After spending his early years touring with his older brother, country music icon
Lefty Frizzell,
David Frizzell tried his hand at a solo career, enjoying some minor chart success in the 1970s with a smattering of singles. His real success, however, would come in the next decade via a series of albums recorded both solo and with young country singer
Shelly West. This anthology focuses on his solo highlights throughout the early and mid-'80s with wry country-pop songs like the number one hit "I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home," "A Million Light Beers Ago," and "Lefty," a tribute to his brother that featured a guest spot from
Merle Haggard. The absence of his duet material with
West makes this a somewhat incomplete picture of
Frizzell's most successful years, but there are still plenty of worthwhile solo songs here to be enjoyed. ~ Timothy Monger