparison with his finest work. This is no exception.

This album was almost complete when he ploughed off the road and was unconscious for 10 days.

Perhaps that explains the retrospective cover photos. Could have been the posthumous release?

The whisky-stained barrel-bottom voice is intact and the musicianship sharp but the material waivers between the minor classic (Choices), the perfunctory (Ain't Love a Lot Like That?), the maudlin (Bed of Roses) and the sentimental (Day After Forever). Typically uneven.