The disc opens with “You’re My Favorite Song,” an incredibly cheerful song. “You’re my favorite song/Every day and night long/I play you over and over again.” Sure, it’s a bit corny, but that is part of its charm. The track includes strings, which, as Victoria Hallman tells us in the liner notes, were added later, after the original tracks by the Buckaroos. “And my favorite song/That keeps me spinning around/Is you saying you want me again.” That’s followed by “Bottle Up My Tears,”a lively number with a tremendous energy and a strong vocal performance. It opens with these lines: “Bottle up my tears/Send a six pack to my baby.” This country number features horns, which like the strings were added after the initial tracks were recorded, and contribute to the overall joy of the sound. This is a fun number containing some good guitar work, and is one of my favorites.
Victoria Hallman then she slows things down with “Lay Your Heart On Mine,” featuring a moving vocal performance. The song takes on more energy for its chorus. “I know it hurts so bad sometimes/When the pain of love comes pouring through/And you need someone to hold onto/Lay your heart on mine.” This is a sweet tune. It also features strings. That’s followed by another sweet song, “How’s Everything,” with a sincere and strong vocal performance. “Rich or poor, it doesn’t matter/‘Cause he’s mine for all of time/When people ask, ‘How’s everything’/I just say, ‘He’s fine’/He’s everything I dreamed I’d find/And every day I thank the lord he’s mine.” When things aren’t going well in certain areas, it’s good to remember that all of that is insignificant compared to the love of your life. The pandemic certainly helped people take a fresh look at their priorities, and, as far as I’ve heard, love came out on top every time. What else is there?
“Please Please Me” is another of the disc’s highlights (and no, it’s not a cover of The Beatles song). Here is a taste of the lyrics: “I love the way you love me when you have to go/You kiss me tenderly but very soon I know/Only moments will remain/Before my pleasure turns to pain/You must say goodbye and leave me once again/Please please me, won’t you stay a little longer.” This one has a joyful pop vibe, with a wonderful rhythm. I particularly dig that bass line. It would be difficult to dislike this track. That’s followed by “Just A Breath Away,” a pretty song in which she sings, “Well, it’s lonely here/Though you’re lying just a breath away/And as I hold you near/I long to hear the things you used to say/But they’re gone forever.” I love Victoria Hallman’s passionate vocal performance on this track. Then “Rainy Day Games” has a pleasant vibe. “Who needs blue skies and sunshine/Then we’d have to go outside.” “His Way Alone” is the only track that I don’t care for. It has a religious theme and includes that feeble “self”/“shelf” rhyme.
Then “24 Hour Woman” is a delightful tune. It is so cheerful, so fun, with a catchy rhythm and horns. “I’m his 24-hour woman/He’s my once-in-a-lifetime man/Now we don’t own a great big home/We ain’t got a penny to spare/But we got more worth living for/Than any old millionaire.” Oh yes! I can just imagine her dancing down a street, singing this song, getting everyone to sing along, turning the world into a musical, where before long everyone is dancing and smiling. Why can’t that happen? The final of the tracks recorded in 1982 is “Sexy Movies,” a kind of odd, yet delightful tune. “Bigger than real life, this man and this lady/Kissing, hugging right there on the screen/Mmm, it started to feel nice, and I looked at my baby/Pretty soon we were covering all the windows with steam.” Yet the track has an innocent vibe to it, particularly as she sings, “Home at eleven, feel so excited/Things we saw in the picture made us hurry back home/I’m halfway to heaven, and more, I can’t hide it.” Yeah, this song is about a married couple. There is a bit of a Neil Diamond vibe to this track at times.
Bonus Tracks
The disc contains three bonus tracks. These were recorded in 1980, with a different band backing her, a band that includes the great Hal Blaine on drums and Emory Gordy Jr. on bass. The first of these tracks is a cover of Buck Owens’ “Under The Influence Of Love.” It is interesting that the bonus material has more of a traditional country sound than the main tracks of this release, the ones featuring the Buckaroos. I love that pedal steel work by Jay Dee Maness. This fun track also features some nice work by Glen D. Hardin on keyboards and by James Burton on guitar. Victoria Hallman then slows things down again with “Close Enough For Me,” in which she sings, “Before I had the chance to say I love you/You stopped me with a kiss and said goodbye,” good opening lines. Here she delivers another passionate vocal performance. “Why do people fall in love with someone they can’t have/How can something feel so good and still hurt me so bad/You can’t give me what I want/So you give me what I need/It’s a long way from perfect/But it’s close enough for me.” The disc concludes with a wonderful rendition of Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried,” one of many songs that I first heard done by the Grateful Dead. I love Victoria Hallman’s approach to this song, and this version features some excellent work by Richard Greene on fiddle.
CD Track List
- You’re My Favorite Song
- Bottle Up My Tears
- Lay Your Heart On Mine
- How’s Everything
- Please Please Me
- Just A Breath Away
- Rainy Day Games
- His Way Alone
- 24 Hour Woman
- Sexy Movies
- Under The Influence Of Love
- Close Enough For Me
- Mama Tried
From Birmingham To Bakersfield is scheduled to be released on CD on April 28, 2023. The vinyl edition will be for sale on Record Store Day, April 22, 2023. By the way, the bonus tracks are included on the vinyl edition as well as the CD.
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