Starting in the late 1950s,
Buzz Cason had a long and varied career as a both a performer and songwriter. His most famous credits in the latter category include "Everlasting Love," a big soul-pop hit for
Robert Knight in 1967; "Sandy," a mid-'60s hit for
Ronny & the Daytonas; and "Soldier of Love," recorded by Arthur Alexander and then covered on the BBC by
the Beatles. Rockabilly and pre-
Beatles style rock & roll seems to be closest to his heart, however, on this 20-song set of material. Nowhere in the eight-page booklet (featuring liner notes by
Cason himself) does it say when it was recorded, but it's a fair guess that the tracks are taken from two mid-'80s albums, An American Saturday Night and
Rhythm Bound, though it's not spelled out whether this disc is simply a combination of those two releases. Whatever their origins, it's fair revivalist rock & roll with heavy debts to Sun Records,
Carl Perkins,
Elvis Presley, and
Gene Vincent. Some covers are included, like
Vincent's "Be Bop a Lula,"
Perkins' "Dixie Fried,"
Roy Orbison's "Ooby Dooby," and
Johnny Cash's "Get Rhythm," which isn't the greatest idea since there's no way to come within shouting distance of the originals, let alone improve upon them. Much of it's competent neo-rockabilly, but it's missing the flair and personality of the giants on whom the music's obviously modeled. Some tracks go into a more modern style with nods to
Creedence Clearwater Revival, contemporary bar bands, and more up-to-date technology, but make a similar lack of impression and are executed with less taste. There's also a remake of "Everlasting Love" which suffers from inappropriate synth-laden production. ~ Richie Unterberger