Kay Adams: “Little Pink Mack” (2024) Vinyl Review

Buck Owens must have been one of the busiest singers and musicians in the history of music. In addition to the large number of records he recorded and the television program Hee Haw which he hosted, Buck Owens did a half-hour syndicated show called The Buck Owens Ranch Show, which began running in 1966. Kay Adams was one of the regular performers on that program, and her new record Little Pink Mack collects her performances from 1966 to 1968. The songs were recorded live in the studio at Buck Owens Ranch, and feature Buck Owens And The Buckaroos backing her. Most of the tracks are covers, but there are some original numbers here. The songs are fairly short, so that ten songs fit on each side of this record. The release includes liner notes by Jim Allen, and the album is presented in pink vinyl.

Side A

The record opens with its title track, “Little Pink Mack,” a fun, rather adorable number about a female truck driver, certainly a rarity back then (and perhaps even now?). Kay Adams has her own delightful vocal delivery, especially heard on certain words, like “Mack” and “stack.” And yet we believe her when she says she can take care of herself, for she has spunk and is sure of herself. “Don’t mess around if you’re looking for a race/To be wiped out by a girl would be a disgrace.” That’s followed by “Roll Out The Red Carpet,” a song written by Buck Owens and Don Rich. Kay Adams covered several Buck Owens songs on her records. That makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, he wrote some of the best songs of that time. She clearly has a good time with “Roll Out The Red Carpet.” And don’t we all want the sort of treatment she sings about here? Then on “Let The Good Times Roll,” Kay Adams’ voice carries a sense of joy and excitement. Turn this one up, kiss your sweetheart and let the good times roll.

Kay Adams delivers a fairly energetic rendition of “Silver Threads And Golden Needles,” with just a bit of a rock flavor to the music. What a great vocal performance Kay gives, especially toward the end. She then gets bluesy with “Terrible Tangled Web,” delivered as a duet with Dick Curless. They sound great together. This track features some cool work on guitar, and is one of my personal favorites. That’s followed by “Anymore.” I love Kay’s energy and attitude on this one, right from the start as she sings, “Go ahead and fool around with every girl in town/I don’t care anymore.” And then listen to the way she raises her voice on “And now I’m free.” This is another of the record’s highlights, in large part because of her vocal performance. “Rocks In My Head” is another song written by Buck Owens, and another delightful number. He included it on his 1967 album Your Tender Loving Care. “Just like a puppy, I rolled over and played dead/Oh, I must have had rocks in my head.” And I love the attitude in her delivery of the line “While I live it up, well, you can live it down.”

“I Let A Stranger Buy The Wine” is an original number written by Kay Adams. Her delivery has more of an intimate vibe, almost a confessional tone, with a more serious feel. “Right or wrong, it was good to have his company/Tonight, I let a stranger buy the wine.” She included this song on her 1967 album Alcohol And Tears, and it is another highlight of this collection. Clearly she has a talent for songwriting as well as for singing. That’s followed by another original song, “Bottle Baby,” which was also included on Alcohol And Tears. Written by Kay Adams and Bobby Austin, this one is about deciding she’s had enough, that a relationship is over. She kicks the man out, declaring at the end, “You’re not Kay’s baby no more.” The first side of the record concludes with a beautifully sad country number titled “Get Out Of My Heart,” which features some great guitar work and an excellent and moving vocal performance. “You shouldn’t be here at all/You’re going to tear me all apart/Get out of my heart.”

Side B

Like the first side, the second side opens with a fun song about a truck driver, this time a male truck driver. The song, “Big Mac,” moves at a good pace. This truck driver says, “Why, you’re the sweetest thing that I’ve ever seen,” and the song is told from the perspective of the woman who received that compliment, a woman who works at a diner. This song was written by June Davis. Then Dick Curless joins Kay Adams again for “A Devil Like Me (Needs An Angel Like You),” the song a sort of conversation between the two. “If an angel like me had a devil like you/I’d stop your running around.” I love the quaver in Dick’s voice on the word “shady” in the phrase “with a shady past.” That’s followed by “Number One Heel,” a Buck Owens song written with Bonnie Owens, and included on the 1965 album Before You Go/No One But You. Kay Adams gives us a really good rendition on this record. “I’m the number one fool that still loves you/Yes, you’ll always be number one with me.” This track features a strong, prominent bass line.

There is a bit of laughter as Kay Adams begins “Old Heart Get Ready,” a track that features another of the record’s great vocal performances. It’s a fun song, and another highlight. It’s followed by “Six Days A Waiting.” Here she is adorable, her voice one of strength and grit. This song is a variation on “Six Days On The Road,” the other side of it, the answer to it from the woman waiting at home. Yup, in this one Kay Adams is not the truck driver, but the woman waiting for her truck driving man to get home. And you bet he’d better make it home tonight. This track features some excellent guitar work. Then “Down, Down, Down” is particularly catchy and moves at a great pace.  “Loose Talk” is a love song about the effects of people’s talk on a relationship. “I know you love me/And happy we could be/If some folks would leave us alone.”

Kay Adams slows things down with “You Don’t Have Very Far To Go,” a song written by Merle Haggard and Red Simpson. There is a beautiful ache in her voice as she sings, “But if you’re trying to break my heart/You don’t have very far to go.” And that pedal steel work is perfect. Then “Honky Tonk Heartache” directly addresses heartache, but does so with a higher level of energy. It was written by Chris Roberts and Scotty Turner. The album concludes with “Be Nice To Everybody,” which features a sweet vocal performance. In this one, Kay sings, “There you go driving in your big, long car/You got a house overlooking the town/But be nice to everybody on the way up/You’re going to meet them again coming down.” Hearing those lines, I can’t help but think of a certain ex-game show host who is finally coming down (but who has never been nice to anyone).

Record Track List

Side A

1. Little Pink Mack
2. Roll Out The Red Carpet
3. Let The Good Times Roll
4. Silver Threads And Golden Needles
5. Terrible Tangled Web
6. Anymore
7. Rocks In My Head
8. I Let A Stranger Buy The Wine
9. Bottle Baby
10. Get Out Of My Heart

Side B

1. Big Mac
2. A Devil Like Me (Needs An Angel Like You)
3. Number One Heel
4. Old Heart Get Ready
5. Six Days A Waiting
6. Down, Down, Down
7. Loose Talk
8. You Don’t Have Very Far To Go
9. Honky Tonk Heartache
10. Be Nice To Everybody

Little Pink Mack is scheduled to be released on March 1, 2024 through Sundazed Music.